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In June 1993, the government of Ontario's plan to reform the social assistance system from one of passive income maintenance to an active system more closely linked to the labour market was outlined in a paper entitled Turning Point: New Support Programs for People with Low Incomes. A year later, jobLink Ontario was formally announced by the Minister of Community and Social Services (MCSS). Designed to reflect the Government of Ontario's new policy regarding the social assistance system, as well as its broader strategy for economic renewal, the purpose of jobLink Ontario was to help prepare social assistance recipients (SARs) to compete in today's labour market. By helping recipients to become self-sufficient, thereby breaking their dependency on the system, they would be able to contribute to Ontario's economic renewal.

The goal of jobLink Ontario, as indicated in Local Implementation Planning, was to involve various levels of government and non-government organizations working together to provide social assistance recipients with a single integrated system of services that will assist them in entering the labour market. Such services would include:

• more opportunities for education and training;

• better access to information on job opportunities and the labour market;

• regulatory changes, service improvements and education and training for those wishing to be self-employed;

• funding for community projects that are innovative and create/lead to jobs; and

• a co-ordinate set of community services.

To guide the establishment and implementation activities of jobLink Ontario, seven guiding principles were developed.¹⁴

1. To help SARs become more oriented toward an active labour market system with strong links to training and jobs.

2. To focus on jobs as the outcome of training.

3. To actively encourage voluntary participation.

4. To continue meeting the special needs of people with disabilities as well as those with multiple employment barriers by building on existing expertise.

5. To increase equity and reduce the stigma faced by SARs by moving towards a more generic set of services that would be easier for SARs to access.

6. To encourage communities to collaborate in the development of innovative approaches to service delivery.

7. To promote the self-sufficiency and independence of consumers through services that:

• are based on individual need;

• are delivered in the least intrusive manner;

• provide a range of opportunities that are both self-directed and staff-supported; and

• are sensitive to needs of people with disabilities, people from various racial and ethno-cultural groups, and other identified groups.

In addition to the guiding principles, formal objectives were also developed: one for individuals participating in the program and one for system managers/funders and service providers. These objectives were as follow:

• Individuals:

• to improve access to all employment and training programs;

• to improve employment skills;

• to increase level of earnings; and

• to secure and sustain employment.

• System managers/funders and service providers:

• to improve consumer access to employment-related information;

• to provide a set of core services that meet province-wide service quality standards;

• to organize/co-ordinate services to improve capacity and efficiency, and eliminate duplication;

• to become more responsive to needs by having consumers more involved in planning, developing, managing and monitoring the jobLink Ontario system; and

• to create stronger links between social assistance, employment/education/ training programs and the labour market.

There were seven major components of jobLink Ontario through which social assistance recipients received services:

• Resource Centres;

• Making the Transition from the Existing System;

• Ontario Training and Adjustment Board Programs and Services;

• jobLink Ontario Innovations Fund;

• Employer-based training programs;

• jobLink Ontario for First Nations and Aboriginal Peoples; and

• HRDC Programs and Services.

Resource Centres

The component of interest for this study involves resource centres. Resource centres were set up in local communities to provide SARs with information regarding employment, training and local supports available to them.¹⁵ In co-ordinating the programs and services delivered by the federal, provincial and municipal governments as well as community organizations, the resource centres acted as a single access point for SARs. Information could be accessed either directly by the individual or with assistance from staff. The services to be provided to participants included individual employability assessments and employment planning, education and training programs (e.g., jobsOntario Training), access to computers and computer-based information, supports (e.g., child care, counselling) and staff to provide assistance in using the resource inventory or self-help tools. In providing these services, resource centres were expected to build on and co-ordinate with existing programs and services, but not to duplicate them.

