Here is a cynical view of the Ford government's just-announced reforms to Ontario's social assistance programs.

The government employed the time-tested strategy of threatening the worst and delivering something comparatively benign. Ford could have gone down the Mike Harris road — that's the one where the minister overseeing welfare system cuts suggests poor people eat dented cans of tuna to save money. He didn't do that, and that's a good thing. Beating up on vulnerable citizens may be sport in some quarters of Ford's support base, but it's not good public policy or ethical government.

Here is a less cynical view: The government saw the need for changes that actually offer help as well as hardship, and delivered a range of reforms, some of which are actually an improvement.

Whatever the motivation, here is the outcome. People on social assistance (Ontario works and Ontario Disability Support Program) will be able to earn more from working part-time or occasional jobs before their benefits are clawed back. Evidence shows this will be extra incentive for people who can work to work, raise their income and hopefully be able to better afford the necessities of life.

But don't let Doug Ford convince you he's Santa. The Liberal reform package would have put that earning exemption at $400 monthly, while the Conservatives will increase the current $200 to $300. An improvement, yes, but a modest one compared to the Liberal plan. Why does Doug Ford care whether a person earns $300 or $400 before being penalized? They're not paying taxes regardless, so it should be nothing to the province. Apparently Ford wants them to do better, but not too much better.

Another bright spot is the government's commitment to improving employment services which historically haven't helped most people move from welfare to the workforce. It also promises to cut red tape and focus on people, which sounds good, but there are no details to flesh that out. The government promises to "empower" rather than "police," but we'll have to wait on details to judge that. Keep in mind that Ford's minister on this file, Lisa MacLeod, said her government was being "compassionate" when it slashed rate increases approved by the previous government, so words may mean something quite different to Ford and friends than in the real world.

Which leads to the biggest flaw in this plan — adequacy. Social assistance in this province is dramatically underfunded. That's why 75 per cent of Ontario Works recipients in Hamilton have to use food banks. It's why single OW recipients get a maximum of $733 monthly, which forces them to live in abject poverty.

By not addressing adequacy, Ford is confining many of the one million Ontarians who rely on social assistance to poverty. Their health, education and social outcomes will be worse than if they had a decent standard of living, as offered by the Basic Income program Ford cancelled. This mistake is not only inhumane and unfair, but it will end up costing our health and social systems more in the long run. Penny wise, maybe, pound-foolish, definitely.

Another worrisome change involves redefining disability to match federal guidelines. The intention here is clearly to make it harder for people to qualify for ODSP. Current recipients will be grandfathered, but new applicants could be excluded. That will force more people on to OW, which the government probably likes because ODSP benefits for a single person are $1,169 as compared to OW's $733. The government saves money but Ontario has more people living in the depths of poverty. Isn't that the opposite of what the government says it wants?