Part III - Measures Adopted by the Governments of the Provinces - British Columbia

Article 2: Anti-Discrimination Measures

584. The Government of British Columbia (BC) funds a province-wide Human Rights Clinic for eligible complainants and respondents that need assistance in taking a claim forward to the BC Human Rights Tribunal. The Clinic provides specialized assistance and representation from start to finish for human rights cases, ensuring access to justice.

Legal aid

585. In February 2005, BC provided funding to expand family law services centered primarily on assisting women and families. These new services are focused on summary advice and assistance services such as family duty counsel services, and increased assistance for high conflict families, as well as those that must pursue their disputes in the Supreme Court of BC. Family duty counsel services are available in 46 Provincial Court locations and the 13 busiest Supreme Court locations.

586. BC provides more than $25 million in programming to support family issues, such as Family Justice Centres and legal education and information initiatives. The Government is researching the feasibility of a number of family justice reforms, and is piloting an access to justice hub that will provide legal information, summary legal advice and dispute resolution services in one location.

587. The table below shows the number of women accessing legal aid in BC.

Period BC Legal Representation Referrals
All Female Male
January 1 to March 31, 2003 8,396 2,432 5,964
2003-2004 30,222 9,174 21,048
2004-2005 28,646 8,747 19,899
2005-2006 30,030 9,698 20,332
April 1 to May 31, 2006 4,791 1,585 3,206
Source: Legal Services Society

588. The BC legal aid program also provides LawLINE, a toll-free telephone service for people who cannot afford a lawyer, that provides general legal information and, in some cases, advice about legal issues, including civil family and poverty law issues. The table below shows access to LawLINE in BC.

Period BC LawLINE Legal Advice and Information
Total Female Male Unknown
February 23 to Mar 31, 2004 1,619 1,003 583 33
2004-2005 14,636 9,191 5,364 81
2005-2006 16,589 10,241 6,203 145
April 1 to May 31, 2006 2,302 1,501 773 28
Source: Legal Services Society

Aboriginal Women

589. The Government worked closely with Aboriginal leaders and increased the role and opportunity for Aboriginal people to develop and provide services. There are 25 delegated agencies serving their Aboriginal communities, with others in negotiation. BC also supports the advancement of Aboriginal women and young women as community leaders through networking associations, leadership training and small business development.

Aboriginal women in custody

590. Aboriginal women are over-represented in BC's provincial custody centres. While persons of First Nations descent constitute four percent of the total BC population, in 2005, Aboriginal women accounted for 26.4 percent of the overall female custody population, a five percent decrease since 2003. Government policy provides for culturally sensitive programs and services within the community for Aboriginal women offenders. For example, BC contracts with 20 Aboriginal communities and organizations to deliver correctional programs, and provides within-custody programs to assist offenders understand and resolve factors that lead to criminal behaviour, links to community resources to enhance community support following release, and programs contracted to Aboriginal service providers.

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Article 3: Measures to Ensure the Advancement of Women

Violence against women and girls

591. In 2005, an evaluation of the Stopping the Violence Counselling program (for women dealing with current or historical violence) indicated that the program was meeting its contractual objectives to provide services, regardless of race or religion, and in a manner that is sensitive to culture. BC has support services for victims of racially motivated violence against women and girls. In 2005, a significant majority of victim services clients were women receiving services from 153 separate programs.

592. BC's Hate Crime Team ensures the effective identification, investigation and prosecution of hate motivated crimes. It raises awareness in communities so local agencies can effectively respond to hate activity through prevention and appropriate support for victims. BC sponsors awareness of hate motivated crimes through the Community Forum on Hate Crime (2005), the Missing Women Task Force, and supports Justice for Girls, specifically for Aboriginal and other teenage girls who live in poverty.

593. In 2006, the Government delivered training and public forums on the use of testimonial aids in court for vulnerable victims and witnesses. A range of educational resources, training and court supports are being developed. As a result, victims of violence are more informed of their legal rights.

