The MLA Welfare Challenge
Can you live on $610 a month?
Raise the Rates has announced that an MLA will be living on welfare for the month of January, 2012! Visit www.MLAonWelfare.com to follow this campaign.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
In 2005 the total net worth of Canadians was almost $5
trillion, a 42% increase from 1999. In spite of the over all increase
in wealth over that period, the poorest 20% of Canadians lost over 70%
of their wealth. The wealthiest fifth gained over 43%.
Read more inequality facts.
Raise the Rates - 5 Demands
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Increase income assistance rates to the Market Basket Measure ($1300 a month in Vancouver) and index them to inflation.
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Remove the arbitrary barriers that keep people in need from receiving income assistance, including the 2-year independence test, the 3-week work search, and restrictions based on citizenship status.
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Increase the minimum wage to $12/hour and index it to inflation; eliminate the $6/hour training wage.
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Build at least 2000 units of affordable non-market housing per year in addition to supportive housing, assisted living units and shelter beds.
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Increase the tax rate on people who earn over $250,000 a year and reverse the tax cuts to corporations.
Raise the Rates is a lead organizer of the 2010 Poverty Olympics and the Provincial Poverty Olympics Torch Relay!
Find out more at povertyolympics.ca.
2009 Poverty Olympics
The 2009 Poverty Olympics provided a hilarious and serious preview of what international media will see when they come to Vancouver for the 2010 Games.
About 400 people from Vancouver, Canada’s poorest neighbourhood took advantage of the one year countdown to the 2010 Olympic Games with a message about poverty in Canada.
People in Canada live in shocking poverty, Wendy Pedersen told the crowd gathered for the Poverty Olympics. Her community, the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, has an HIV rate the same as Botswana’s. Street homelessness increased 373% between 2002 and 2008, and British Columbia has had the highest rate of child poverty in Canada for 5 years in a row (21%).
Pedersen said the government could have ended poverty and homelessness with the $6 billion they are wasting on the Olympics.
The rest of the Poverty Olympics was a humorous and blunt satire of the real Olympics, with a Torch relay, opening and closing ceremonies and “games.” One game was Sweeping Poverty Aside (curling) which featured Team Vanoc against Team Poverty. Team Vanoc (Vancouver Olympic Committee) swept away objects on the ice with “bailout” brooms, while blocking Team Poverty with sand on the ice and an actual rope labeled rent increases and evictions.
The Poverty Olympic Mascots, Itchy the Bedbug, Creepy the Cockroach, and Chewy the Rat, danced through the opening ceremonies singing Money makes the World Go Round and flinging fake money labeled “Olympics 2010, blank cheque” throughout the audience.
The Poverty Olympics was endorsed by Raise the Rates, Carnegie Community Action Project, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, BC Persons with Aids Society, Power to Women, and Streams of Justice.
Background Information:
Poverty Olympics 2009 Photo Collections: ccapvancouver.wordpress.com or Carnegie Community Action Project, bharbara on flickr, or blackbird_hollow on flickr.
For more information on poverty in Canada go to povertyolympics.ca
ccapvancouver.wordpress.com
For leads on the homelessness and poverty situation in Canada email Jean Swanson jean.swanson [ at ] gmail.com.
Media Links:
Wall Street Journal - February 10, 2009 Game Changer: Recession Recasts Olympic Spending online.wsj.com
Vancouver Sun - February 9, 2009 'Poverty Olympics' ridicule Games www2.canada.com
Globe and Mail, Canada - February 9, 2009 Poverty Olympics spotlight Downtown Eastside www.theglobeandmail.com
The Georgia Straight - February 9, 2009 Organizer expects Poverty Olympics to run alongside 2010 Games www.straight.com
News 1130 - Febraray 9, 2009 www.news1130.com
Metro Daily News - February 9, 2009 www.metronews.ca
Macau Daily Times - Macau
www.macaudailytimesnews.com
The Appalling Situation
We are shocked by the scandalous and continuing existence of abject poverty in a province experiencing a long-term boom and boasting a budget surplus of $4.1 billion in 2007. This is clearly an infringement of the human rights of BC’s vulnerable people.
Some statistics:
- Thousands of people all over BC are homeless.
- BC had the highest child poverty rate of any province in 2004 for the third year in a row. The 2004 BC rate was 23.5% or nearly one of every four children. That was well above the national child poverty rate of 17.7%.
- According to First Call BC, Census figures show that Aboriginal children have a poverty rate that is almost twice as large as that of non-aboriginal children. The number of poor children would have been significantly higher if the data had included Aboriginal children living on reserves. Statistics Canada does not include reserve communities in any of its poverty statistics, and there are over 20,000 Aboriginal children living on reserves in BC. (Reference)
- The BC Progress Board, appointed by the Provincial government six years ago to monitor economic and social indicators, says BC had the second worst poverty record of any province in 2005. An estimated 17.2% of all family units were living below Statistics Canada's after tax low-income cut-off.
- Full time minimum wage workers in BC make less than 82% of the 2004 low income cut-off.
