Raise the rates

Poverty is not inevitable.

The gap between social and disability assistance rates and the poverty line is wide - made wider by inflation and cost of living increases. 

There is no way around the reality that social and disability assistance rates are abysmally low and have the effect of legislating deep poverty. By raising the rates to at least the poverty line, people receiving BC disability and social assistance would be better able to meet basic needs instead of choosing between essentials like food, medication, rent, and utilities.

We are calling on the BC Government to:

• Increase social assistance and disability assistance actual rates to the poverty line (Market Basket Measure) as a centerpiece of the 2025 BC Budget and index rates to inflation.

• Recalculate the Market Basket Measure within the PWD to account for the additional costs incurred by people with disabilities

• Combine the shelter and support allowance components of social assistance payments

• Reduce barriers to applying, accessing, and reporting related to social assistance

• Substantially increase earnings exemptions for those receiving social and disability assistance and end the clawback of various types of income

• Transform the province’s income support system by enacting recommendations from the 2018 BC Basic Income Panel