594. In 2003, government-sponsored research on factors in the justice system affecting women victims of violence in relationships led to the development of a tool to empower women by developing effective safety plans. In 2005-2006, the Community Action for Women's Safety program provided over one million dollars in grants to community agencies to prevent violence against women, concentrated on Aboriginal women (50 percent), immigrant and visible minority women (20 percent), women with disabilities (four percent) and older women (3.9 percent). Other violence prevention activities focus on school districts with high Aboriginal and immigrant/visible minority populations.

Aboriginal women

595. In addition to initiatives funded under the Community Action for Women's Safety program, contributions of $75,000 are made to each of the three on-reserve transition houses. Transition houses that are not on reserve receive varying amounts of funding depending on bed size and other factors. All other violence intervention programs, such as counselling, are available to Aboriginal women.

Funding for women's crisis centres and shelters

596. In 2005-2006, with the addition of $12.5 million in new annual funding, the total annual budget for the Stopping the Violence program was increased to $46.7 million; $28.6 million of that is provided annually to 63 transition houses, 27 safe homes and nine second stage housing programs.

597. All government-funded services are available to all women who need them, including vulnerable and marginalized groups. All transition houses, safe homes and second stage facilities funded by the Government must ensure that women in need are aware of, and know how to access the facilities. Agencies that provide government-funded transition houses and counselling programs strive to ensure that no systemic barriers exist.

598. In 2003, the Government consolidated funding for crisis lines into one provincial line called VictimLINK, a 24/7 crisis support, help and information line for victims of all crimes including family and sexual violence. VictimLINK ensures women's access to shelters by transferring calls directly to the shelter or phoning shelters on the victim's behalf and notifying the victim that someone is being released from protective custody. The impacts of consolidation include: more consistent response accessible from anywhere in BC; increased referrals to local programs for assistance and support; and the ability to provide other services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. VictimLINK has responded to over 41,500 calls for support and referral since 2003.

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Article 6: Trafficking of Women and Exploitation

Trafficking in women and girls

599. In 2004, provincial and federal governments co-hosted a Roundtable Discussion on Human Trafficking. In 2005, BC held the Pacific North West Conference on International Human Trafficking that provided information on pressing issues and explored the challenges faced by law enforcement in identifying and convicting human traffickers. The Government is leading a Human Trafficking Response Initiative, in collaboration with NGO partners, to ensure that networks of services are in place to respond to the needs of trafficking victims. Numerous meetings have occurred since September 2005 to gather information about existing services and identify gaps; and key BC ministries have committed to review policies and regulations that may need to be modified to allow for service provision to trafficked persons.

Sexual exploitation of children and youth

600. Extensive community consultations resulted in a recommendation that voluntary community services be strengthened, instead of amending legislation that would have enabled involuntary intervention for some sexually exploited youth. As a result, the following steps were taken:

  • An additional $2 million was allocated in April 2005 to fund individualized services for sexually exploited youth.
  • Youth shelter and safe house bed capacity was enhanced in 2005-2006 by funding 15 additional beds in two communities.
  • Through the Premier's Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Health and Addictions, additional second stage transition housing for youth was implemented, including funding for an additional 10 youth transition beds in one community and an increased allocation of $1.5 million for transitional housing in 2007-2008.
  • An additional $43 million Child and Youth Mental Health funding was implemented in 2005-2006.
  • Funding to enhance youth addiction services was increased by $6 million in 2005-2006, including providing concurrent disorder treatment programs.
  • In partnership with the Crime Prevention Action Fund of the National Crime Prevention Centre, the BC Government is implementing a Community Capacity Building Project fund to increase the capacity of local communities to address the issue of sexual exploitation.
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Article 7: Women in Politics and Public Life

601. Twenty-two percent of BC's 79 elected Members of the Legislative Assembly are women, 22 percent of BC's Cabinet Ministers are women. British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor is a woman.

Aboriginal women

602. In 2004, the BC Treaty Commission (BCTC) produced "Our Sacred Strength" Video and Facilitation Guide, which highlights 11 Aboriginal women from different regions of BC and is available from BCTC to assist Aboriginal women with starting their own talking circles in their communities.

