BC Social Assistance Rules

WHEREAS unprecedented new provincial laws that limit the time people classified as employable can collect income assistance to two of every five years and reduce benefits to families with children by 100 - 200 per month come into effect on April 1, 2004; AND WHEREAS the people who will be most impacted are among the poorest and most vulnerable in our society, and are already struggling to deal with the impacts of cuts to other provincial and federal programs and services; AND WHEREAS time limits for income assistance conflict with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms assurance to equality and life, liberty and security of the person, and are inconsistent with provincial and federal obligations to fulfill the right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing and shelter as provided in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Canada is signatory; AND WHEREAS time limits effectively download provincial responsibility for people in need onto communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities urge the BC government to rescind the laws imposing income assistance time limits and reducing benefits; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities call on the BC government to rescind these regressive and punitive income assistance rules on behalf of all communities in BC.