- People on disability income assistance receive about $465 a month less than the low income cut-off, which doesn't take into account extra costs people incur because of their disability.
- people on income assistance receive monthly benefits that are less than half of the low income cut-off line.
- Single people on assistance, including people with disabilities are expected to rent homes, pay for phone, and tenant insurance with a mere $375 a month. Average rent for a bachelor suite in BC is $672 a month. A government-appointed panel has recommended that MLAs get $1583 per month for housing that they only use when they are away from home. (Reference)
- Single people on assistance get $7.58 per day for everything except homes; MLA’s get $51.50 for food and incidentals even if they live in Victoria.
International Human Rights
What does the United Nations say about Canada’s record on poverty?
The key point is that BC continues to act in violation of its obligations under international law to respect, protect and fulfill the fundamental rights of vulnerable British Columbians to food, clothing, and shelter.
Postcard Campaign
Send a postcard to Gordon Campbell
to tell him you want action now.
Poverty Olympics February 3, 2008
Photo by Murray Bush, flux foto
Fun and games amid serious talk. Organizers showed the world that "Vancouver has world-class poverty". See the Poverty Olympics website: povertyolympics.ca
Raise the Rates organized meetings with MLAs to tell them what its like living on welfare. Here are some reports:
- The Advocacy Centre organized a meeting between the Nelson/Creston MLA, Corky Evans (NDP) and five people from Nelson who are on income assistance.
The meeting took place December 17, 2008 at Corky's office. Each person gave a brief presentation about their experiences on income assistance.
- The biggest message was that welfare rates, particularly the shelter allowances, were too low given today's housing and utility costs. Everyone at the meeting was using money from their support allowance to pay for shelter, and three had been homeless within the last year because they couldn't find a safe, affordable place to live.
- Other issues raised included: - the stigma and stereotypes associated with being on income assistance - the barrier created by the complex Persons With Disabilities application - issues around working and finding affordable child care for children under school age - difficulties in finding out what benefits are available through income assistance and accessing them.
All participants presented extremely well, and Corky listened carefully.
There was some general discussion, and I think people felt heard. We were left with the message that we should continue to organize provincially to get the issues on the table for the election in the spring. On the whole, I think it went well. It is important for people to get a chance to share their concerns with their elected representative.
Amy TaylorThe Advocacy Centre201-182 Baker St. Nelson, BC V1L 4H2
- Dave Diewert reported that Streams of Justice went with 4 people to meet Jenny Kwan and Jagrup Brar, and Vanessa Geary, the NDP policy person on October 16. The people spoke about welfare and raising children, health, work, social stigma and housing and had a discussion afterwards. Jenny said if the NDP were government, they would build 2400 units of social housing now and 1200 per year after that. It was a positive experience and the 4 presenters did well.
- Jean Swanson said that 3 people from Carnegie Community Action Project met Jagrup, Vanessa and Chuck Puckmayer, the NDP Labour Critic on October 16.
Everyone did a good job of presenting and the MLAs were polite. There was lots of discussion. The same promise was made about housing but nothing about welfare rates.
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September 1, 2009 July 7, 2011 December 2, 2010 November 22, 2010 November 10, 2010 February 17, 2010 November 27, 2009 September 23, 2009 The Affordability Gap: Spending Differences Between Canada’s Rich and Poor reveals how Canada’s poorest households often forego buying things most Canadians consider essential, from eyeglasses and dental care to computers and newspapers. “The poorest 20 per cent of Canadian households live in worlds
far removed from the richest 20 per cent..." September 18, 2009 September 1, 2009 June 30, 2009 What is Premier Gordon Campbell thinking? The province, according to Statistics Canada, has had the highest rate of child poverty in Canada for the past six years. The problems are increasing as more people lose their jobs. Yet Campbell has refused to meet with the Representative for Children and Youth to discuss ways of improving the lives of poor children. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond asked for a joint meeting with Campbell
and NDP Leader Carole James. The situation is urgent, she said,
and should be above partisan politics. The leaders should co-operate
on plans to make things better for children at a tough time. June 5, 2009 Laurie Monsebraaten, Toronto Star In his book, The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-off Can't Help the Poor, Karelis begins by asking the question mainstream economists – and the general public – often ask about the poor. Why are they more likely than the middle-class to quit school, have children young, not work, abuse drugs, break the law and spend recklessly rather than save for a rainy day? Surely the poor have more incentive to work to improve their condition and to complete school when higher education is linked to better jobs and more pay. Likewise, the consequences of having children you can't afford, being constantly impaired, having a criminal record and refusing to save, are far more dire for someone already struggling, he says, explaining traditional middle-class reasoning. However, this behaviour becomes rational when seen from the point of view of the poor, says Karelis, a former president of Colgate University in rural New York state. He likens it to a person being swarmed by bees. April 30, 2009 April 13, 2009 March 23, 2009 March 17, 2009 February 16, 2009 February 8, 2009 February 5, 2009
December 18, 2008
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