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Article 10: Education

Aboriginal women and girls

603. On July 5, 2006, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Canada and the First Nations Education Steering Committee signed an Agreement to enhance First Nations education in BC. The framework agreement puts into place a process for the recognition of First Nations' jurisdiction over First Nations' education.

604. The Government provides $950 per self-identified Aboriginal student in supplementary funding per school year, and facilitates a collaborative partnership through Aboriginal Enhancements Agreements (EAs) among school districts and all local Aboriginal communities to enhance Aboriginal students' educational achievement. In 2004-2005, the Aboriginal graduation rate rose to 48 percent from 42 percent in 2000.

605. In 2004-2005, there were over 9,000 Aboriginal women enrolled in BC Colleges and Institutes compared to approximately 6,000 Aboriginal men. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women have similar completion and retention outcomes. In 2005, 78 percent of Aboriginal women completed their program requirements compared to 75 percent of non-Aboriginal women. The number of credentials earned by Aboriginal women has increased by approximately nine percent over three years, while non-Aboriginal women show a decreasing trend of -6.4 percent over the same period.

606. The Government has initiatives targeted at increasing post-secondary education access, participation, retention, and completion of Aboriginal learners. In BC, Aboriginal women are significantly better educated than Aboriginal men.

% of Population Age 25-64 with a High School Diploma plus a Post Secondary Credential
  Women Men
North American Indians 32.4 26.7
Métis 41.5 33.6
Non-Aboriginal 55.0 53.8
Source : BC Stats, Earning and Employment Statistics, May 2006.

607. Statistics indicate that access measures are particularly effective for Aboriginal women. Government initiatives in this area include:

  • Targeted funding for public post-secondary institutions to establish First Nations Coordinator positions to support First Nations and Aboriginal student success. In 2006-2007, 26 of the 27 public post-secondary institutions in BC employ Aboriginal coordinators that serve over 16,000 Aboriginal students, over 50 percent of which are women.

  • Funding through the Aboriginal Special Projects Fund supports initiatives aimed at increasing participation and success for Aboriginal post-secondary learners. Since 2001, about $7.8 million has been provided to 150 Aboriginal special projects, from which more than 3,400 Aboriginal learners have benefited.

  • The Community Adult Literacy Program (CALP) supports community-based program delivery, regional literacy co-ordination, and province-wide services provided by Literacy BC. Many of its projects specifically assist Aboriginal women in the foundational skills necessary to proceed to post-secondary education programs.

  • One CALP project, the Aboriginal Literacy and Parenting Skills program, is an innovative family literacy program for Aboriginal parents that uses “ low-level" literacy materials to strengthen the literacy and parenting skills of participants and provides them with strategies to model exemplary literacy practices with their children.

  • The First Citizens Fund Student Bursary Program provides financial assistance to Aboriginal students enrolled in post-secondary education programs. It recognizes the academic achievements of approximately 110 Aboriginal students each year, helping them gain the education they need for their career choices.

  • The First Citizens Fund Friendship Centre Program supports 24 Friendship Centres to offset the employment costs of program directors, who provide culturally responsive programming for Aboriginal people living in urban areas. Between 2000 and 2003, Program Directors managed 537 programs with 723,019 participants.

  • The BC Loan Reductions program forgave $67.1 million in student loans to about 28,000 students, including 2,600 students with dependants. Although this funding is not earmarked for women or Aboriginal people, given that many Aboriginal post-secondary students are women with children, they would benefit from these initiatives.

  • In 2005-2006, the adult basic education student assistance program provided $4.3 million in grants to about 8,000 post-secondary students. As well, 26,846 students were enrolled in adult basic education at BC high schools, which is tuition-free as part of government's commitment to literacy. Forty percent of Aboriginal students enrolled in post-secondary education are in developmental programs.

  • The Draft Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education Plan/Strategy was developed following a review of Aboriginal post-secondary education in 2003-2004. The Strategy proposes a series of action items that will address access, participation, retention, and completion for all Aboriginal post-secondary education learners.

