Disability Alliance BC (DABC) is thrilled to announce the launch of our new program, Tax AID DABC.
Tax AID DABC is a free, confidential provincial program that will assist people with the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) designation or Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers (PPMB) designation with basic income tax filings and information/referrals on tax related matters. Our main focus will be on helping chronic late tax filers to catch up on their unfiled taxes. We can assist clients in several ways including:
Filing income taxes through one-to-one meetings
Helping gather tax slips and other necessary documents
Providing advice and information (in-person, or by phone and/or email) about filing income tax returns
Providing referrals to organizations in clients’ communities
Accessing advice and support for clients with more complex tax returns from a chartered accountant.
More than 20,000 people receiving BC’s disability assistance don’t file their income taxes regularly. This means they’re missing out on hundreds of dollars each year. For example, the GST credit, BC sales tax credit and carbon tax credit can provide an extra $400-$500 annually. Also, once people have filed their taxes they may be able to open a registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) with grants and bonds which can be worth thousands of dollars.
Please feel free to refer people receiving PWD and PPMB with unfiled taxes to Tax AID DABC. For more information, please contact Sam Turcott at 604-872-1278/1-800-663-1278 or taxaid@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org, or visit Tax AID DABC’s website at www.taxaiddabc.org.
Any help you can give to let people know about Tax AID DABC would be most appreciated. We’ve attached PDF versions of Tax AID DABC’s poster and brochures. If you would like us to mail you some, please email Chloe at chloe@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org. And please help spread the word about Tax AID DABC by using #TaxAidDABC on social media.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Jane Dyson
Executive Director
Tax AID DABC is generously funded by the Vancouver Foundation.
BCITS, along with the Kinsmen Foundation of BC and the BC Rehab Foundation, are in partnership to help to provide people with disabilities in need with power door openers.
We are proud to be part of a unique initiative that brings freedom and independence to people who need it most.
Our major fundraising event for the Opening Doors to Independence Fund is the annual BCITS/Kinsmen Foundation Golf Classic which is coming up on September 17, 2015 at the Mayfair Lakes Golf Club.
We need your support to make this event a success.
Please circulate this video link through your social media platforms and let people know about the Golf Classic. More information here: BCITS & Kinsmen Foundation – Golf Classic
For more information on how to register, sponsor or donate prizes, please contact Clara Chalifour at cchalifour@bcits.org.
Thanks for helping us to open more doors to independence in British Columbia.
Positive Living BC has launched a new online peer support group called Online Connec+ for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Online Connec+ will provide HIV education, support and community referrals to people throughout the province who might otherwise be unable to access these services.
Online Connec+ will be facilitated by Positive Living BC’s Peer Navigators. A Peer Navigator is an HIV-positive person trained in HIV-specific health issues, self care, safer sex, sexually transmitted infections, and disease progression. Navigators offer a valuable perspective on managing HIV based on their personal experience with the illness, training and their experience working with other PLHIV.
Program leader Michael Crate notes, “Online Connec+ was started as a natural extension of the Peer Navigator program. The group will be an open format meeting. We will talk about what is currently going on for participants in relation to their HIV diagnosis. This might include health, treatment or self-care issues, stigma, isolation, disclosure, or dating. Peer Navigators will be there to facilitate the group, or do one-on-one counseling.” Elgin Lim, Positive Living BC’s manager of programs and services adds, “Living with HIV can be isolating, particularly in smaller communities. Online Connec+ can help people feel less alone, allow people to share experiences, and provide an opportunity to make new connections with other people living with HIV, no matter where they are in the province.”
Online Connec+ is open to anyone living with HIV in BC. All genders, sexualities and ages are welcome. The group will meet twice a month on Monday night from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. For more information or to participate, call Positive Living BC’s toll-free number (1-800-994-2437) and leave a confidential voicemail, or email Michael Crate at michaelc@positivelivingbc.org.
