VICTORIA — Income and disability assistance rates in British Columbia are being raised by $175 per month starting in April, Nicholas Simons, the minister of social development and poverty reduction, said Tuesday.
It's the largest-ever permanent increase for income and disability rates in B.C. and the New Democrat government's third increase since July 2017, Simons said during a news conference.
More than 300,000 people will receive the increase, which will be included on government assistance payments due in late April, he said.
Simons said the government will also introduce the first increase in a supplement to seniors since its introduction in 1987, raising it by $50 a month to about $99 for a single person.
"This past year has been challenging for all British Columbians, especially for those relying on assistance to help them make ends meet," he said. "Now that we've seen some signs of economic recovery from COVID-19, it's essential that we provide some stability for people and families, including 49,000 children who are living in poverty."
Simons said the three government income and disability rate increases amount to $325 per month since 2017.
Under the new rates, a single person on income assistance will receive $935 per month and a single person on disability assistance will receive about $1,358 per month.
In the legislature, the Opposition Liberals accused the government of clawing back portions of a COVID-19 crisis supplement and recovery benefit from disabled and low-income people.
Dan Davies, the Liberal social development and poverty reduction critic, said he has a petition signed by more than 11,000 people demanding the government reinstate its $300 monthly COVID-19 funding for people on low income and those who are disabled.
They want Premier John Horgan to end the "clawback," he said.
"People on disability assistance and low-income seniors are worried and they're angry," Davies said.
The provincial government provided a temporary $300 COVID-19 crisis supplement from April to December of last year, followed by a recovery supplement of $150 per month from January to March.
Simons said the new rate increases will amount to about $400 million annually.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2021.
The Canadian Press