Partnerships

The operation of the resource centres involved partnerships between the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS), the federal government (i.e., Human Resources Development Canada — HRDC) and an Accountability Centre. Funding in 1994-95 for the initial sites was jointly shared by the MCSS and the federal government under a Co-operation Agreement signed between the two parties in early 1995.¹⁶ Funding of resource centres remained a responsibility of the MCSS and the federal government. In addition to providing funding, the federal government, through HRDC, also provided technical tools and LAN support. The actual day-to-day operation of the centres was the responsibility of the Accountability Centre. At a minimum, the Accountability Centre was responsible for delivering the core resource centre services (e.g., resource inventory, self-help tools) and referral or brokerage (i.e., identifying where the client can access services and supports such as training). Accountability Centres were also required to participate in evaluation efforts and to support the introduction of common technology.¹⁷ Organizations interested in taking on the responsibilities of the Accountability Centres were required to submit a proposal that would be reviewed by both the provincial and federal governments and assessed based on specific criteria.

In addition to these partners, guidelines were also provided for the development of Community Advisory Committees.¹⁸ The purpose of the guidelines, which were developed by MCSS, was to ensure that both the structure and responsibility of these committees would be consistent across the province. The purpose of these committees was to provide the structure necessary to encourage community collaboration in the development of innovative approaches to service delivery and to ensure consumers were more involved in the planning, implementing and monitoring of the jobLink service system. These committees were to be comprised of service providers, consumers and other key stakeholders or community partners. The key areas of responsibility of the committees were: community information/consultation/ linkages; service planning, monitoring and evaluation; and advice/recommendations on program design and policy development.

Implementation

Initial sites for the resource centres were identified through a local jobLink Ontario planning process, as detailed in Local Implementation Planning. Through this community process, a plan for implementing a local jobLink system was to be developed and then submitted to a central approval process. Of importance to this community planning process was the involvement of consumers, program/service providers, planning groups, educators/trainers, private sector employers and organized labour. In Windsor, for example, some of the organizations invited to participate in the process included:¹⁹

• Futures/Youth Employment;

• Women's Enterprise Skills Training;

• Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre;

• Association of the Physically Handicapped;

• Goodwill Industries;

• Windsor Board of Education;

• United Way; and

• Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

In addition to community organizations, it was considered essential for the MCSS, HRDC, OTAB and municipalities to be part of the core planning committee.

In the proposals developed by the communities, a number of key areas had to be addressed: the planning process; existing conditions (including a profile of the community, labour market and the consumer, and the identification of existing services); suggested improvements to existing services; and an implementation and monitoring plan for the providing of services, programs and supports that would meet the objectives of jobLink Ontario.²⁰ As it was the purpose of jobLink Ontario to augment existing services and not to duplicate them, the identification of existing programs and services and the highlighting of gaps in these services was an important component of the community proposals. In terms of the Windsor and Sudbury²¹ proposals, plans for evaluation were also noted. As the designation of the first implementation sites was scheduled for the Fall of 1994, implementation plans had to be submitted by November 1994.

The initial sites for the resource centres included: Metropolitan Toronto; City of Windsor; City of Cornwall; City of Kingston and Kingston Township; Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton; Regional Municipality of Waterloo; Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth; Bruce County; Districts of Sudbury and Manitoulin; City of Sault Ste. Marie and District of Algoma. Start-up of the resource centres in these sites was scheduled for January 1995.²²

The Changing Scene

Political Changes

Shortly after the start-up of the initial resource centres, the provincial election in Ontario changed the provincial context in which the resource centres had been created. With the change in government in June 1995, jobLink Ontario was terminated. While the resource centres were to stay, this change in provincial context caused uncertainty regarding the future of the resource centres and, consequently, affected their development in the first year of operations.²³ For example, in the original plans for the resource centre in Sudbury Central, a local advisory committee was to be established. Findings from a recent evaluation of this resource centre indicate that this has not happened. The primary reason given by key informants who participated in this study for the committee not being established was the uncertainty that followed the June 1995 provincial election. According to respondents, partners did not want to set up a permanent committee until they knew what was going to happen to the jobLink initiative. While the evaluation of the Sudbury/Windsor resource centres does not provide an explanation, of note is that the resource centre in Windsor also did not establish an advisory committee as initially planned.

Another impact of the termination of jobLink Ontario was that it removed any centralized co-ordination in the development of the resource centres. Consequently, operations and programming were developed to reflect local priorities. For example, the management committee of the Windsor Resource Centre, which is comprised of representatives of the three partners (City of Windsor, MCSS and HRDC), does not meet regularly.²⁴ The City of Windsor, in fact, manages the Centre, almost solely, with very little input at the strategic level from the two other partners beyond technical and financial support.

