Cost of living

After waiting many months for a response from Ministry officials about his experience, a man who had to relocate from Northern Ontario to Toronto for a lung transplant finally had his voice heard through our Office.

After waiting many months for a response from Ministry officials about his experience, a man who had to relocate from Northern Ontario to Toronto for a lung transplant finally had his voice heard through our Office. Although he qualified for the Ministry’s Transplant Patient Expense Reimbursement Program, he had been required to live downtown, near the transplant hospital, prepared to have his surgery at any time, for almost two years. His rent during this time was $2,300 per month, while the program’s allowance was only $650. He contacted our Office after his complaints about the inadequate funding went unheard, and our staff put him in touch with officials who explained the program, started in 2009, was up for review in summer 2017, and his concerns would be taken into consideration. As of February 2018, the Ministry increased the program allowance to $1,500 per month.