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Luisa Ortiz-Garza
Parkdale Community Legal Services
Critic
Migrant community co-ordinator at Parkdale Community Legal Services.
Connected Scandals
Critic
On August 13, 2026 the Ford government amended the Ontario Works and ODSP regulations so that people without legal status in Canada are ineligible for social assistance, after a tribunal ruled in favour of a man whose temporary work permit had expired decades earlier.
Told the Toronto Star: "They are promoting xenophobia with these speeches that migrants are stealing and leeching off the systems, which we are not… I think this is just an openly racist policy." She also described who the closed exceptions covered: "We've had clients who are undocumented and are waiting for their permanent residency applications… This saved their lives."