Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Social Assistance Intake Unit: eligibility practices for refugee claimants
28 July 2026 · Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario)
13 Aug: the Ministry asked to clarify by telephone; clarified in writing 21 Aug. 4 Sept: fee estimates; the waiver under s. 57(4) requested the same day.
FIPPA request — GENERAL RECORDS — SAIU refugee-claimant eligibility practices
Freedom of Information and Privacy Office Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services P.O. Box 978, Toronto ON M7A 1N3 [email protected]
Request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act — GENERAL RECORDS
This is a request for general records under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). It is separate from, and not to be consolidated with, my personal-information request submitted July 26, 2026 (confirmation no. 49774597). No personal information of any individual is sought in this request.
Institution: Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Social Assistance Intake Unit (SAIU).
Records requested — for the period January 1, 2022 to the date this request is processed:
1. All records of policy, directive, guidance, procedure, desk aid, or staff training used by the SAIU in determining the Ontario Works eligibility of applicants who are refugee claimants, persons subject to a removal order that has not been executed, or nationals of a country subject to an Administrative Deferral of Removals (ADR). This includes any material instructing staff on when to require a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) or a Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) application as a condition of eligibility.
2. All records interpreting or applying the eligibility criterion that a removal order "cannot be carried out for reasons entirely beyond the individual's control" — including the example in which safety cannot be assured in the home country due to strife or political unrest — as that criterion is applied to nationals of Ukraine. This includes internal communications, bulletins, memoranda, and guidance.
3. Aggregate statistical records showing, for the same period: (a) the number of Ontario Works applications received by the SAIU from refugee claimants or applicants with immigration-status-related conditions, and (b) the number of such applications refused, in whole or in part, for failure to provide a PRRA or an H&C application. Aggregate counts only are sought; no personal information of any individual is requested.
4. All records of any information-sharing agreement, memorandum of understanding, or data-exchange protocol between the Ministry (or the SAIU) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and/or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), concerning the verification of the immigration status of social assistance applicants, in force at any time during the period.
Form of access: Electronic copies, sent to the email address above.
Application fee: I authorize the $5.00 application fee. If you anticipate any search or preparation fees, please provide a written fee estimate before proceeding.
Fee waiver: I request a waiver of any fees on public-interest grounds under s. 57(4) of FIPPA. The records concern the eligibility criteria applied to a vulnerable group — refugee claimants who cannot be removed — and their dissemination will benefit public understanding of how a provincial income-support program treats that group.
If any part of this request is unclear or is estimated to attract significant fees, please contact me so that it can be clarified or narrowed rather than refused.
Date: July 28, 2026
Danilo Dzyuban