  • Annual funding is provided to four Aboriginal post-secondary institutions (two public and two private) that provide a receptive environment where culture is reflected in curriculum, program delivery, and faculty. Many students are enrolled in upgrading courses and transfer to larger Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal institutions after completing access programs. In 2005-2006, approximately 1,050 Aboriginal students were served through these institutions.

  • A memorandum of understanding among provincial post-secondary institutions, the federal government and key Aboriginal organizations was signed on March 11, 2005, to improve access to post-secondary education for Aboriginal learners, including women, and streamlining the transition of Aboriginal learners from high school to post-secondary institutions.
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Article 11: Employment

608. There are more women working in BC than ever before and nearly half of the new jobs created in BC since 2001 have gone to women.

Employment measures

609. In 2006, BC passed legislation to provide compassionate care leave protection to assist women in retaining standard employment, since they are often called upon to provide care for a dying family member.

610. The BC Government invests more than $70 million a year on a variety of employment programs to fight poverty and assist employable social assistance recipients to find and keep good jobs.

611. The Bridging Employment Program (BEP), introduced in September 2003, assists survivors of violence and abuse to address employment barriers that prevent them from leaving social assistance for sustainable employment. BEP has components that address the needs of women who receive social assistance and have experienced abuse, with specific components to address additional barriers such as language, immigration, culture, and former experience in the sex trade. BEP provides educational assistance, employment programming, parenting and counselling support, referral to community agencies and financial assistance; 27 percent of BEP outcomes are employment while six percent of participants move on to post-secondary studies.

612. The BC Employment Program, introduced in 2006, provides individualized employment programs and services to employable social assistance recipients, with special attention to recipients who have barriers to employment.

613. The new Community Assistance Program (CAP), introduced in 2006, provides a range of lifeskill services and supports to social assistance recipients facing multiple barriers. These services and supports enhance quality of life and help clients participate more fully in their communities with a combination of employment programming and life skills.

614. A revised CAP has also been introduced to provide social assistance recipients with the opportunity to enhance their quality of life and participation in their community by focusing on community involvement, education and training, volunteer placements and personal life skills.

615. The BC Family Bonus program, which includes the basic Family Bonus and the BC Earned Income Benefit, provides non-taxable monthly payments to help low and modest income families with the cost of raising children under age 18. The Basic Family Bonus provides a benefit of up to $111 per child per month when combined with the National Child Benefit Supplement. Families whose earned income is more that $3,750 per year may also be entitled to the BC Earned Income Benefit based on the number of children in the family and the family's net income. Benefits paid under the BC Family Bonus program are exempt from consideration as income for social assistance recipients; no deductions from social assistance result from receipt of these benefits. Availability of these benefits, outside the welfare system, removes a major disincentive for women to leave social assistance and enter the workforce.

616. The province provides targeted employment programming and supports through the Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities. An individual does not need to be a recipient of social assistance to access this program .

617. BC's Healthy Kids Program provides basic dental treatment and optical care to children in lower-income families. Children in families receiving any level of Medical Services Plan premium assistance through BC's health ministry are eligible for the Program. Ensuring these benefits are available for social assistance recipients and parents participating in the labour force eliminates a major disincentive for women to leave social assistance and enter the workforce.

618. BC now has the highest proportion of women in the workforce and highest percentage of women owning or operating a small business in Canada. The median weekly wage for women in BC has grown at nearly twice the rate for men.

619. Women with low earnings may receive a provincial social assistance top-up to bring their total monthly income up to the legislated social assistance rate.

Aboriginal women

620. The First Citizens Fund Business Loan Program provides Aboriginal women with the opportunity to participate in the market economy as business owner/operators. Aboriginal women's uptake of the program ranges from 30-50 percent in any one year.

621. The Government encourages the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal citizens in the provision of child and family services. The devolution of child and family services to Aboriginal communities, especially with the planned creation of regional Aboriginal child and family service authorities, is expected to create significant employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Affordable childcare

622. BC's Child Care Subsidy Program provides income-tested childcare subsidies to parents. These subsidies assist women to participate in employment. This program was enriched in 2005 with an increase to the qualifying income threshold (from $21,000 to $38,000) and increases to subsidy amounts. In all, 10,000 more children will be eligible for a subsidy benefit, while an additional 6,000 will receive a substantial rise in their existing subsidy. The province also provides an exemption for the new federal Childcare Benefit Allowance for social assistance recipients.

