Ontario government launches new strategy – but critics question practicality
Looking to break down employment barriers for people with disabilities, the Ontario government announced a new strategy in June that’s meant to connect more people to rewarding jobs, and more employers to new talent.
“People with disabilities are underrepresented in Ontario’s labour market and that needs to change. By accessing the diverse talents of people with disabilities, businesses and our economy as a whole will become more competitive,” said Tracy MacCharles, minister responsible for accessibility.
Part of the government’s “Access Talent: Ontario’s Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities” includes a call to action for employers with 20 employees or more to hire at least one more person with a disability.
The government picked that threshold because it wanted to single out employers that hopefully have more capacity, said MacCharles.
“I’m very mindful of the fact smaller businesses may have less capacity, but small and medium-sized businesses really make up our economy in Ontario… there’s more employers in that dimension than there are elsewhere.”
Twenty is also the threshold used for reporting requirements in the accessibility legislation, she said.
“But this challenge is not a legislated challenge, it’s not a formal target or quota or anything like that,” said MacCharles. “This whole strategy... is all about raising awareness and connecting that disconnect, employers who say they can’t, they don’t know if they have persons with disabilities, they don’t know where to find them. And we have people with disabilities with persistently high unemployment rates who have high educational rates, low turnover, low WSIB (workers’ compensation), ready willing and able to work, who have high performance overall.”
But it’s puzzling why the government is focusing on employers with 20 people or more, said Bob Vansickle, past board chair of the Ontario Disability Employment Network in Whitby, Ont.
“I wouldn’t want small businesses to think that they’re not up to the challenge of hiring because maybe there would be increased costs or burden on the business, when in fact we know that to be absolutely not true,” he said, adding that many people with a disability don’t require workplace accommodation, and if they do, the average cost is about $500.
By focusing on employers with 20 workers or more, the government has left out the vast majority of the private sector, where most of the job creation takes place, said David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance in Toronto.
“I understand IBM can afford more for accommodation than a mom and pop shop, we get that, but I don’t think you cut out from your target the organizations with 10 to 20 employees, 15 to 20 employees…. why are they in a materially different position than one with 21 employees?”
But there are many challenges for employers after the Ontario government announced plans to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, along with making other labour reforms, said Plamen Pletkov, Toronto-based vice-chair for Ontario at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
“On the one hand, the government is saying, ‘Go ahead and do this,’ and that’s great, but on the other hand, they’re saying, ‘You know what, we’re just going to put a higher price on creating that additional job at your place of business, and you have to somehow find a way to absorb it.’”
Employer connections
As part of the strategy, the Ontario government said it wants to support leading employers as “accessibility champions” who would spread the word about how simple and beneficial it is to hire people with disabilities.
That would involve an Employers’ Partnership Table, sharing best practices around breaking down barriers to employment for people with disabilities; enhancing Employment Ontario supports; an online platform that will connect businesses, people with disabilities, and the public to share advice and lessons learned; and increasing awareness and supporting compliance with the Accessible Employment Standard.
It’s good to see the government focusing on the business case, said Vansickle.
“If you’re going to get business onboard with hiring people with disabilities, they’re not going to do it as a result of charity. Businesses are here for one reason, and that’s to make money and make a profit, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.
“When you have someone who can talk about the benefits for their business and the great return on investment and how people have exceeded their expectations and created profit for them, it’s very different when it comes from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”
Using an online hub to connect people makes sense, according to Pletkov.
“It’s a good idea to establish that link between employers and people with disabilities, whether it’s through online job banks or something more specialized,” he said. “That is perfectly fine and we’re going to need more of that… the 30 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses in the province have expressed it’s difficult for them to find the right people for a job.”
But the government’s latest plan will do little for months, if not years, to combat the high levels of unemployment facing Ontarians with disabilities, according to Lepofsky, who added the strategy is mainly about high-level, long-term concepts, and not enough specifics and real timelines.
“It too often re-announces things government had said it was already doing, and the risk of months of more delay. After years of waiting, what we need instead is a plan to hit the ground running now, with immediate, practical action,” he said.
