Take Action

Jagrup Brar responded to Raise the Rates’ MLA Welfare Challenge and lived on the welfare rate of $610 for the month of January 2012. This gained widespread media coverage and public support for tackling the deep poverty in BC. BC has the greatest economic inequality the worst poverty and child poverty rates in Canada.

We now want to keep the issues in the public’s mind and put pressure on BC’s politicians to act. We need policies to:

• Significantly increase welfare rates
• Increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour
• Build at least 2000 units of social housing a year
• End the 100% clawbacks of earnings and child support from people on welfare
• End the 5 week wait for welfare
• Pay for this by increasing taxes on people and corporations who can afford to pay more.

On this page we have links to publicity material and suggestions for action.

Take Action

• Invite Jagrup Brar to you community to speak on his experience living on $610 a month.  Call or email Ruby Bhandal at 778-878-1293 Ruby.Bhandal@leg.bc.ca to set this up.
• Arrange to meet with your local MLA to try to persuade them to implement the demands above.
• Invite a speaker from Raise the Rates.
• Hold a public meeting or event.
• Do a public action, maybe outside your local MLA’s office.
• Contact your local media about any activities you organize.

Materials

• Poster showing the daily welfare rates is less than a coffee and a muffin (jpg)
• Flyer for distribution on need to raise welfare (two sides: jpg 1, jpg 2)
• Fact sheet about welfare in BC (pdf)
• Do the Math sheets, for single person and single parent family, showing how much money people on welfare have for a month and inviting the public and politicians to try to work out a budget
• Letter to MLA to urge action on welfare (you can find out contact info for MLAs at http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm)

Feel free to distribute all of the above materials at any public meeting or action.

We would love to hear of your actions so do let us know.

If you would like more advice or ideas for activities or further information about Raise the Rates please contact:

Jean Swanson: jean.swanson@gmail.com
Bill Hopwood: bill50@vcn.bc.ca