623. BC's Supported Child Development program provides consultation and support for children with special needs under age six, including Aboriginal children, and their families to participate in regular community childcare settings. In 2005-2006, the Government increased capacity for the program by funding $10 million to assist in reducing wait times for services, providing for extra staff, training, support and consultation to families and child care providers.

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Article 12: Health

Access to health care

624. The BC Women's Hospital participates in three primary health care reform partnerships with the Northern, Interior, and Vancouver Coastal Health Authorities to: strengthen primary health care access for women living in rural communities; and develop sustainable models of primary maternity care. BC will continue leveraging health transition funding to help develop primary care capacity in communities across BC. The three reforms are:

  • The Teen Health Web site “ Strong, Healthy, Empowered" (SHE) is at the planning stage. It will provide information to help young women make informed, healthy lifestyle choices, and help them access the health care system.

  • In July 2006, BC introduced a $2.5‑million renovation project to increase the number of single-room care units at BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre from six to 17 units;

  • BC's share of the Primary Health Care Transition Provincial/Territorial funding, $74 million over four years (2002-2006), is targeted to: strengthen family practice and reduce pressure on the acute care system; improve health care delivery and outcomes for women and children; and provide a wider range of options for patients.

Specific health issues

625. BC invested $3 million to encourage women to have a screening mammogram every two years.

626. In 2005, BC established the Women's Health Research Institute to promote women-centred research and coordinate efforts to develop women's health provincial networks.

627. In October 2004, BC offered Advancing the Health of Girls and Women in British Columbia: A Provincial Women's Health Strategy (PWHS), a 10‑year collaborative women-centred approach to address three priority areas: women's health monitoring; maternity care; and mental health and addiction. With implementation guided by the Provincial Women's Health Network, the strategy intends to advance women's and girl's health, improve the evidence base on their health, and provide gender-sensitive care.

628. Healthy Choices During Pregnancy (ActNow BC), for both the general population and women at risk (e.g., of having children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), focuses on supporting women to make healthy choices during pregnancy, including encouraging healthy eating and reducing or stopping smoking and or the use of alcohol.

629. Government initiatives have shown results:

  • A Statistics Canada report showed that BC women aged 50 to 69 years, self-reported the third highest rate in Canada of receiving screening mammograms.
  • Widespread use of Pap tests has decreased cervical cancer, leading to a 75 percent decline in deaths from this disease.
  • In 1998-1999, about 84 percent of women aged 20 to 49 had consulted a general practitioner at least once in the previous year, compared with 66 percent of men the same age.
  • BC women are more likely than men to be in the healthy weight category (52 percent versus 35.6 percent).

630. Outside the full spectrum of services that are offered to support the clinical care needs and vulnerabilities of all people living with HIV/AIDS (which includes women), the following services are specifically designed to meet the needs of women:

  • Oak Tree Clinic (the Women and Family HIV Centre) provides specialized HIV care for infected women, pregnant women, partners, children and youth, and support services for affected families. The clinic offers assistance to women province-wide, including Aboriginal and marginalized women who are living with HIV/AIDS.

  • The BC Health Services Authority funds the Positive Women's Network, a community-based organization providing support, advocacy, resources and connection to women with HIV all over BC. In response to increased demand, the agency initiated “ Women and AIDS Virtual Education (WAVE)", to integrate HIV prevention information into the spectrum of care, treatment and support within an online educational resource for positive women living in isolation. WAVE provides online information and resources to health care educators and professionals; support and education to HIV+ women who may not have access to direct support services; and access to Roundtable Treatment through video clips, treatment decision information and strategies for living with HIV medications.

  • Research in BC has demonstrated that with appropriate pregnancy care and antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy, during labour and delivery and post-partum, perinatal transmission of HIV can be reduced from 25 percent to less than one percent. Since 1996, when combination antiretroviral therapy was first offered to HIV positive women in BC, there have been no mother-to-child transmissions among women who have accessed care.

