http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/old/taxonomy/term/826/0 en http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/story/2240 <div class="field field-type-text field-field-subhead"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> Community occupies Metro Hall after City refuses to process Special Diet applications </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <img src="http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/sites/mediacoop.ca/files2/mc/imagecache/page450/DSC_2172b2.JPG" alt="" title="Demonstrators in Metro Hall&#039;s lobby, cut off from friends occupying the 12th floor welfare offices by electronic controls on the elevators" width="450" height="293" class="imagecache imagecache-page450 imagecache-default imagecache-page450_default"/> </div> <div class="field-item even"> <img src="http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/sites/mediacoop.ca/files2/mc/imagecache/page450/DSC_2163a2.JPG" alt="" title="Police look on as demonstrators chant &quot;We won&#039;t be quiet &#039;til we get our Special Diet&quot;" width="450" height="225" class="imagecache imagecache-page450 imagecache-default imagecache-page450_default"/> </div> <div class="field-item odd"> <img src="http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/sites/mediacoop.ca/files2/mc/imagecache/page450/DSC_2175a2.JPG" alt="" title="Police declined to comment on how they weigh deploying the Emergency Task Force against refugees with experience of violence. In the background, a new luxury condo development." width="450" height="225" class="imagecache imagecache-page450 imagecache-default imagecache-page450_default"/> </div> <div class="field-item even"> <img src="http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/sites/mediacoop.ca/files2/mc/imagecache/page450/DSC_2177a2.JPG" alt="" title="Are City services accessible to poor people?" width="450" height="377" class="imagecache imagecache-page450 imagecache-default imagecache-page450_default"/> </div> </div> </div> <p>TORONTO -- On December 8, 150-200 people living on social assistance, mostly women, immigrant/refugees and parents, occupied the City of Toronto&rsquo;s central welfare office in Metro Hall to demand access to the Special Diet Benefit, a modest allowance that helps people with health conditions afford appropriate food.</p> <p><a href="http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/story/2240" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/story/2240#comments Andrew Mindszenthy Food Health Poverty children Dr Wong Immigration metro hall OCAP ODSP police poverty protest refugees Special Diet Benefit Toronto welfare Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:11:26 +0000 Andrew Mindszenthy 2240 at http://toronto.mediacoop.ca