I disagree with a decision from OW. What can I do?
Beware of scams
People have been getting phone calls with a pre-recorded message telling them their Ontario Works account has been deleted.
This is a scam to trick you into sharing your personal information. If you get a call like that, hang up the phone. You can report these calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Long delays for appeal hearings
If you're appealing a decision made by OW or ODSP in 2020, your appeal hearing may not happen for a long time. People report that they're getting hearing dates from the that are between 9 and 16 months in the future. We'll update this information as things change.
You may be able to appeal to the Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT) if you get a decision from Ontario Works (OW):
- refusing to give you
- reducing the amount of assistance you get
- cutting off your assistance
- saying that you have an
To appeal means that you ask the SBT to decide that the OW decision is wrong.
The SBT is not part of OW and has the power to make a different decision.
Asking for an internal review
Before you can appeal an OW decision to the SBT, you must ask for an of the decision.
Someone in the OW office reviews the decision and decides whether or not to change it. This is a different person than the one who made the decision that you disagree with.