Highlights of B.C. Welfare Reforms

by Sandra Bender - NAPO Researcher

In our March 2002 edition of NAPO News we ran an article on the proposed reforms to the social security network in British Columbia. The Campbell government has now put in place many of those changes. The reforms are extensive and they will make the lives of poor people in the province even harsher. They include

Cuts to monthly benefits:

• rate reduced by $43 for single parents, by $94 for "employable" couples aged 55-59, and by $97 for "employable" individuals aged 60-64

Cuts to shelter allowances:

• allowance reduced by $55-75 for families of three or more

Eliminated earnings exemptions:

• earnings are deducted dollar-for-dollar (except for people with disabilities) including child support payments

Tightened eligibility requirements:

• mandatory three week wait period for assistance
• two-year cumulative limit of social assistance in five-year period
• full time students who are eligible for loans are no longer eligible for assistance (except people with disabilities)
• applicants over 19 must show they have been financially independent for two consecutive years before they are eligible to apply for assistance
• stricter eligibility guidelines for people with disabilities due to reclassification of disability status

Other changes:

• lifetime ban for conviction of welfare fraud
• clawback of child care subsidy for modest income families
• employable single parents must begin work when child is three years old rather than seven

For information on all of the reforms to BC’s social assistance policies see the report "A Bad Time to be Poor: An Analysis of British Columbia’s New Welfare Policies" by Seth Klein and Andrea Long, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – BC office.