B.C. raises income and disability rates

The British Columbia government is raising income and disability assistance rates by $175 a month for more than 300,000 people starting in April.

Nicholas Simons, the minister of social development and poverty reduction, says it's the largest-ever permanent increase for income and disability assistance rates in B.C., and the third increase since July 2017.

Simons says the government will also introduce the first increase in the senior's supplement since its introduction in 1987, raising it by $50 a month to about $99 for a single person.

More than 300,000 British Columbians will see the largest-ever permanent increase to their income and disability rates, including the first increase to the senior’s supplement since it was introduced in 1987.

Learn more: https://t.co/ppNkeA0mJI pic.twitter.com/fFm4hpCWSm

— Nick Simons (@NicholasSimons) March 16, 2021

Under the new rates, a single person on income assistance will receive $935 per month and a single person on disability assistance will receive about $1,358 per month.

In the legislature, the Opposition Liberals accused the government of clawing back portions of a COVID-19 crisis supplement and recovery benefit from disabled and low-income people.

Simons says a temporary $300 COVID-19 crisis supplement was provided from April to December of last year, followed by a recovery supplement of $150 per month from January to March.