631. Between 2004 and 2005: the proportion of new HIV infections among women dropped from 25 percent to 19 percent (this may indicate a better engagement of women in prevention efforts); and the number of women enrolled in antiretroviral treatment rose by 6.5 percent.

Aboriginal women

632. The Government works in partnership with Aboriginal communities, health authorities and the BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre to improve the health of BC Aboriginal women. In partnership with Lu'ma Native Housing Society, the Aboriginal Health Program has developed an Aboriginal Patients' Lodge, which opened October 2004.

633. Several key initiatives improve prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), such as the Aboriginal Early Childhood Development programs and Building Blocks programs. Researchers at the University of BC, University of Victoria, BC Children's and BC Women's Hospitals are working to co-ordinate and expand collaboration on FASD-related research, through the formation of the FAS Research Network of BC. The BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health has an ongoing program of research designed to support policy and practice relating to health improvement on the part of substance-using mothers.

634. BC's Sheway outreach/drop-in program for very high-risk pregnant women and women with infants who live in or frequent the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver helps women dealing with alcohol and drug use issues have healthy infants and positive parenting experiences. The program is very successful: in 2004, 70 percent of the program clientele were Aboriginal women; and of all participants, 70 percent had babies with healthy birth weights; and 62 percent of babies were born at term.

635. The BC Women's Hospital – Fir Square Program assists substance-using pregnant and early-postpartum women in achieving an optimum level of pre and postnatal health in order to minimize the effects of alcohol, drugs, malnutrition and neglect, on women and their infants. It is also designed to improve both health and social outcomes for infants exposed to drugs.

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Article 13: Economic and Social Life

Measures to fight poverty

636. BC increased the Disability Social Assistance Rates for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) by $70 per month in 2005 and earnings exemptions for PWD income assistance recipients in 2003 and 2006. In May 2006, approximately 15 percent of PWD cases had earnings. Clients with persistent multiple barriers to employment also received an increase to their earnings exemption in 2006 and, in May 2006, approximately seven percent had earnings. The increases to earnings exemptions mean that eligible clients can earn more employment income without affecting their monthly social assistance.

637. The BC School Start-Up Supplement, provided to families on social assistance with school-age children, was doubled in 2006-2007. This increase is expected to assist over 18,000 families and 29,000 children between the ages of five and 18. In May 2005, the Natal Allowance provided to social assistance recipients was increased.

638. Government employment programs combat poverty by helping employable social assistance recipients find and sustain employment. Since 2001, employment programs have directly helped almost 48,000 employable clients find jobs at an average wage of $11 per hour. As indicated in the table below, the number of social assistance cases including an adult woman decreased 22 percent between January 2003 and May 2006, and the number of social assistance recipients decreased 31.6 percent.

BC Social Assistance Recipients and Caseload   Cases Recipients
Case Type Persons with disabilities (PWD) Jan-03 May-06 Percentage Change Jan-03 May-06 Percentage Change
Single women PWD 17,299 22,228 28.5% 17,299 22,228 28.5%
non-PWD 16,081 9,500 -40.9% 16,081 9,500 -40.9%
Couples PWD 2,639 2,923 10.8% 5,278 5,846 10.8%
non-PWD 2,667 1,175 -55.9% 5,334 2,350 -55.9%
Two parent families PWD 1,169 1,288 10.2% 4,521 4,968 9.9%
non-PWD 3,797 1,110 -70.8% 15,653 4,617 -70.5%
Single parent families headed by a woman PWD 2,542 3,461 36.2% 6,102 8,366 37.1%
non-PWD 20,567 10,376 -49.6% 55,282 27,973 -49.4%
               
Total cases with an adult woman   66,761 52,061 -22.0% 125,550 85,848 -31.6%

639. Overall, there are fewer BC women under the poverty threshold since 2002. The incidence of women under the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) decreased by 1.4 percentage points from 2002 to 2004. This trend is expected to continue based on strong economic growth in BC and lower unemployment rates. This result varies depending on the family unit or age category. The average unemployment rate for BC women from January-July 2006 was 4.9 percent, compared to 7.1 percent in 2004.

