Podcasts about social relief

Social grant activist Elizabeth Raiters has welcomed the extension of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant until March 2026, but says that the R370 payout has lost significant value due to rising living costs. Despite the finance minister's allocation of R35.2 billion for the grant, Raiters argues that the amount should have been increased to adequately support beneficiaries. Elizabeth Raiters spoke to Elvis Presslin to share her insights on this critical issue

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has proposed a surprising trade-off; scrapping the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in exchange for avoiding a Value-Added Tax (VAT) hike. This as Minister Godongwana prepares to deliver his Budget speech tomorrow (Wednesday). The proposal has sparked concerns among low-income households, who rely heavily on the SRD grant. To shed more light on this development, Elvis Presslin spoke to Elizabeth Raiters, Deputy Director of the #PayTheGrants campaign

Lester speaks to Zimbali Mncube, Tax and Budget policy researcher at Institute for Economic Justice, about why they want the Minister of Finance to step down ahead of the delivery of his Budget speech which was delayed in from February. The IEJ says Minister Enoch Godongwana is misleading the nation when he says a VAT hike is needed to fund the Social Relief of Distress grant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The The South African Social Security Agency says it is implementing rigorous account verification processes to detect anomalies and unauthorised transactions within the Social Relief of Distress grant system. Speaking to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Social Development yesterday, SASSA CEO, Themba Matlou, highlighted how weaknesses in the R350 grant system could compromise the SASSA's integrity. Matlou was addressing findings made during an investigation into fraudulent applications uncovered by two Stellenbosch University students. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Head Of Communications at the South African Social Security Agency, Paseka Letsatsi

Africa Melane welcomes the Co-ordinator of The Assembly of Unemployed, Khokhoma Motsi. We unpack the proposed Basic Income Grant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Maytham speaks with Dr. Gilad Isaacs, Executive Director of the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), about the Pretoria High Court’s ruling on the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is going to suspend payments to beneficiaries of the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant who are suspected of fraud. SASSA says it has implemented this activity to ensure that the Agency pays social grants to the right people and avoid identity theft. The Agency is also encouraging people to take responsibility to make sure that their Identity numbers are not utilised for fraudulent activities. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Paseka Letsatsi- SASSA's Spokesperson

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently authorize a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into alleged fraud within SASSA's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R370 grant system. This follows revelations from an independent investigation by Masegare & Associates, confirming vulnerabilities such as weak identity verification, OTP-based fraud, and security flaws in biometric and data encryption systems. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to DA Deputy Spokesperson on Social Development and MP Alexandra Abrahams 

John Maytham speaks to Marecia Damons, news reporter at GroundUp, about the big stories being featured, including the collapse of a disability grant applicant while waiting in line at SASSA office; the parliamentary hearing on Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant fraud; and the commencement of a Pretoria High Court case on SRD grants brought by #PayTheGrants and the Institute for Economic Justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's Daily Friend Show with Nicholas Lorimer, John Endres and Chris Hattingh. They discuss the presentation before parliament about allegations of widespread fraud in the Social Relief of distress grant. They also discuss the broader context of the Pretoria Girls High School “racism” accusation. They give some final thoughts on the poisoning saga in Gauteng. Subscribe on Google Podcasts · Subscribe on Apple Podcasts · Subscribe on Spotify · Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

Two Stellenbosch University students, Veer Gosai together with Joel Cedras says they have found numerous suspected fraudulent applications in SASSA's social grant payment system for the Social Relief of Distress Grant. The pair have been addressing the Portfolio Committee on Social Development  in parliament where they detailed alleged weaknesses in the system. The two first year students say their findings where triggered through an extensive investigation into whether or not they themselves had social grant applications made with their ID numbers. On confirming this, they then conducted a survey by asking fellow students to submit their own ID numbers for verification. Here is a snippet of their findings explained in their own words in Parliament.

