Summary Report: Accessibility legislation consultations

February 6, 2020 by DABC

The Government of BC held province-wide public consultations on the development of proposed provincial accessibility legislation between Sept. 16 and Nov. 29, 2019.

Read the summary report from the consultations here:
bit.ly/2Sn2bz0.

The feedback from the consultation process will help Ministry staff to develop draft legislation.

One-to-One Tax Filing Services at VPL

February 5, 2020 by DABC

Do you, or a member of your family, receive disability benefits? Do you need support in filing taxes? Sign up for a free, one-on-one, hour-long consultation on either March 21st (at the Strathcona VPL Branch) or April 4th (at the Carnegie Branch).

You can get help filing your outstanding taxes, discuss options for dealing with tax debt, and learn strategies for communicating with the Canada Revenue Agency.

To register, please contact Tax Aid DABC at 236.477.1717 or taxaid@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org.

Link:

Community Update: Changes to the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act

January 17, 2020 by DABC

Dear Community Partner,

On January 1, 2020, a number of changes to the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act took effect.

As outlined in the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction’s (MSDPR) news release, these positive changes include:

  • Ending the requirement for people on PWD, PPMB or regular Income Assistance to pursue Canada Pension Plan retirement benefits before the age of 65;
  • Removing the limit to the number of security deposits for Ministry clients
  • Introducing a repayable pet damage deposit with the same requirements as a security deposit
  • Changing the definition of spouse so that people can live together for 12 consecutive months (instead of 3) before being considered spouses
          – Married spouses who separate but are not yet divorced can live
    together in the same home and be treated as separate family
    units even if they are still legally married
          – Adults will no longer be considered dependents of each other on
    the basis of demonstrating a parent role towards the child

For more information, please read MSDPR’s news release (linked above) or contact our Advocacy Access Program at 604-872-1278/1-800-663-1278 or feedback@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org.