If you were a client of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction between October 2012 and April 2018 and had your assistance amount reduced as a result of earnings you reported, you may be eligible for retroactive payments from the Ministry. This is only if you are no longer a Ministry client but were during the time period listed above; individuals who fit the criteria and are still Ministry clients will have already received these retroactive payments. 

If you think you or someone you know may be eligible for retroactive payments, please do not contact DABC – please contact the Ministry directly at 1-866-866-0800.  

The B.C. government has announced that additional funding has been allocated to launch its Passenger Transportation Accessibility Program: https://globalnews.ca/news/9452049/b-c-funding-program-accessible-taxis/

DABC is pleased to see that additional funding will support increasing the amount of accessible taxis available, and we certainly hope that the owners/operators of these taxis will receive comprehensive and meaningful accessibility training.

However, we also recognize that this new initiative may not address another important issue facing people with disabilities using taxis: there are still too many incidents of taxi drivers choosing not to pick up riders who use wheelchairs/mobility aids, or refusing to accept taxi-savers for individuals that can’t be picked up by HandyDART.

Prosper Canada recently hosted a 1-hour webinar for organizations working directly with people with disabilities about the barriers facing people with disabilities in accessing benefit programs and the ways to improve access.

DABC ED Helaine Boyd gave a presentation during the webinar.

The webinar recording and presentation slide deck are available here.