Uncertainty regarding funding sources and budget cuts has also hindered implementation and the extent to which services are provided.²⁵ Uncertainty regarding funding sources and amounts, for example, was cited as a major barrier to the co-location of community partners in the Windsor Resource Centre. Downsizing at HRDC has also resulted in the number of HRDC counsellors at the Windsor Resource Centre being reduced. Finally, budget restrictions have been cited as the reason for some programs not being available at all sites (e.g., computerized assessment programs at the Chapleau site).

Ontario Works

The introduction of Ontario Works in 1996 resulted in another shift in the provincial context for resource centres, again impacting on their implementation. The recent evaluation of the Windsor Resource Centre commented on the uncertainty of organizations regarding their role in serving the unemployed population due to the introduction of Ontario Works.²⁶ Not wanting to risk their chances of future funding, they were hesitant to engage in activities associated with the resource centre. Until Ontario Works becomes more clearly defined, including its implementation process, the hesitancy on the part of organizations can be expected to persist.

The purpose of Ontario Works is similar to that of jobLink Ontario in that it aims to break the dependency of social assistance recipients on the system and move them into the labour force.²⁷ It is, however, a much more aggressive approach in that SARs²⁸ are required to actively participate in a plan that will assist them in finding permanent employment by improving their skills and/or experience. Failure of SARs to comply with this requirement will result in the withdrawal of their social assistance benefits for a minimum of three months. The exception to this sanction is SARs with families who will have their benefits reduced as opposed to cancelled.

There are three primary components of Ontario Works: community placements; employment supports; and employment placements. Community placements involves the participation of SARs in unpaid community service directed by either communities or public or non-profit organizations. Employment supports involves those activities that will prepare SARs for finding employment. These activities include: job banks, job clubs and job referrals. Employment placements involves assisting SARs to find and maintain employment. In terms of the resource centres, there is a role for them to play in the employment supports component. Their exact role at the time this evaluation was completed, however, was unclear. The change in legislation means that General Welfare Assistance (GWA) workers will now be responsible for employment assessment and counselling, and training assessment. While the resource centres should prove to be an invaluable resource for GWA workers, the extent to which SARs will access the services of the centres directly is uncertain. This may result in a reduced role for resource centre staff. Also, within the employment supports component, there is a provision for communities, public, non-profit and private sector organizations to be involved in its delivery at the local level. The potential for funding through Ontario Works may prevent some of the employment services organizations from teaming up with resource centres. There is the potential that this may result in services between these organizations and the resource centres being duplicated or, perhaps, the redundancy of the resource centres.

Footnotes

14	Ontario Community and Social Services and Human Resources Development Canada, jobLink Ontario: Local Implementation Planning, 1994.
15	Ontario Community and Social Services and Human Resources Development Canada, jobLink Ontario: Local Implementation Planning, 1994.
16	Canada/Ontario Co-operation Agreement Concerning jobLink Ontario.
17	Ministry of Community and Social Services, Materials to Support jobLink Resource Centre Service Contracts, 1995.
18	Ministry of Community and Social Services, Community Advisory Committees: Guidelines for jobLink Sites, 1995.
19	Windsor, Resource Centre Services Funding Proposal, November 1994.
20	Ontario Community and Social Services and Human Resources Development Canada, jobLink Ontario: Local Implementation Planning, 1994.
21	Sudbury, jobLink Resource Centre Plan, December 1994.
22	Ontario Community and Social Services and Human Resources Development Canada, jobLink Ontario: Local Implementation Planning, 1994.
23	Human Resources Development Canada, Final Report on the Process Evaluation of the Windsor and Sudbury Resource Centres, September 1996.
24	Ibid.
25	Human Resources Development Canada, Final Report on the Process Evaluation of the Windsor and Sudbury Resource Centres, September 1996.
26	Ibid.
27	Ministry of Community and Social Services, A Summary of the Ontario Works Program, August 1996.
28	Persons with disabilities, seniors, single parents and those who are ill or have other care responsibilities will be exempt.