TogetherBC was guided by an extensive engagement process. It is based on the principles of Affordability, Opportunity, Reconciliation, and Social Inclusion, and encompasses 12 key priorities distilled into six priority action areas.
“Together, we can build a fairer province by bringing down barriers and giving people the services and supports they need to break out of the cycle of poverty. TogetherBC is our roadmap for a better British Columbia, where everyone, regardless of their background or income, is treated with dignity and has access to opportunity.” – Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
On the May 2019 BC Communities Reducing Poverty Community of Practice (BC CoP) call, poverty reduction practitioners from across the province engaged in a discussion around what they were happy to see in the strategy, what they thought was missing, how they saw it supporting their goals on the ground, and how they could help roll out the strategy at a local level.
Members highlighted a number of aspects of TogetherBC that they appreciated most:
Despite increases to income assistance and disability rates, increased earning exemptions, and increased asset allowances, the biggest gap identified by members in the BC strategy was that benefit rates continue to keep recipients below the poverty line.
The successful rollout of TogetherBC is contingent on committed partnerships between governments, businesses, First Nations, community organizations, and people with lived/living experience. BC CoP members noted challenges in this regard, for example around keeping people informed of new and expanded benefits and credits, particularly for those that require enrolment or tax filing. In response, a few were improving local navigation supports, for example by raising community awareness, breaking down barriers one-on-one, and creating resource guides for workers and families.
In an effort to raise awareness of issues relevant to their own community, and to identify programs and services that could be implemented locally, one member made a presentation to his Mayor and Council. Using the provincial strategy as a leverage tool, he advocated that in light of the recently released Canadian and BC strategies, now was the time for their community to invest in a local poverty reduction strategy.
Take Your Learning Further: