STOP THIEF !!

BC Government Steals Upwards of $3 million From Our Most Vulnerable

Every month many of those who find themselves needing government assistance, after they have exhausted every other avenue of funding like family and friends and Workers Compensation or Employment Insurance, are further taken advantage of by a system that just keeps kicking them when their already down. Kicking them to the tune of some $3 million per year.

How does this happen? Why is it allowed? Who causes this seizure of people’s already poverty level benefits? BC Housing (BCH)does and here’s how they do it:

Many people unknowingly give BCH access to their personal bank accounts so that upon receipt of benefits from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction , I know, what an Orwellian name, the shelter portion is immediately removed from their account and is transferred to BCH. This transfer happens days, sometimes weeks ahead of when rent is actually due. For example in October of 2025, benefits were paid to recipients on Oct. 21. This left 10 days until rent was due but BCH still removed these funds over a week ahead from the poorest of the poor. Thus interest that should have gone to the poor went to BCH. In 2025 there were 88 days of interest that was stolen by BCH. This money stolen from  the poor ,gets moved to the accounts of one of BC’s wealthiest agencies. 

Not only does this cash windfall add up to some $3 million for 2025 taken from the poorest of the poor, it destroys peoples agency and dignity from them. It sends a message to them that they have no control over their finances. That they have no bargaining power against a greedy rent collection agency. Imagine if you had to make your rent or mortgage  payments a week or more ahead of the due date? The inability to access funds for emergencies, food, children’s or pets needs? It’s outrageous and it’s just another way our government keeps their knee firmly on the neck of the poor.

Some might say if this practice ended the poor would waste their money and not be able to pay rent. That’s absurd! BC Housing isn’t going to go broke if they don’t collect rent. In fact most of the properties that manage were bought and paid for by senior levels of government. BCH doesn’t have skin in the game.

 We all heard about the tens millions slipped under the table to the then CEO’s partner running Altira. No one seemed to care about this, like Dale McMann, who acted as the bag man for Shayne Ramsay and just recently retired with millions in a pension we are paying for!

 It’s not like a small landlord who can’t afford to miss a mortgage payment on an over-extended line of credit. BCH is supposed to help people, not steal their already inadequate funds.

The good news is it’s an easy fix! People can withdraw their permission for BCH to extricate their funds way before rent is due. They can either set up automatic withdrawal for the 1st of the month or as others do make the transfer themselves on rent day.

Together we can make our world a little more friendly. Sure some people can’t manage their funds and might spend everything there is so they don’t have rent, but that’s not a justifiable reason for the collective punishment. Those people probably have other issues that are already not being adequately addressed by the system and causing grief to others. Let’s lift everyone up!

Granview Terrace Residents Group: Taking Back Our Power!

Originally we were called the BC Housing Tenants Association. Although this name was accurate in that we live in a BC Housing managed building, it just didn't feel right. In fact I think it may have led some to believe we were affiliated with BC Housing! Well we are not. In fact they work for us. We are also not tenants. Tenants pay rent to a building owner. BC Housing doesn't own this building or any building as a matter of fact. They are an agency that has been created to manage these properties on behalf of the Province of BC, the owners. That's us! 

Every single resident of BC is a part owner. Governments are our employees that we periodically hire through elections to manage our affairs. Sometimes they do a good job and other times not so much. They create agencies like BC Housing to operate our facilities and businesses such as Highways, BC Ferries and Hospitals. 

When governments change, we still own the assets. So calling our group Residents is important as it shows we are part owners of Granview Terrace and BC Housing is just an agency our government has created to operate it, Both can be terminated yet we still maintain ownership.

So let's work together to ensure our building is run efficiently and with the best interests of the owners, US, in mind.