Lester Kiewit speaks to Barbara October, Deputy Editor at GroundUp, about the big stories being featured, including how two first-year computer science students at Stellenbosch University have discovered a massive weakness with SASSA's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lester Kiewit speaks to Bridget Masango, chair of portfolio committee on social development, after it was revealed that SA Social Security Agency has underspent by about R4billion in relation to distribution of the social relief of distress grant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Kelle Howson from the Institute for Economic Justice & Universal Basic Income Coalition spoke to Clarence Ford about the underhand tactics SASSA are using to exclude people from accessing the Social Relief for Distress Grant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister of Finance announced last week that the so-called Social Relief of Distress grant, the R350 Covid grant will be increased to R370 per month. It is a pity for our perception of Minister's independence from political pressure. This episode is supported by the Bureau of Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

Die Minister van Finansies het verlede week aangekondig dat die sogenaamde Social Relief of Distress toelaag, die R350 Covid toelaag verhoog word tot R370 per maand. Dit is ʼn jammerte vir ons geloof in die Minister se onafhanklikheid van politieke druk. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has increased the Social Relief of Distress grant by R20. The R350 special grant was introduced in 2020 in response to the socio-economic hardship related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase comes into effect next month. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to SAFTU spokesperson, Trevor Shaku

And we start the year with the first episode of the second building block of our new season, in which we will discuss the issue of registration. How is digital technology helping to include informal workers into social protection schemes or how is it creating new barriers for these people to access protection? What are the risks and opportunities? What is the role of informal workers organisations in building more inclusive registration systems? These are some of the questions we will try to answer by looking at some cases of programmes and policies countries are implementing to expand their social protection systems to include informal workers. We start this new block with the case of the Social Relief of Distress Grant in South Africa. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, the government expanded the SRD to reduce the impact of income loss, targeting a much broader population than the ordinary social assistance programmes were covering. The second new aspect is that this policy was that it heavily relied on digital means to register new beneficiaries. To understand how the implementation of the SRD was rolled out, how digital forms of registration contributed or hindered access of informal workers to the grant, we talked to Hoodah Fayker. Hoodah holds a Law degree from the University of the Western Cape, and she is the National Advocacy Manager for the veteran human rights organisation Black Sash, which advocates for the right to social protection in South Africa. *Our theme music is Focus from AA Aalto (Creative Commons) References A Digital Bridge to Social Support https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/social-programs-for-informal-workers-must-bridge-digital-divide-by-laura-alfers-2021-06?barrier=accesspaylog R350 Covid grant is too little and excludes too many, research report finds https://www.groundup.org.za/article/r350-covid-grant-too-little-and-excludes-too-many-research-report-finds/ Social Protection in a Time of Covid: Lessons for Basic Income Support https://socialprotection.org/discover/publications/social-protection-time-covid-lessons-basic-income-support Black Sash report reveals extent of issues experienced by Social Relief of Distress grant recipients https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-05-17-black-sash-report-reveals-extent-of-issues-experienced-by-social-relief-of-distress-grant-recipients/ SOCIAL PROTECTION IN A TIME OF COVID: LESSON FOR BASIC INCOME SUPPORT https://www.blacksash.org.za/social-protection-in-a-time-of-covid-lesson-for-basic-income-support/ The Social Relief of Distress Grant: how it stimulated local economies https://www.econ3x3.org/article/social-relief-distress-grant-how-it-stimulated-local-economies COVID-19 Crisis and the Informal Economy: Informal Workers in Durban, South Africa https://www.wiego.org/publications/covid-19-crisis-and-informal-economy-informal-workers-durban-south-africa

The Institute for Economic Justice together with the #PayTheGrants, have filed an application at the Pretoria High Court to challenge regulations which they say exclude many eligible people from getting the Social Relief Grant. They say fewer people have access to the grant today than was the case at its peak in March 2022. The latest research estimates at least 16 million people should be eligible for the SRD grant. Yet, in May 2023, while 14.4 million applied for the grant, only 8.4 million were approved, with 7.1 million people actually being paid. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Deputy Chairperson of the #PayTheGrant, Elizabeth Raiters...

Guest: Dr Gilad Isaacs is the Executive Director of IEG and he joins John to explain litigation announced today that will challenge the lawfulness and constitutionality of the amended Regulations relating to the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant that was introduced on 29 March 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts say it is necessary to redefine the scope, methods and standards for the drafting of legislation to meet diverse community needs. Click here to read the article by Tang Ailin and Cai Xuejiao. Narrated by Sylvia Franke. Are you a big fan of our shows? Then please give our podcast account, China Business Insider, a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Postbank has appealed to grant beneficiaries to ignore rumours circulating that the SASSA gold Card has been changed and no longer working. Postbank suspended ATM withdrawals on SASSA gold cards in December leaving some Social Relief of Distress grant recipients frustrated. Postbank says there was a system glitch which has since been resolved and beneficiaries can continue to access their money at ATM's, retailers as well as over the counter at the Post office branches.  29 million South African citizens receive grants from SASSA. Amina Accram filed this report. 

