B.C. seniors 'falling further behind' financially with lowest incomes in province: report
Seniors in British Columbia are facing an uphill battle when it comes to their finances, according to a new report released by the province's seniors advocate.
The B.C. Seniors: Falling Further Behind report, released Thursday, highlights the financial challenges facing seniors, including the rising costs of living when seniors depend on government pensions.
INCOME LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE FOR HALF
The report found that the minimum wage in B.C. has increased by 40 per cent over the past five years, while pension incomes have only risen by 14 per cent during that same period.
It also ranks B.C. the lowest in its financial support programs for seniors, in comparison to other provinces and territories.
"Seniors I speak with tell me their pension incomes are not keeping up with rising costs and they are paying too much for rent, groceries, dental care, homecare, house repairs and other essentials," said BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie in a news release.
"Currently 45 per cent of seniors in British Columbia are living on less than minimum wage and 25 per cent of seniors are living on less than $21,000 a year. These are the lowest incomes we find by a wide margin and it speaks to the significance of the financial hardship seniors are experiencing."
The report also suggests that the majority of seniors do not have a private benefits plan, forcing them to pay out-of-pocket for dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, walkers, wheelchairs and other necessary medical equipment.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS GAPS
The report made a list of recommendations outlining how the province can address financial insecurity among seniors.
It suggests revising the shelter aid for elderly renters program to reflect the current reality of B.C.'s rental market and to increase the number of subsidized housing units for seniors, particularly in rural communities where the overall supply of rental accommodation is most challenging for them.
The province's seniors' advocate also recommends eliminating the daily rate for publicly funded home support services and providing an extended health benefit for seniors requiring medical equipment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.