Anti-Poverty Advocacy Across BC
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- Published on Friday, 14 October 2016 07:15
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Dear PAOVCommunities across the province are advocating for a Poverty Free BC. Read about how you can get involved and more in our newsletter below. Thank you for continuing to support a call for a Poverty Reduction Plan in BC.
Trish and Omar
Get Involved
There are many ways to help advocate for a Poverty Free BC. Here are a couple upcoming opportunities.
"Sharing Our Reality" SurveyCitizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods' latest project, "Sharing Our Reality" is expanding due to heightened interest. The project aims to increase awareness about the lives of British Columbians with disabilities as well as the challenges within our system for both clients and staff. There are two sets of questions, the first contains a series of questions for people with disabilities; the second set of questions are for those working within the system about how the system can be improved. Learn more and take the survey here.
Join the Welfare Food ChallengeIt’s not too late to sign up for Raise the Rates' 5th Annual Welfare Food Challenge. The Challenge will start on World Food Day, Sunday October 16, 2016 and run for a full 7 days. Due to the rising cost of rent, participants will be expected to live on only the food they can purchase with $18 dollars. Register with Bill Hopwood at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you can't do it (or maybe you're on welfare and do this every week), share why we need to raise the rates on social media. Let's all pull together to raise the rates!
Chew on This! National Day of ActionOctober 17th is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Join the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition at Cambie and Broadway from 12-1pm handing out lunch bags including a postcard to the federal government supporting them in their development of a national poverty reduction strategy. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to volunteer.
Volunteer with the Coalition
The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition is looking for volunteers to help with administrative support for a short term, one-time need. This volunteer role involves phoning our organizational supporters to update their contact details and can be carried out in our Downtown Vancouver offices or from your home in BC. This work is critical in keeping our Coalition united across the province in calling for a Poverty Reduction Plan in British Columbia. If you are interested in this volunteer position, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.?subject=Phone%20Volunteer" target="_blank" style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #8a201b;font-weight: bold;text-decoration: none;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn how you can help us take action.
Let's celebrate our successes
As we continue to advocate for a Poverty Free BC, let's acknowledge the achievements we've made along the way.
Union of BC Municipalities Press Conference
On Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition hosted a press conference in Victoria to highlight the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) motion supporting the creation and implementation of a Poverty Reduction Strategy for the Province of British Columbia. 24 municipalities have passed resolutions in support of a poverty reduction plan for BC with legislated targets and timelines expressing a strong collective call from local governments for provincial responsibility to address the root causes of poverty in BC. The UBCM has unanimously passed resolutions in support of this call since 2009, and the resoultion passed unanimously again on Wednesday, September 28. More information here and in the press release, including more quotes from throughout BC, and Times Colonist feature, “Places large and small seek BC Poverty Reduction Plan.”
End to the Employment Insurance Clawback!
Starting next month, Employment Insurance (EI) maternity and parental benefits will be fully exempt for people on income and disability assistance. This change comes after much hard work and advocacy by West Coast LEAF, Community Legal Assistance Society, First Call, and Single Mothers' Alliance BC.
Making Poverty Visible
In case you missed it at the Vancouver Public Library earlier this year, the Making Poverty Visible art exhibit will be launching in the central lobby at Vancouver City Hall on Monday, October 17th. The exhibit features “poverty flags,” made by community members throughout BC from Prince Rupert to Cranbrook, to show what poverty looks like in local communities and our shared hopes for a better BC. All these local stories are connected by the need for a BC poverty reduction plan to tackle the root causes of poverty.
City of Vancouver becomes the biggest Living Wage employer in Canada!
On September 21, 2016, city councillors in Vancouver passed a motion to be certified as a Living Wage Employer, making the City of Vancouver the largest Living Wage employer in Canada. Thanks to the Living Wage for Families Campaign and all their supporters for their hard work in making this happen. Read Joey Hartman, Adrienne Montani and Trish Garner's op-ed in the Vancouver Sun.
Poverty Reduction – Living Wage Summit
The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition has partnered with the Living Wage for Families Campaign to deliver a two-day summit for engaged community members from across BC on November 15th and 16th. We are sending targeted invites to 20-30 people from across the province prioritizing participation from indigenous organizations, newcomer organizations and directly impacted grassroots groups. If you know activists and organizers working on anti-poverty issues within their local communities, please pass on this information and ask them to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
You are receiving this email because you signed a BC Poverty Reduction petition, subscribed to our mailing list at bcpovertyreduction.ca, or took part in a workshop with the Coalition.
Our mailing address is:
BC Poverty Reduction Coalition#810 - 815 West Hastings StreetVancouver, British Columbia V6C 1B4 Canada
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