Welcome to 2020! We are excited to be continuing our podcast feature in our blog and hope you\’ve enjoyed the ones we suggested in 2019.  While these podcasts are not endorsed by CVS, after listening to them ourselves, we find that they offer a valuable take on current subjects that could help people across our community.

Here are a couple of podcasts you may want to check out this month –

1. Oprah\’s SuperSoul Conversations – who doesn\’t love a bit of Oprah for motivation & wisdom? A great podcast to uplift and feel inspired. Subscribe by clicking here.
2. One in Ten – engaging and insightful guests focus on the tough subject of child abuse and associated trauma and other topics. An excellent podcast for this subject matter with lots of supportive information. Listen by clicking here.

We hope you enjoy the podcasts above over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more podcasts in February!

The federal government announced that it will make changes to Canada’s law on Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID).

As noted by Inclusion BC, Medical Assistance In Dying needs robust safeguards that will help protect the lives of people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

The Department of Justice is now conducting a public consultation process. Our community needs to participate in this survey so that the government will consider adding essential safeguards to the law — safeguards which are essential to prevent errors or abuse that could ultimately lead to the unfair loss of life for people with disabilities, mental health issues, or age-related illnesses.

You can participate in the Canadian Government consultations by filling out the online questionnaire about MAID for the Department of Justice.

Please complete the federal governments\’ questionnaire by clicking here.

The deadline for submitting responses is January 27th, 2020.

Family Support Institute of BC would like to survey the province for any creative housing solutions that may have worked for families. The ultimate goal for this survey is to better understand how families are able to manoeuvre their situation.

Please click here to access the survey.

Thank you!

It was announced on January 9th, that the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction is taking steps to improve supports for people dealing with poverty.

People experiencing poverty now have better access to income and disability assistance through a series of changes designed to give them the help they need, when they need it.

“We took a careful look at the existing policies for income and disability assistance and asked if they’re helping or harming the people they are meant to support,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “All of these changes are removing unnecessary barriers that prevent people who were already struggling to get the support they need to break out of the cycle of poverty.”

Changes to the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act and regulations took effect on Jan. 1, 2020. These include:

• ending the requirement for seniors to pursue Canada Pension Plan retirement benefits before the age of 65;
• expanding access to security deposits and introducing a pet damage deposit;
• amending the definition of spouse; and
• eliminating the two-year independence rule.

The CIS team and policy amendments are part of a cross-government effort to better connect people with the services they need. Barriers, like a lack of identification or a security deposit for a home, can prevent people from receiving important services, accessing income assistance or finding stable housing. Government is identifying and reducing barriers by updating policies and ensuring that the changes reach the people they are designed to help.

The changes are part of a series of amendments. The first set of changes took effect in July 2019 and included expanding access to the identification supplement, removing the $10,000 asset limit on a primary vehicle and expanding the moving supplement for people to move anywhere in B.C. All of the changes reflect the principles of affordability, accessibility, social inclusion and reconciliation, as laid out in TogetherBC: British Columbia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.

CVS welcomes the changes the government is making to improve benefits for those facing poverty. This is essential in improving our society as a whole and building inclusive communities.

For more information on this announcement, please click here.

This is just a quick message to remind everyone about our process at CVS when it comes to snowfall and winter weather safety. In advance of any winter weather, when snow falls, CVS intends to remain open. However, in order to ensure the safety of everyone, activities and outings will likely be changed or cancelled and therefore the majority of the services will be provided from the Port Moody office, the Port Coquitlam office or from the individual\’s home.

On rare occasions, the weather situation can get bad and there is a danger to the individuals we serve and staff due to poor road conditions. If this is the case, CVS will phone to advise all families, caregivers and group homes what the next steps will be in terms of programming for that day. This will also be updated on the News section of the CVS website.

CVS has already made plans to have our parking lot and sidewalks cleared, we have stocked up on salt and we hope to be able to respond to weather events appropriately. If the weather is extreme, please understand that we may close Community Inclusion programs for the sake of everyone\’s safety. In this event, as stated, each family, caregiver or group home will be called.