Last month, a number of grant beneficiaries did not receive their R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant from the South African Social Security Agency and Postbank. This was due to some technical glitches during the November and December period which affected the timely payment of beneficiaries. SASSA and Post bank are back on track and many recipients received their January payments with no glitches. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Moabi Pitsi, Acting SASSA Spokesperson and Daddy Mabe of #PayTheGrants 

Experts say it is necessary to redefine the scope, methods and standards for the drafting of legislation to meet diverse community needs.Click here to read the article by Tang Ailin and Cai Xuejiao.Narrated by Sylvia Franke.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Maytham speaks to Daddy Mabe of Pay The Grants about the delays in payments of the Social Relief of Distress grant, especially in December 2022, making it a bleak festive season for many, desperate to put food on the table.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says his department is adopting the highest standard of transparency in the tendering process to reduce looting and corruption. He said this as he mentioned R43-billion that was budgeted for but not spent on fixing or building infrastructure every year. Godongwana was delivering his medium-term budget policy statement, or mini-budget, speech on Wednesday afternoon. The minister said the budget for the next three years is focused on restoring service delivery. His department will support the police over this time to recruit new constables. Police minister Bheki Cele has on several occasions complained that not a single police station in the country has enough staff. Godongwana said talks are ongoing over the Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 a month which has again been extended.

Guest: Nokukhanya Mntambo - EWN Reporter |See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu on Tuesday made final her proposal to raise the means test for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to R624 a month. This means that anyone with a monthly income of more than R624 a month – which is the food poverty line – will not qualify for the grant. The maximum income level to qualify was set at R350 from 1 April, which caused large numbers of applicants to be disqualified. The new regulations were gazetted on Tuesday. The SRD has been in place intermittently since May 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. At first, all applicants with an income below R624 qualified with a total of 10.5-million people receiving the grant regularly. However, since the means test was dropped on 1 April less than 50% of applicants were successful, leading to 5.2-million people qualifying. In response to pressure from pro-poor civil society and advocacy groups, Zulu announced a month ago that she intended to ease the criteria. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), which administers the grant, also dropped an onerous condition that required bank pre-qualification, verifying income flows into bank accounts. The agency has not released an updated report on the number of successful applicants.

Guest: Andrew Donaldson | Research Associate at School of Economics at the University of Cape Town See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Carilee Osborne is a research associate at the Institute for Economic Justice, and she joins John to critique the Department of Social Development (DSD) proposed amendments to the regulations governing the administration of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Rachel Bukasa is the Executive Director of Black Sash and she joins to John explain why social relief of distress grant regulations must be declared unfair and exclusionary and changed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Africa speaks to SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi to get an update on the R350 social relief of distress grant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) executive director Ann Bernstein explained on Tuesday that South Africa cannot afford a Basic Income Grant (BIG), as it would be a “reckless, losing gamble with history”. She was speaking during the release of the CDE's ‘Poverty and a Basic Income Grant: Six questions about a BIG' report, which highlighted that, in contrast to what proponents of a BIG claim, it would actually slow economic growth. “Poverty rates in South Africa are exceptionally high and it is possible that the incomes of over 60% of people fall below the poverty line. In this context, and with growing reports of child hunger, it is not surprising that people want to see much more spending on social grants,” she said. Bernstein noted, however, that government's finances were already unsustainable, and that a large and permanent new spending programme would worsen matters. South Africa redistributes a greater share of gross domestic product (GDP) than other developing countries. As a share of GDP, cash transfers are three times larger than the average for the developing world. While cash transfers to poor households would increase their spending, the higher taxes or increased borrowing needed to finance a BIG would slow the economy and worsen economic sustainability, the report explained. “Slower growth and increased borrowing would increase the debt ratio. Since 2008, government's debt has risen from about 26% of GDP to about 70% – a rise that is among the steepest in the world,” Bernstein said. Further, she mentioned that there was no consensus about how much a BIG would cost. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant costs about R44-billion a year, but proponents of a BIG want a much larger grant for which more people would be eligible, likely costing between R200-billion and R300-billion a year, Bernstein averred. She said while some people thought that implementing a BIG was just a matter of raising taxes, she explained that higher taxes will slow growth and reduce employment. She added that the slowdown in growth would make the rest of government's spending even less affordable than it is and the consequences of that would be terrible for the poor. The report noted that faster economic growth was essential for stabilising the country's public finances, and would also make greater spending on social grants more affordable. “But you can't spend money as if growth has already accelerated. If you did that, you could tip the economy into fiscal or financial crisis, which would only make the prospects of the poor even worse,” she said. She noted that there was no short-cut to prosperity and there were no magical solutions to unemployment and poverty. The full report can be accessed here.

