Ontario has given parents more than $1 billion in cash over 2 years

During the pandemic, the Ontario government offered cash assistance to parents to offset the cost of learning at home while schools were closed. Premier Doug Ford continued several versions of the program over the years, giving parents hundreds of dollars to help educate their children. so that the children can continue their education. But since 2020, hundreds of parents have complained that they do not have access to this funding. More than three million applications were received during the first three iterations of the plan, resulting in more than $1.1 billion in payments to parents.

The Prime Minister introduced the first "Support for Families" scheme in 2020, which would directly deposit $200 for each child under 12 and $250 for children with special needs under 21.

More than 2,600 parents applied for the scheme, which was awarded a total of about $548,300. The district with the highest number of applicants was "Sue St. Mary's", where about $14,600 in cash was paid to parents in this district. Areas in Brampton, Toronto and Milton were among the five areas that received the highest payouts.

The second round of payments covered applications between November 2020 and February 2021. This time, more than 1.1 million parents applied, costing the government more than $228 million. Parents in Milton received the most cash, with more than $2.6 million in payouts.

By the time the third payment was made, more than 2.1 million parents had applied, costing the government more than $8.8 million.

Parents were given more money in the Ontario Child Benefit during the Covid-19 era, about $400 per child and up to $500 per child with special needs.

The areas that requested the most and therefore received the most cash were Milton, Brampton, Mississauga and Barrie.

The fourth round of payments, made between October 2022 and March 2023, brought the total number of applications to 5.9 million and about $1.6 billion in cash was sent to parents across the four plans, according to government officials.

The government has received about 200 complaints from parents that they were not paid. According to investigators, some parents were informed that someone who was not caring for the child had demanded the money and there was no way to get it back.

The government website states that only parents or guardians can apply for each student. The website states: “This allowance is given to the parent or guardian of the child. "We are not involved in these decisions and we do not accept repeated requests."

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