On the heels of yesterday's 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights two new reports have been released about life in BC for too many and some concrete, reality-based solutions.
A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC
The report calls on all political parties to commit to legislated targets and timlines to dramatically reduce poverty in the province. It is the culmination
of five years of research conducted through the Economic Security Project, a research alliance led by the CCPA and Simon Fraser University.
The Time is Now:A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC Summary
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC office.
- Reduce poverty by 1/3 (from 13% to 9%)within four years;
- Make an equal or greater reduction in poverty among groups that are most vulnerable to poverty — recent immigrants, children, single mother families, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, and single senior women;
- Eliminate deep poverty (those living 50% or more below the poverty line) within two years; and
- Eliminate street homelessness within five years.
Key Areas for Action:
- Improve working conditions & pay for low wage workers.
- Raise the minimum wage, strengthen employment standards & actively enforce workplace protections
- Increase welfare rates by at least 50% & remove arbitrary barriers to accessing welfare that keep people from accessing assistance
- Immediately start building 2,000 units per year of social housing (not counting conversions, rental subsidies or shelter spaces
- Implement a universal public early learning and child care program.
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Precarious and Vulnerable: Lone Mothers on Income Assistance
Social Planning & Research Council of BC (SPARC-BC)
Locate the report on the front page of their webpage.
This research study found that lone mothers and their children on income assistance are experiencing severe material deprivation under the welfare policies of the BC government.
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Now, the findings and the solutions are not new. Is there political will to
implement the suggestions, recommendations and strategies. We haven't
arrived here by coincidence. The social, economic and public policies of
both our provincial and federal governments have led us to this place and
point in time. I see no reason to believe that the existing governments have
the will, nor good sense, nor commitment to do anything about these conditions. Which means, they must be removed from the power to do any more harm to our citizens.
It's easy for many of us to sit back, satisfied with our lives, our material
lifestyles, maybe feel guilty and throw the odd loonie at someone on the
street, donate to the Food bank if we think about it. We're in times where
that kind of mentality is coming to an end. We All Must Care.
Beyond Caring, We Must All Do Something to Help Make Things Better. Not just at the warm & fuzzy time of the Holidays. All Year Round.
Many of us do not realize how close the edge of the Abyss we and some of
our loved ones are. Many of us have fallen into the gaping holes where the
social safety net used to be.
What's happened in BC, getting rich off the backs of the poor, is Social Violence. Some may call it Murder.
Do we even know how many people have died, homeless and indigent around BC?
Do we really know how many people have died awaiting getting into senior's facilities?
Do we know how many children & youth have died on the street around BC?
How many "graduated" from state foster care to lives of drug addiction, sexual victimization, crime, jail, death?
This is what we know:
While one in five children in BC live in poverty, 21.9% of Our children, leading Canada's child poverty rate for five years in a row, don't have food, or homes, or services Gordon Campbell was handing out gold medals that were engraved with "Presented by Premier Gordon Campbell" to Canada Line construction workers.
"The government couldn't say how many of the medals were given away or how much they cost... Yes, gold medals. Well, gold-coloured, anyway. And not just cheap little plastic knock-offs like the one my six-year-old got in a fun run a few months ago. "It's a good three inches across and weighs more than a quarter-pounder -- almost like a real Olympic medal. What a waste of money!"[Mike Farnworth - NDP house leader].
Premier's gold medals make NDP see red
Only name on construction workers' 'decoration' is Campbell's
Michael Smyth, The Province. Published: Friday, November 21, 2008.
2008 BC Child Poverty Report Card
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81 children in B.C. killed themselves in last 4 years: report
CBC News, Canada. Tuesday, December 02, 2008.
Looking for Something to Look Foward To – A Five-Year Retrospective Review of Child and Youth Suicide in B.C.
Child Death Review Unit, BC Coroners Service.(Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 31, 2007)
Summary of the Five-Year Restrospective Review
Child Death Review Unit
If we've had 81 children, age 10 to 19 kill themselves, commit suicide, fail to get help and support, children who removed themselves from this world during the most prosperous and economic times in BC's existence, what impacts will occur when BC takes a nose dive in the next couple of years. But more importantly, what are each and every one of us going to do to make sure that our government STANDS UP AND DOES THE RIGHT THING for our most vulnerable, at-risk citizens?
I know what I'm doing, how about you?
Get Active. Collaborate. Demonstrate Your Commitment to the Future for BC.
Join a Group. Write. Blog. Write letters, or e-mails to your MLA, your MP, to your City Council.
Write letters to the Editors, articles to publish in the papers.
Pass anti-poverty Resolutions and bring them to your local politicians.
Remember what your MLA has done to represent your community when it comes time to vote. Remind everyone you know too.
Run for Office, campaign for ethical and progressive candidates.
Lets take Back BC for our Future.We can Do this Together.
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