Following the conversation with the SA Post Office's Johan Kruger on the matter of Social Relief of Distress Grants no longer being paid out through the post office, John Maytham speaks to Bridget Masango, DA MP and spokesperson on Social Development on why this plan has not been properly planned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johan Kruger, spokesperson for the SA Post Office, explains to Refilwe Moloto why they are no longer paying out the Social Relief of Distress grant, and how beneficiaries can go about collecting their R350 from other sources. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Linton Mchunu Acting Director General  for Social Development  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are growing concerns, confusion and some frustration among recipients of the R350 grants following the recent change in the eligibility criteria by SASSA. The Department of Social Development announced that recipients of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant must reapply as it will now be paid out under a new legislative framework. The grant's new framework has new additional qualifying and assessment criteria. Also, very worrying; is that some post office workers in various rural villages in Mpumalanga are working in cahoots with security guards and cashiers, are charging distress grant recipients R50 to jump long queues to collect their R350! We have spoken to some of the grant recipients who have confirmed this trend, and in fact say that it is very widespread among many other villages too in Limpopo. We spoke to Johan Kruger, Spokesperson for The South African Post Office AND Fanie Sethokga; General Manager: Operations at SASSA.  

Senior research associate for social security and workers right at the Institute for Economic Justice Dr Kelle Howson reacts to the new social relief of distress grant regulations disqualifying thousands of beneficiaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Paseka Letsatsi | Head of Communications at Sassa (South African Social Security Agency) Africa is joined by Paseka Letsatsi, Spokesperson for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to talk about the reapplication of the R350 social relief of distress grants.    The Department of Social Development has now said that those who have benefited from the R350 social relief of distress grant need to re-apply. This comes after the lifting of the National State of Disaster earlier this month. The grant is set to be constructed under a new legislative framework.   President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during his state of the nation address earlier this month that the grant will be extended for another year from April 2022 to March 2023 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the Shoprite Group announcing that beneficiaries of the grant can now collect their payments at its 1,286 supermarkets across SA.

Advocacy group - Black Sash - has welcomed the extension of government's Social Relief of Distress Grant. It says the R350 will continue to cushion those hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the grant will be extended to next year March.  Upcoming entrepreneur - Thando Makhubu - an ice cream vendor also got a special mention during the State of the Nation Address.

Social Justice Organisation, Black Sash says it will continue its call for President Ramaphosa to extend the Social Relief of Distress Grant and recommends that it be increased to at least the Food Poverty line of just over R600. Ramaphosa is set to focus on the progress made in the four key priority areas he identified last year when he delivers his State of the Nation Address on on Wednesday evening. His address comes at a time when the economy is faced with a combination of high unemployment, stagnant GDP growth as well as a widening gap between rich and poor. Elvis Presslin spoke to Black Sash's paralegal field-worker, Vincent Skhosana. 

Having first become a household name through co-founding the #NotInMyName movement in 2017 following the brutal murder of 21-year-old Karabo Mokoena, Siyabulela Jentile has over the years continued to develop the movement into one that isn't just once-off. Today, #NotInMyName is more than about promoting gender equality, it is an international organisation with a footprint in other African countries, founded on 2 more pillars, being Education & Development for youth and Social Relief to families in need.  This is his story. Listen  Don't forget to connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Since the latest round of Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grants began in August, the South African Social Security Agency says it has received more than 14 million applications. Radio Islam International interviewed Nandi Mosia from SASSA.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given a strong signal that the 350 rand Social Relief of Distress Grant will be extended beyond March next year. Addressing COSATU's three-day Central Committee gathering, President Ramaphosa said the level of unemployment in the country is beyond a crisis. He said there's a need to extend more support to the unemployed and the poor. The three-day Central Committee gathering comes as Cosatu is besieged by divisions arising in collective bargaining, differences within the tripartite alliance and a jobs bloodbath in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. We spoke to  COSATU president, Zingiswa Losi

  Government says it has received nearly 13 million applications since the reopening claims for the special Social Relief of Distress grant in the first week of August. During his address last night, President Cyril Ramaphsa has committed that government will continue to implement measures to assist households that have been affected by the pandemic.  We have, however, been inundated with queries from our listeners who have encountered challenges with the process and to answer some of your questions, Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the spokesperson for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Paseka Letsatsi

