On June 16th, the provincial government released “Accessibility 2024,” its 10-year plan for making BC the most progressive province in Canada for people with disabilities.

Link: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/disabilitywhitepaper/accessibility-2024/

The BCCPD is pleased that the government has identified accessibility and inclusion as a priority and has articulated clear goals and actions toward making BC the most progressive province in Canada for people with disabilities. We are also encouraged by the level of engagement and input from across BC as well as the building blocks that have been identified as the plan’s key elements.

We are disappointed, however, that the plan only commits to increasing provincial disability benefit rates as BC’s fiscal situation allows. Without making changes to the disability assistance rates, we will continue to see people with disabilities who depend on provincial income supports living in poverty. We were also disappointed that the plan is silent about the needs of people living with mental health disabilities. We will continue to work with our community partners to encourage the province to increase disability benefit rates.