The BCCPD recently facilitated a Money Skills workshop developed by Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

Workshop participants shared many great resources and money-saving tips:

• Clothes on Wheels: Free clothing – www.clothesonwheels.org
• Free Geek: Volunteer for 24 hours to get a free computer – http://freegeekvancouver.org/ – 1820 Pandora Street, Van. 604-879-4335
• UBC Dental School: Cheap and/or free dental work- www.dentistry.ubc.ca
• teksavvy.com– Internet for as little as 24.95
• Magazine & Comic Book Emporium (Broadway/Granville) – Cheap magazines (new: 50 cents)
• Dollarama: $1 store ($1 Shoe laces, $2 organic soup, pickled beets, Kalamata olives, hats gloves with double layers ($1.25)
• majicJack: Make long distance phone calls cheaply – www.majicJack.com
• Volunteer at thrift stores for 24hrs of service and receive a 40% discount
• Volunteer at discount food outlets (Quest) and receive free food
• FREE! – Free stuff in your area – www.freecycle.org
• Check out the ‘FREE’ column on Craigslist
• The Bay has a food floor on the lower level and it usually has discount dairy and perishables
• Green tea leftovers can be used for acne treatment

Many thanks to all our workshop participants and Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

Raise the Rates www.raisetherates.org
Can you Live on $610 a month?

Media release
February 12th, 2012

Raise the Rates, the BC coalition that challenged MLAs to live on the welfare rate of $610 a month issued a new challenge today:

“We challenge the BC government to immediately raise disability rates to the Alberta level of $1588 per month,” said Andrina Perry of Raise the Rates.  “There is no reason for BC residents who have a disability to have their health issues compounded by trying to live on the mere $906 that they get in BC.”

Raise the Rates wants the BC government to increase all income assistance benefits, including those for single parents and single people, to levels that are adequate to live on.

“People with disabilities in BC are living in poverty,” said Robin Loxton of the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities.  “We call on the BC government to immediately increase BC’s disability rates.”

“If BC copied the Alberta increase it means people with disabilities like me could go to the community fitness gym for physiotherapy without taking the money out of our food budgets,” said Brenn Kapitan. “It would mean I could get a massage for my inflamed joints, have a longer life expectancy and reduce my risk of cancer.”

Alberta also increased the amount of earnings that people with a disability can keep from $400 a month to $800.

Contacts:

Raise the Rates:

Jean Swanson,  604 729 2380
Bill Hopwood,  778 686-5293 (cell),  604 738-1653
Raise the Rates Website: http://www.raisetherates.org/home2.htm
MLA Welfare Challenge Website: http://mlaonwelfare.com

BC Coalition of People with Disabilities:  Robin Loxton:  778 879 9207

For information on the Alberta increase:

http://alberta.ca/acn/201202/3191163E5F543-E3D4-FB5E-826ED0AFD115DA5B.html

Do you receive the Persons with Disabilities benefit (PWD) or are you thinking of applying for it? The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) and the Victoria Disability Resource Centre are holding a free workshop to help you understand more about PWD and other provincial benefits you may be eligible for.

BCCPD’s Robin Loxton will talk about:

• Contacting the Ministry of Social Development with a particular focus on the Ministry’s use of computerized applications and other service delivery issues
• Supplementary (other) benefits for people receiving PWD
• The Registered Disability Savings Plan (basic points)

The workshop will allow plenty of time for participants to ask Robin questions.

 March 23rd 2012
1:00 – 3:00 PM
Victoria Disability Resource Centre
817 A Fort Street, Victoria, BC

 If you would like to attend the workshop, please email Nicole Kiyooka at nicole@bccpd.bc.ca  or call her at 1-800-663-1278.

Or contact Erin Davis at employment1@drcvictoria.com or call 250-595-0044 extension #108.

Hope to see you at the workshop!