News Clippings from the Federation of Social Service Agencies

News Clippings

August 28, 2017

1. BC has the highest rate of working poor in the country and, for the 20th year in a row, one in five children lives in poverty. The Vancouver Sun interviewed the province\’s first poverty-reduction minister about how he\’ll make the province more affordable.

2. Growing inequality in BC means that \”hidden\” scourges like child poverty are not always obvious on the surface and advocates say the best way solve such problems is through access to housing.

3. An editorial in the Vancouver Sun weighs the need for expensive NDP spending promises and the fear of tax hikes that might be required to pay for them.

4. Advocates are calling the NDP government to freeze rents and deliver on affordable housing promises after the BC Residential Tenancy Branch raised the maximum allowable rent increase for 2018 to 4%.

5. Officials in the Fraser Health region are warning the public after a surge in deaths blamed on suspected drug overdoses—17 in one week disproportionately hitting men working in the trades.

6. Meanwhile, Ottawa once again says it has no plans to consider decriminalizing hard drugs, such as heroin, despite calls from local politicians, health officials, and experts who argue such radical action is needed to combat the national overdose epidemic.

7. BC response networks are raising awareness about addictions and promoting the need to approach addiction-related issues as a community.

8. An editorial in The Tyee explains and addresses ableism and the isolation of children and adults with disabilities and then urges readers to see disability for what it is—a natural part of human experience and not something to be feared.

9. Specialized staff trainers in long-term care homes are helping LGBT seniors overcome fears, anxiety, and distrust caused by decades of prejudice.

10. A Vancouver Island family is speaking out about their difficult, frustrating, and painful wait for hospice care after the family was told by Island Health that \”there’s nothing they can do, except wait for someone else to die.\”