As the cost of living in Toronto increased and the amount of income assistance available decreased, many of Ontario's poor were struggling to survive. However, through research, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) discovered a government program called "The Special Diet Allowance." This program allowed people on income assistance to recieve extra money every month to help with their and their family's health. The Special Diet Allowance wasn't advertised by the government, so, the OCAP worked to sign people up for this allowance. Unfortunatley, after a few months the Ontario government changed the application requirements to make it harder to qualify for the Special Diet Allowance, claiming that people were cheating the system. For more information see The Dominion's news story on the Special Diet Allowance.