2. Know your rights if OW comes to your home
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.
Question & Answer
Can OW show up at my house without telling me?Most of the time, workers from Ontario Works (OW) can come into your home only if you let them in.
The only time they can enter without being let in is if they get a search warrant from a judge or a justice of the peace. This is very unusual.
But OW can refuse to give you assistance or cut off your assistance if you don't let them in, unless you have a “valid reason”.
Asking OW to come back at another time
If you have what OW says is a “valid reason”, you can ask them to visit your home at another time. Here are some examples of valid reasons:
- you or someone in your home is sick
- you have visitors and do not want them to know that you applied for OW
- the visit affects a religious practice, such as a religious holiday, prayer, or ritual
- you're on your way out for something you can't miss, such as a job or a medical appointment
When OW is in your home
When an OW worker is in your home, they can look only at things that are in “plain view”. This means that they can't open and look inside places where you keep things, like closets, drawers, or the refrigerator.
