Hamilton’s General Manager of Emergency and Community Services Joe-Anne Priel said it will take at least until March 31, 2016 before the city will get a handle on the botched $242-million computer problem the Liberals introduced last fall that was to streamline services to social assistance recipients.
Priel, speaking to members of the emergency and community committee May 25, said provincial officials expect the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) introduce last November to handle the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program caseloads to remain a problem until at least March 2016.
Priel said she expects the problems to persist because she suspects the March 31 2016 date, identified by provincial officials, was premature because it is the province’s end of the fiscal year.
“We are still managing the chaos,” said Priel. “It will take an extra year.”
She said the province has provided Hamilton about $500,000 to help pay for staff overtime and other administrative costs due to the SAMS project. But Priel said a report being complied for the June 22 committee meeting will reveal Hamilton has seen “significantly” more costs than just a half-million dollars in expenses.
Flamborough councillor Judi Partridge says what will happen after March 2016?
“I’m stunned,” said Partridge. “This is devastating for everybody. I don’t see the challenge will end.”
Ontario’s community and social services minister, Helena Jaczek, apologized to citizens during a news conference earlier this month after a third-party review of the SAMS system revealed staff was not properly trained for the now problem-riddled welfare caseload software.
When cities started to speak out about the problems with the new software, provincial officials either ignored municipalities’ cries, or pooh-poohed them. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the software issues nothing more than a “glitch.”
Hamilton staff have experienced increased stressed and turmoil due to the new technology. City managers have had to re-deploy workers to assist already overworked social assistance employees to handle the problems that have developed.
Hamilton’s General Manager of Emergency and Community Services Joe-Anne Priel said it will take at least until March 31, 2016 before the city will get a handle on the botched $242-million computer problem the Liberals introduced last fall that was to streamline services to social assistance recipients.
Priel, speaking to members of the emergency and community committee May 25, said provincial officials expect the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) introduce last November to handle the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program caseloads to remain a problem until at least March 2016.
Priel said she expects the problems to persist because she suspects the March 31 2016 date, identified by provincial officials, was premature because it is the province’s end of the fiscal year.
“We are still managing the chaos,” said Priel. “It will take an extra year.”
She said the province has provided Hamilton about $500,000 to help pay for staff overtime and other administrative costs due to the SAMS project. But Priel said a report being complied for the June 22 committee meeting will reveal Hamilton has seen “significantly” more costs than just a half-million dollars in expenses.
Flamborough councillor Judi Partridge says what will happen after March 2016?
“I’m stunned,” said Partridge. “This is devastating for everybody. I don’t see the challenge will end.”
Ontario’s community and social services minister, Helena Jaczek, apologized to citizens during a news conference earlier this month after a third-party review of the SAMS system revealed staff was not properly trained for the now problem-riddled welfare caseload software.
When cities started to speak out about the problems with the new software, provincial officials either ignored municipalities’ cries, or pooh-poohed them. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the software issues nothing more than a “glitch.”
Hamilton staff have experienced increased stressed and turmoil due to the new technology. City managers have had to re-deploy workers to assist already overworked social assistance employees to handle the problems that have developed.
Hamilton’s General Manager of Emergency and Community Services Joe-Anne Priel said it will take at least until March 31, 2016 before the city will get a handle on the botched $242-million computer problem the Liberals introduced last fall that was to streamline services to social assistance recipients.
Priel, speaking to members of the emergency and community committee May 25, said provincial officials expect the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) introduce last November to handle the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program caseloads to remain a problem until at least March 2016.
Priel said she expects the problems to persist because she suspects the March 31 2016 date, identified by provincial officials, was premature because it is the province’s end of the fiscal year.
“We are still managing the chaos,” said Priel. “It will take an extra year.”
She said the province has provided Hamilton about $500,000 to help pay for staff overtime and other administrative costs due to the SAMS project. But Priel said a report being complied for the June 22 committee meeting will reveal Hamilton has seen “significantly” more costs than just a half-million dollars in expenses.
Flamborough councillor Judi Partridge says what will happen after March 2016?
“I’m stunned,” said Partridge. “This is devastating for everybody. I don’t see the challenge will end.”
Ontario’s community and social services minister, Helena Jaczek, apologized to citizens during a news conference earlier this month after a third-party review of the SAMS system revealed staff was not properly trained for the now problem-riddled welfare caseload software.
When cities started to speak out about the problems with the new software, provincial officials either ignored municipalities’ cries, or pooh-poohed them. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the software issues nothing more than a “glitch.”
Hamilton staff have experienced increased stressed and turmoil due to the new technology. City managers have had to re-deploy workers to assist already overworked social assistance employees to handle the problems that have developed.