4. Get legal help

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.

If Ontario Works (OW) says you owe them money, it's important to get legal help as soon as possible.

You can contact a community legal clinic.

Appealing OW’s decision

You may be able to appeal the decision about an to the .

But first you must ask OW for an of their decision. And you must do this within 30 days from the date you got the decision.

If you miss the deadline, you can still ask for an internal review. Do this as soon as you can.

Explain why your request is late and ask for more time. If you can show that you have a good reason, you might still get an internal review.

Getting advice about your options

It's important to get legal advice about:

Getting help from a criminal lawyer

If OW thinks you're guilty of fraud and asks the police to look into this, talk to a criminal lawyer right away.

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