We didn’t have a chance. From a very young age, as kids growing up in Canada in the 60-70’s, we were constantly surrounded by tobacco/cannabis smoke, diesel exhaust, air pollution and industrial particulates. In airplanes, buses, cars and trains, smoke, in hospitals, smoke, in restaurants, smoke. My jobs as a teenager and beyond were cooking over charcoal fires at the Keg, running dishwashers at Sewells, tree planting, commercial fishing and working for decades in construction and in shipyards, as well spending several years working as a stone mason.
Disability Assistance Is Not Sufficient
As I write this, I sit here as a 58 year old with severe lung disease. I can’t breathe. I am not alone. This disease prevents me from participating in most gainful work opportunities, and as CPP only allows a disabled person to earn $5500 annually I’m further held below the poverty level. I struggle to survive on about $1300 monthly from BC PWD benefits. The worst part is I worked and paid into my CPP pension all my life but the government of BC claws it all back. It’s $700 a month, this would make a huge difference in my current quality of life. $2000 is a big jump from $1300. I say me, but I mean this for everyone struggling to survive under these oppressive conditions.
Poverty is State Violence.
Under-housed, it is hard not to be cynical when you see our MLA’s allocate to themselves $2500+ for their second residence in Victoria and then they only allocate $375 monthly for Disabled Persons in BC for housing. All from public funds. Of course it’s impossible to live off of these dribblings without some help from friends or a little indiscretions like undeclared earnings from bottles and cans or whatever. Or car camping/couch surfing, yes at 58, Everyone cheats a little some more, some less so people are forced to keep their head down, and not to question the dysfunctional authority ruining everything.
MAID
Let’s change gears. Let’s use the MAID laws for leverage in negotiations with all concerned parties, citizens and public servants. Should we offer a bulk die in at the Empress Hotel in Victoria in exchange for them picking up the tab as we celebrate our escape from this government imposed doom?
Or better yet, why not immediately raise the rates to government defined poverty levels, about +-$2500 monthly? Quickly followed by the establishment of a working group comprised of a broad representation of concerned parties from health to housing to legal and financial and residents of our communities in need. Comprehensive and pragmatic. We can do this together. Let’s actually develop a plan with measurable performance points backed by hardy government support.
Next Leaps
Where to next? Clearly as we have seen over the last few years with the introduction of state facilitated euthanasia, too many folks are choosing this one-way path solely due to lack of sufficient fiscal support. Being disabled should open opportunities for people to experience new challenges while being reasonably supported by our public governments. That’s the social contract.
All people should feel they are part of their communities, not like bandits hiding in the dark, camping or sleeping in vehicles, couches, and stoops.
We must do better.
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