“Every month is a struggle,” he said. “I basically eat one meal a day. It helps when I get extra money so I can put it towards food.” The 50-year-old receives $1,169 a month through the Ontario Disability Support Program, an annual rate that falls well below the provincial poverty line.
“I rely on it for my entire income,” he said. “I have no other source of income.” Ferguson, who lives with spinal degeneration, says inflation rates have driven costs so high he worries he can’t keep up. Although he lives with a roommate to offset the rent, and receives financial assistance from his retired mother. “There was no future for him to work because of his disability and it was difficult,” said 75-year-old Una Ferguson. “I’ve ended up working harder to support Scott.” More than 200 advocacy groups have signed an open letter from the Income Security Advocacy Centre, calling on the Ontario government to double ODSP payment rates to keep up with the rising cost of living. The recent provincial election saw Premier Doug Ford promise to raise ODSP rates by 5 per cent and introduce legislation to link annual increases to inflation. “Raising it five per cent doesn’t change the problem,” said Kenzie McCurdy with Stop Gap Ottawa. “I’ve seen comments online, ‘Well, you need to budget better.’ How do you budget $1,169 to manage the rent? That’s a thousand dollars and whatever else you need to do. There’s no budget in the world that can help with that.” Advocacy groups say the proposal, which equates to an extra $58 a month, is not enough to survive. It means people like Jessica Watters are forced to live with roommates, hoping to save enough money to cover the medical bills they know are coming. “It stresses me out because I feel like every year it’s getting harder to get through because the goalpost keeps moving,” said the 33-year-old, who was diagnosed with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. CTV News Ottawa spoke with several people on welfare who say they feel they are being left behind living on a stagnant income they say is barely enough to get by. “Doubling would put me on the poverty line,” Ferguson said. “It would make a difference, it would allow me to budget.”