Thursday February 16, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

The Ontario Nonprofit Network Responds to Drummond Report – 
Third Sector Important Solution to Public Service Delivery Reforms

On February 15, 2012, the Drummond Commission released its 362 recommendations to the Ontario Government on how to restructure and reinvent the delivery of provincial government programs and services. Many of the recommendations will require vital dialogue on the kind of public services Ontarians receive, and the manner in which services are delivered.

The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN), a nonpartisan convenor of sector voices, communication broker and co-ordinator for nonprofits in Ontario, recognizes the fiscal pressures that led to the Commission’s launch in last year’s provincial government budget. “The Report opens the door for a new era of partnerships between the provincial government and the third sector to help transform the current public benefit delivery system for those who need it most,” said Jini Stolk, ONN Co-Chair. “This sector, as stewards of community social and economic well-being, is the driver of innovative solutions, and we expect to be a prominent part of the transformative work ahead,” added Tonya Surman, ONN Co-Chair.

Last November, ONN made several concrete recommendations to the Commission, culled from extensive consultations with sector leaders and front-line workers on ways to reduce overlap and duplications in the current sector/government investment relationship. “We made it clear to the Commission that public benefit programs and services need to focus on results for Ontarians, rather than on unclear and meaningless rules,” said Rob Howarth, ONN Steering Committee member. “We are pleased to see that the Commission listened to us and indicate that key reforms in this area will pave the way for more effective and efficient services to our communities,” he concluded.

Sector leaders confirmed at a recent ONN-led consultation some key considerations that will guide the sector’s fuller response to relevant Commission recommendations and the sector’s pro-active and collaborative work on implementing public service reforms. “We strongly believe that the provincial government must seek nonprofit solutions, rather than attempting to find reform through the privatization of public benefit services,” said Surman. “The province must also look carefully and constructively at generating more revenue to help achieve its fiscal objectives and meet the ‘Do No Harm’ principle for those people who depend most on these services,” concluded Howarth.

ONN has engaged more than 20 sector leaders to study the Commission’s Report and provide more in-depth comments with tangible actions to share with the public over the coming weeks. To find out more about ONN and its work on Drummond, click here.

For more information, please contact: 

Sheetal Lodhia
Communications
Ontario Nonprofit Network
(416) 642-5786
sheetal.lodhia@theonn.ca
www.theonn.ca

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