Will living with my partner affect my OW?

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.

If Ontario Works (OW) thinks you live with someone who is your spouse, neither one of you can get as a single person or as a .

How much you get from OW depends on a number of things.

OW has rules that they use to decide:

  • whether 2 adults who live together are spouses
  • when 2 people who live together must apply as a couple

If OW thinks you're living with someone, they'll look into it. For example, they might:

  • give you an appointment to come and answer questions
  • ask your landlord if there's someone else living with you or named on your lease
  • check the voters' list for the names of people at your address

Why OW might think you live with someone

OW might think this if, for example:

  • another person tells them that you're living with someone
  • someone gets their mail at your address, so it looks like they're living with you

What can happen if OW thinks you live with someone

If you're getting financial assistance, OW could decide that you got money you should not have received. This is called an and they can take steps to get the money back.

If they think you broke the rules on purpose, they can ask the police to charge you with fraud.

Getting help

If OW thinks you live with someone, you have to show them that this isn't true. To find out what to do if this happens to you, get legal help.

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