Guest: Nkosikhona Duma Addressing the nation in late July, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government was reinstating the Social Relief of Distress Grant.  He said this would provide a monthly payment of R350 until the end of March 2022 to those in need. Earlier this afternoon, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu provided more details. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While communities have welcomed the reinstatement of the R350 social relief grant, many say it is too little and does not go far enough to cover their basic needs. During his address to the nation on government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that the grant will be paid out till March next year and will now include unemployed caregivers.  The president also said that uninsured businesses that were looted in the recent civil unrest will also be assisted to rebuild.  Tshepo Phagane has more... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Government has conceded that last week's civil unrest could have been driven by poverty and in response to this, the state is considering a new social relief grant. But given the current strain on the fiscus, can SA afford this Alishia Seckam spoke to Duma Gqubule, Founding Director of the Centre for Economic Development and Transformation for his thoughts and insight on the matter.

Guest: Evashnee Naidu Human rights organisation, the Black Sash, has called for social relief measures such as grant top-ups, Caregiver, and Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grants to be reinstated as a matter of urgency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Sassa CEO Busisiwe Memela- Khambula confirms that only 10 people have been paid the R350 social relief grant so far. She says they are waiting for more than 100 000 others to confirm their banking details so that they can be paid immediately. Memela- Khambula says those with no bank accounts will be paid via their phones.More than 3.5 million people have applied for the new special Covid19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant- within three days of the system going live…

Unemployed South Africans can now apply for the South African Social Security Agency's (SASSA) special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant. The application for the 350 rand grant is open to unemployed South Africans over the age of 18. Eligible applicants will receive the money from May until October. The grant is part of the 500 billion rand COVID-19 relief package announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month. SASSA and the Social Development Department briefed the media in Pretoria.

There have been concerns about the non-responsive of the new SASSA whatsapp number for the special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant. People are venting their frustration on social media that the whatsapp number is not working. Yesterday the Social Development Department launched the special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant for unemployed South Africans. To engage us on few teething problems and to address all your concerns and questions is the CEO of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Busisiwe Memela - Khambula

Giks focuses on some interesting South African news as she talks about social grants. She explains how you can access such grants, what the requirements and qualifying criteria is.

Social grant recipients and the unemployed say the grant increases announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday night is better than nothing as it will help supplement the meagre cash they receive currently. The President announced that child support grant beneficiaries will receive an additional 300 rand at the end of this month; and an extra 500 rand from June to October. All other grant recipients will get an extra 250 rand per month for the next six months. President Ramaphosa also announced a special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of 350 rand a month - for the next six-months - which will be paid to individuals who are currently unemployed.

Department of Social Development is currently briefing a joint meeting of the committees dealing with social issues to assess its performance in responding to the challenges brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic as well as the work of SASSA. The briefing is to highlight the programmes put in place, successes and challenges experienced in their implementations. These include food security programmes, gender based violence programmes and services for homeless people. We spoke to Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu..

#Covid19inSA #21daysLockdownSA #ChooseLife #WeAreInThisTogether #COVID19SouthAfrica #Covid19

The Scott Thompson Show Podcast The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services appeared on the show to explain the $200-Million package for a social services relief fund in Ontario, announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest: Todd Smith, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services - Tokyo's Olympic Games have been postponed until 2021. Team Canada was among the other countries that had already chosen to not send a team in 2020. Scott was speaking with local Olympian, Elanor Harvey, and got her reaction as the news broke. Guest: Eleanor Harvey, local Olympian that took part in the 2016 Rio Games - A potential treatment is being tested today in Montreal, to determine if short term treatment will reduce the risk of pulmonary complications with COVID-19. The study, COLCORONA will evaluate the major inflammatory storm of complications with COVID-19. Guest: Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Centre at the Montreal Heart Institute - While the school closure continues, Food4Kids is still helping to give low income kids food to survive. Guest: Lena Bassford, Executive Director at Food4Kids Hamilton-Halton - How are we doing in the fight against COVID-19? The OPP have said that they will be cracking down on people and businesses that break the new rules of social distancing. Guest: Ahmad Firas Khalid, MD, PhD, MMgmt, MEd, GradCertPHM, faculty member in Human and Social Sciences, a medical doctor and a health policy advisor, Wilfrid Laurier University - Tomorrow the federal government will vote on emergency measures to combat COVID-19. ALSO: How well has Doug done on this emergency? Guest: Peter Graefe. Professor of Political Science, McMaster University

The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services appeared on the show to explain the $200-Million package for a social services relief fund in Ontario, announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest: Todd Smith, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Hear more on today's big stories in the Scott Thompson Show Podcast, available wherever you subscribe to your favourite shows!