3. Learn about trustees
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 Ontario Works pay my assistance to someone else for me?Ontario Works (OW) can decide to pay all or part of your to a trustee that they choose.
You don't have to pay for a trustee and having a trustee does not affect the amount of assistance you get.
A trustee can be a person or an organization. They must:
- agree to be a trustee for your OW assistance
- not have a conflict of interest, for example, your landlord can't be your trustee because you pay them money for rent
- want to do what's best for you
- have a good relationship with you
OW starts by seeing if you have a family member who can be your trustee.
Your trustee could also be:
- a friend
- a community agency or religious organization
- a lawyer
- a person who looks after you, if a doctor has said that you can't take care of yourself
If there's no one who can be your trustee, OW may be able to use the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
What a trustee does
A trustee always has to do what's best for you and the people in your household.
If possible, the trustee should talk to you about how they'll manage your money. And they should ask your opinion and include you in decisions whenever it's possible.
A trustee must:
- tell OW about changes in your life, for example, if someone moves in with you
- go with you to meetings and to sign forms at the OW office
- manage your financial assistance in a way that's honest and best for you
- make sure your rent and other bills are paid on time
- keep a financial record of the OW assistance they get for you and the payments they make from this money
- give OW a report with the financial record once a year, or more often if OW asks for it
