Premier Doug Ford's government is about to reform social assistance in Ontario, raising fears of the kind of sweeping cuts to welfare made the last time the Progressive Conservatives took power in the province.

More than 960,000 men, women and children receive social assistance from the province's two welfare programs, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, according to the latest provincial figures. The annual social assistance tab, including drug benefits, now tops $10 billion.

Little wonder that social assistance is squarely on the radar of a government that is looking to cut costs.

The reforms are due to be unveiled next Thursday by Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod. For now, she is trying to alleviate those fears about what's in store.

"I think people will be pleasantly surprised next week," MacLeod told me in an interview. "Our government is very compassionate and understands that the services we provide are for Ontario's most vulnerable."

MacLeod gave herself 100 days to develop the reforms after announcing in July that the government was cancelling a basic income pilot project launched by the Wynne Liberals during their final months in office.

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"The reality is the system needed a retool," she said. "We wanted to take a more streamlined approach rather than the disjointed patchwork that we inherited."

The reforms will focus on "giving people a bit more influence over their own choices rather than getting them trapped in a cycle of poverty," MacLeod said.

"We want to make sure that those who are employable in the province of Ontario get the support they need to get back on track and get a job, and that those who are unable to work get the supports that they need," she said.

"I think that four years from now there's going to be a lot more people back in the work force and taking control over their own lives."

MacLeod's emphasis on getting people off social assistance and into work has NDP leader Andrea Horwath worried.

"This government is focused on cutting the knees out of everything that costs public money," Horwath said Wednesday at Queen's Park. "We're all concerned that the cuts are going to be drastic and that they're going to be callous."

She said the messages coming from the Ford government harken back to former PC premier Mike Harris, whose government slashed welfare rates and tightened eligibility requirements. Harris said one of his proudest accomplishments was reducing the welfare rolls by more than 400,000 people in just four years.

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