We have received the following information from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

“We want to provide you with a further update on potential delays in mail delivery, including client cheques and ministry documentation, due to impacts from the Canada Post strike.

Although mail delivery is resuming this week, the ministry is continuing to take special measures to ensure disability and income assistance cheques for December are not delayed due to possible backlogs at Canada Post.

Monthly assistance payments through direct deposit will be automatically deposited as usual. For clients who normally receive a monthly assistance cheque by mail, cheques will be available for pick up at their local ministry office on or after December 18.

……

If clients are unable to do direct deposit or attend their local ministry office, they can write a letter and sign it to allow someone else to pick up the cheque on their behalf. To avoid future delays, we recommend setting up direct deposit. This service allows clients to receive ministry payments directly into their bank account. To set up direct deposit, provide their bank account information to the ministry by phone, online at MySelfServe.gov.bc.ca, or in person at a local office.

Anyone concerned about not receiving an assistance cheque is encouraged to contact the ministry at 1 866 866-0800 to discuss options.

The ministry is actively planning the transition back to regular mail distribution, taking into account any backlogged mail.

The December cheque issue will proceed as planned. We aim to return to normal business processes for the January cheque issue, scheduled for January 15, 2025.”

We have been asked to share a petition to help a person with (Marcia Doherty, known publicly online as Madeline), and all people with ME in British Columbia. The petition is not limited to residents of BC – people across Canada and the world can sign.

It calls on the Government of British Columbia, Canada, to take action “to address systemic bias and ensure adequate, life-saving supports for Marcia and the thousands of other British Columbians with ME.”

Please sign and share: https://bit.ly/Marcia_petition!

Dear DABC community,

Happy Holidays!

Please note that Disability Alliance BC will be closed for the holidays from Monday, December 23rd, 2024 – Friday, January 3rd, 2025. Our office will reopen on Monday, January 6th. During this time, we will only be responding to very urgent messages. All other messages will receive a response as soon as possible after we reopen.

Year-End Fundraising Update

Between the spirit of holiday gifting and annual tax planning, December is THE top month for charitable giving each year, accounting for more than a quarter of donations annually to all nonprofits. With the postal strike having put a hold on donations by mail during this usually busiest time for philanthropy, we’re calling on you, our online supporters, to help us bridge this gap with a strong fundraising finish to 2024.

So far this year, thanks to your support DABC has raised $26,647.25 from 263 individual donations. That’s an awesome groundswell of goodwill that has us within reach of a record-breaking $30,000 from 300 donors!

Will you join us now in making this DABC’s best fundraising year ever? No donation is too large or too small to make a difference for people living with disabilities. You can donate here: https://give-can.keela.co/dabc.

With the new Canada Disability Benefit looming on the horizon in 2025, our advocacy is reaching new heights of urgency and impact as the disability community grows and policies strain to meet increasing needs.

Some accomplishments we couldn’t have achieved without your support this year include: updating our online tool for those applying for the Disability Tax Credit, advocating for the removal of the spousal cap for those on provincial disability assistance (and the Province agreeing to work on this as noted in their 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy), and translating our Help Sheets and CPP-D Guides into four other languages: Arabic, Persian, Punjabi and Spanish.

We send our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for being a part of our movement, and appreciate any and all financial support at this important time for the disability community and movement for inclusion and equity across BC.

From all of us here at DABC, wishing you and yours a happy and peaceful holiday season!