Columnists
Income Support Assistance Meagre in B.C.
Dale Perkins, Victoria, on behalf of Income Assistance Coalitions
Volume 30 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: April 5, 2016
Who among us is capable of living on our own with just $610 a month as our total income? That’s what the Provincial government of B.C. expects of people living on Income Assistance. Of course, should we have children – one, two or three (up to five) we would receive $946/m or $1,036/m, or $1,076/m (maximum of $1,161 per month) to cover all expenses. For the Corporate Managers running our Province, that seems generous, but who among us could do it?
Those rates were last raised April 1, 2007, and haven’t been adjusted upwards since then. Such is the absurd situation people living on Income Assistance face in BC, and most of us could care less.
Who among us is capable of living on our own with just $610 a month as our total income? That’s what the Provincial government of B.C. expects of people living on Income Assistance. Of course, should we have children – one, two or three (up to five) we would receive $946/m or $1,036/m, or $1,076/m (maximum of $1,161 per month) to cover all expenses. For the Corporate Managers running our Province, that seems generous, but who among us could do it?
Those rates were last raised April 1, 2007, and haven’t been adjusted upwards since then. Such is the absurd situation people living on Income Assistance face in BC, and most of us could care less.
Set that beside current generous support coming from thousands of wonderful people responding to requests to support financially, refugees entering Canada these past several months. The basic expectation the Federal Government has for willing private sponsors of refugees is for them to come up with $40,000 per year to welcome the desperate people fleeing certain death and mayhem back in their homeland. And quite amazingly lots of us are prepared to raise funds to greet them into our communities. However, when it comes to Income Assistance for the thousands of people living with those dreadfully small allowances provided by our Provincial Government, we seem indifferent.
Some of us cannot tolerate such an example of public neglect and we are demanding that our Provincial Government stop being so meagerly in providing our desperate neighbours already among us with basic sustenance. So we are organizing coalitions to press our government to adjust income assistance to address poverty here and now. So far this Provincial Government remains totally unmoved and refuses to respond.
Last month a coalition was formed representing a number of agencies and churches serving Vancouver Island in the Greater Victoria region: Our Place (with Don Evans signing), The Dandelion Society (with Al Tysick at the helm), Kelly Newhook (Executive Director of Together Against Povery – TAPS), Peggy Wilmot of Faith in Action, Allan Lingwood of Mustard Seed Church, and with full support coming from Bishop Logan McMenamie (Anglican Diocese of BC).
They have coalesced around pressuring the Provincial Government to ‘get real’ about Income Assistance available to the poor living in this region. So far the response from our elected officials has been remarkably non-existent. The joint letters signed by the above mentioned coalition were delivered to Minister Stilwell and Premier Clark on January 14, 2016. To date they have not responded.
Currently the Victoria City Council is adding its voice to the coalition, supporting the same demands. However, several years ago the City Council did the same action, but to no avail. One wonders what it will take to get Premier Clark and her Ministers responding with even a modicum of compassion to the real needs of the poor living among us.
If you agree with the position taken by the Coalition let your local MLA know and urge her/him to take on this vitally important issue facing all of us. We must not allow this tragedy to go on much longer.
Dale Perkins, Victoria, on behalf of Income Assistance Coalitions