OMSSA's 75th Anniversary

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association. We are very pleased to be able to celebrate this incredible milestone with our Members and partners across Ontario. Below, you will see a history of human services in Ontario, the Association, and the key events and moments from the past 75 years.

Pre-OMSSA (Post-War Construction: 1945-1950)

Following WWII, there was widespread fear that the economy would revert into Depression. Canada began to experiment with the view of the state as supporting markets and the economy through government programs and infrastructure. Nutrition, medicines and vaccines were promising paths out of poverty for all.

There were two broad elements being considered:

• The first was the Ontario Government’s decision in 1946 to  revamp residential care for the elderly impinging greatly on municipal (and charitable) houses of refuge.
• The second was the very real tug of war between who should run social services
  • a cadre of centrally administered professional social workers free from the interference of all governments; or
  • the incumbent municipal structure that had increased its hold on service delivery during the war

With the federal government out of the game, the debate over centralization and professionalization took on a new life.

During the summer of 1947 these conflicting visions of welfare reform clashed head-on at the Ontario Conference of Social Welfare, a major gathering of provincial and federal politicians, social workers and municipal representatives of the Community Welfare Council of Ontario to debate the future of social assistance in the province

Enticed by 50% cost sharing, Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor formed Welfare Units in anticipation of the new legislation which was to have come out of the 1947 conference.

But the three new self-proclaimed welfare unit administrations did not necessarily accept the deep divisions between:

• left and right,
• academics vs. politicians, or
• certified professionals vs. administrators.

Many administrators thought the administration of welfare needed to be separated from partisan politics at all levels  and required at least some professional social workers working alongside them. 

They saw the great postwar debate as opening needless fault lines that were counterproductive to moving forward.

To these ends, a group of administrators, some who had attended the 1947 conference, began talking about forming a professional association and got down to business in 1949. They were encouraged by provincial welfare director James S. Band

1950’s

OMSSA was created to:

• represent municipal interests,
• share best practices, and
• advocate for improvements in the delivery of social services in partnership with the provincial government.

OMSSA focused on areas like welfare administration, public health, and housing, reflecting the social challenges of post-war Ontario.

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 1950s

1960’s

The decade saw the introduction of major provincial programs, like social assistance (General Welfare Assistance Act and Family Benefits Act and Guaranteed Annual Income System) and public housing initiatives. Programs flourish following the control of diseases including smallpox, polio and Tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough. Concerted deinstitutionalization begins.

Increased collaboration between municipalities and the province. OMSSA played a key role in ensuring municipal perspectives were represented in these programs.

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 1960s

Wartime Housing Limited project in Hamilton. (Hamilton Spectator/Courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library)

1970’s

OMSSA expanded its focus to include training and capacity-building for municipal social service administrators. It became a hub for professional development and knowledge-sharing.

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 1970s

Dr. Dorothea Crittenden. (Photo courtesy of John Stapleton)

1980’s

TBD

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 1980s

Queen’s Park

1990’s

OMSSA became a critical advocate for municipalities, emphasizing the need for sufficient funding and clear guidelines for service delivery. It helped municipalities navigate the complexities of assuming greater responsibility for housing, social assistance, and childcare services.

The 1990s can be summarized as a tale of two halves, economically and politically. The impact of this period is still felt today, 25 years after the decade ended.

Economic contraction and high unemployment rates kicked off the 1990s in Ontario and Canada. At both levels, governments were struggling with growing debt, deficits, growing numbers on social assistance, and strategies to bring public finances in order.

Politically, the early 1990s were a period of great realignment as Indigenous relations moved to the national forefront through the Oka Crisis and the battle over land rights. This period also included ambitious federal constitutional frameworks and amendments that were coming to a close through the defeat of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords. The fall out from this ambition saw the revival of Quebec separatism and its culmination with a narrow defeat in 1995 Quebec Referendum.

On September 6, 1990, Ontario found itself with its first-ever NDP government led by Bob Rae. Across the province, finances were tightening due to the recession, and the government was forced to employ austerity measures like the “Social Contract” that kept many people employed but mandated unpaid days off for public service workers to reduce the deficit and keep a record-high 12% unemployment rate from growing. At the same time, his government, realizing many were suffering, increased social assistance benefits to those who needed them.

In 1994, the Federal Government began the first of several budgets designed to reign in the federal deficit, by slashing spending to cut the deficit. Unemployment Insurance and provincial transfer payments are hit hard and cut back severely.

While the second half of the decade was equally tulmultuous, the economic issues earlier in the decade faded away as Ontario and Canada benefitted from major economic expansion and boom from the United States.

The federal budget was balanced by the downloading programs and services to the provinces, or the outright cancellation of these programs to save money. The provinces, in turn, downloaded services to municipalities in an effort to balance their budgets and get out of providing unpopular programs and services. 

For example, the new provincial government enacted an unprecedented 21.6 per cent cut to social assistance rates. In 1996, the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP), the federal-provincial cost sharing mechanism for a social assistance was terminated, significantly reducing the amount of federal contributions to these programs.

In Ontario, the second half of the decade began on June 8, 1995, as the Ontario PC Party was elected on their “Common Sense Revolution” that focused on individual economic responsibility, welfare reforms, smaller government, reducing taxes, and the reform of government operations and services. 

As noted in The Harris Legacy: Reflections on a Transformational Premier:

“They understood the depth of unhappiness and worry among the public after five years of Rae’s NDP government and a major recession…They understood that people really wanted to change. The winner would be the party that was most convincing that it would bring change. To that fight the Liberals brought a Swiss army knife while Mike Harris brought a bazooka.”

Over the course of their two terms in power made systemic changes to reduce the size of government and lower taxes. Along the way, battles were fought with many unions and municipalities…….

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 1990s

Queen’s Park

2000’s

OMSSA has increasingly focused on providing training, certification, and professional development opportunities for municipal staff involved in housing, social assistance, childcare, and other social services.

OMSSA actively engages in consultations with the provincial government, ensuring that municipal voices are heard in policy changes affecting social services and advocates for:

• Adequate provincial funding for municipal social services.
• Fair and effective policies related to homelessness, affordable housing, and childcare.
• Coordination between municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government.

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 2000s

2010’s

This period covers the last fifteen years, right up to the present day, after OMSSA’s 60th Anniversary in 2010.

OMSSA acts as a human services integration catalyst by linking stakeholders across sectors and issues and providing leadership in human services planning. At the same time, it develops strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations to strengthen advocacy on the key policy issues of the day.

OMSSA also managed and delivered Supportive Approaches through Innovative Learning (SAIL) front-line training in many communities across the province. The Association enhances its professional development and Conferences for knowledge exchange and Member value and benefit.

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 2010s

Key Milestones and Accomplishments During the 2020s