BC will now have the third highest income assistance and disability rates in Canada, thanks to the new BC NDP government.
Premier John Horgan announced on Thursday rates will increase by $100 month.
The new rates will be $1,133 dollars for a person receiving disability assistance and $710 for a person on income assistance.
Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Shane Simpson says the rate hikes are part of a much bigger picture.
“Our commitment is to a poverty reduction strategy, the work on that has already begun and will be moving forward with that and I’m hopeful that in the months ahead will be able to make some announcements about a more comprehensive plan. It’s a plan that looks at issues around housing around retraining and education, child care, our commitment to a minimum wage increase that will help those hundreds of thousands of people who are the working poor in British Columbia.”
Your new BC NDP govt takes its first steps to tackle affordability, starting with Crown corps & govt orgs. #BetterBChttps://t.co/75fHCkJAOT
— BC NDP (@bcndp) July 20, 2017
He adds the rate hike is a far cry from the lack of progress shown previously by the BC Liberals.
“This was a government that for over 10 years refused to increase the welfare or disability rates and the first increase in well over 10 years that wasn’t just rhetoric is the one that we introduced.”
The new changes take effect on September 20th.
Meet your BC NDP cabinet: @ShaneLSimpson is BC's Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. #BetterBC #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/98iLNaC5Q9
— BC NDP (@bcndp) July 19, 2017