640. BC restored the Seniors' Supplement in October 2005, a provincial top-up for low-income senior residents of BC who are receiving federal Old Age Security (OAS)/Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payment. This ensures a conditionally guaranteed minimum income level for low-income seniors in BC.

641. In November 2005, the Government introduced and clarified exemptions to the three-week work search requirement for social assistance applicants who: cannot legally work in Canada; are fleeing an abusive spouse or relative; have a physical or mental condition that precludes the applicant from completing a search for employment; or have an immediate need for food, shelter or urgent medical attention. Women applying for social assistance that have recently separated or fled from an abusive relationship are exempt from the work search period and the two-year independence test. Applicants who are pregnant or have dependent children, a foster child or a child in the home of a relative are also exempted from the two-year independence test.

642. Social assistance applicants must complete a Web Orientation that gives an overview of the program and their rights and responsibilities. As of September 2004, it is available in 12 languages in both written and audio format, which provides immigrants with equitable access.

643. The Government funds a variety of programs to address homelessness, mental health and addictions. Examples from early 2006 include:

  • $750,000 for an expanded outreach services project to assist individuals with mental illness in accessing income, health and housing supports;
  • $450,000 to the Vivian Transitional Housing Program for women with mental health and substance abuse disorders in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside;
  • $400,000 to the Sheway project to provide comprehensive health and social services to women who are either pregnant or parenting infants and who have current or previous substance use issues;
  • $100,000 to expand homeless outreach activities to assist homeless individuals with mental health and alcohol and drug addiction issues to access income supports;
  • $150,000 to the Kamloops Integration Project to help individuals with mental health and drug and alcohol abuse issues re-integrate into the community.

644. The BC government developed a Guide to Best Practices in Gender Analysis (see also Appendix 3), which has been issued to all ministries in the government to ensure that policy development takes into account a gender analysis to evaluate impacts to women. Good policy development takes into account ‘gender' at all levels of the process, and this fact is stressed in the development of policies/programs government wide. Many of the changes to social programs have evaluated the specific effects to women.

Support programs and services

645. Through the Minister's Council on Employment for Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance), the Government works in partnership with persons with disabilities and business, education and community-based organizations to increase the employment, employability and independence of persons with disabilities. Workable Solutions, co-sponsored by the Minister's Council and the BC Human Resources Management Association, connects BC employers to persons with disabilities by providing valuable employment resources, including a Web site (http://www.workablesolutionsbc.ca/), an employer's toolkit, a corporate video and a research report.

646. The annual budget for the Community Volunteer Supplement (CVS) was increased by $3 million as of April 1, 2006. The CVS is a monthly payment of up to $100 to assist eligible social assistance recipients with expenses related to volunteering with a non-profit organization in their community. The new money will allow 2,500 more social assistance recipients to receive the CVS.

647. The Disability Supports for Employment Fund increased to $25 million in 2006. The Fund disburses grants to non-profit, registered charitable community and post-secondary institutions to provide employment supports for people with disabilities in the workplace.

648. In May 2006, the Government introduced a new business process to assist Persons with Disabilities social assistance recipients to apply for Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits to which they may be entitled. The province will continue to top-up CPPD benefits to ensure that an individual's overall net income is at least equivalent to the provincial social assistance rate. Receiving CPPD will result in an individual receiving a higher Canada Pension Plan retirement pension at age 65 than a person who only receives provincial social assistance.

Women's access to housing

649. New BC policies being developed for social housing will give priority to women and their families who are fleeing domestic violence, as one of the groups in greatest need. There is a high proportion of women in BC's social housing portfolio, including a majority of single-parent households, and in senior households receiving rent subsidies. Planning initiatives to address homelessness have included focused analyses on the particular needs of women, and women-specific projects have been constructed.

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Article 14: Rural Women

650. Since 2003, BC has introduced and improved alternative service delivery models for social assistance in rural areas (e.g., telephone service and on-line service) to provide equal access to social assistance where offices may not be available. The BC Employment Program for social assistance recipients is designed to support individual client needs, whether in an urban or rural setting.

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