A poverty reduction plan for BC

And those in desperate need of social assistance, due to the loss of a job, the loss of a spouse, the loss of good health, or any number of other life circumstances, find that the social safety net meant to catch them is not there — welfare is both inadequate and inaccessible. [...] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, for example, asserts the right of all individuals to “social security” Deep poverty refers to and the right of every individual to an adequate standard of living “including adequate food, those living well below clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.” the poverty line and in BC is primarily a [...] A surprising number of Canadians are just a step away from the of inadequate and poverty that can arise from the loss of a job, the loss of a spouse or the loss of good health. [...] And the median real wage in BC dropped by a staggering 11.3 per cent between 1980 and 2005, and by 3.4 per cent between 2000 and 2005 — the steepest slide of any province.5 The provincial government’s own Progress Board has called for major improvements in the social condition of British Columbians and in the province’s dismal poverty statistics.6 A POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN FOR BC 11 Essential Eleme [...] The strategy is grounded in a government commitment to transform shared with BC the Newfoundland and Labrador into the province with the lowest poverty rate in Canada distinction of having within a decade.11 The Newfoundland case is particularly interesting from a BC perspective the highest poverty because, until recently, BC and Newfoundland shared the unwelcome distinction of having rates in Can