In May it was announced by the B.C. government that Michael J. Prince, the Lansdowne professor of social policy at the University of Victoria, had been appointed chair of Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) by Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. The appointment of a new chair provides an opportunity to reimagine the future of community inclusion.

As a social policy advisor, Prince has helped governments and organizations develop policies and actions that further inclusion and accessibility, and has made substantive contributions to the understanding of disabilities in Canada.

Mr. Prince has served as a member of the social policy committee of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, and was a policy fellow of the Broadbent Institute. He is a recipient of a President’s Award from the Canadian Association of Community Living, in recognition of his contribution to Canadians’ understanding of public policy that builds an inclusive and accessible Canada.

For more information on the appointment and CLBC\’s mandate, please click here.

On June 1st, 2018, B.C.\’s minimum wage rose by $1.30 to boost the province\’s current wage of $11.35 per hour to $12.65. The wage increase is part of B.C.\’s plan to raise the current wage to just over $15 per hour by 2021.

To make that happen, the minimum wage will increase every year until that amount is met:

• June 1, 2019: $13.85 an hour ($1.20 increase)
• June 1, 2020: $14.60 an hour ($0.75 increase)
• June 1, 2021: $15.20 an hour ($0.60 increase)

B.C.\’s minimum wage remained at $8 per hour from 2001 to 2011 under the Liberal\’s Gordon Campbell government. When Christy Clark, also of the B.C. Liberal Party, became premier in 2011, she increase the minimum wage to $8.75 per hour. By the time she left office in 2017, the province\’s minimum wage was $10.85.

With the rising cost of living in B.C., the poverty line is about $15 an hour. So there are hundreds of thousands of workers who, even if they work full-time, have a wage below the poverty line. The math just doesn\’t add up.

Although this is positive for workers, it does put added pressure on businesses, especially small businesses. It appears that minimum wage is set to continue to rise so businesses will need to put a plan in place to make this happen.

Ontario, at $14 per hour, and Alberta at $13.60 per hour, have the highest minimum wages in Canada. Alberta is planning to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour in October.

Inclusion BC announced that its Executive Director, Faith Bodnar, would be departing from the organization, effective June 30th, 2018.

Inclusion BC noted that \”since 2009, Faith has played a critical role in the growth and success of the organization, and while we will miss her, we wish her the best of luck in her new endeavor as Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Saskatoon Branch.\”

Karla Verschoor has been appointed as Acting Executive Director by the Board to lead the organization through this time of transition. This will provide strong continuity as the board reviews its options and needs over the next six months. Karla has been with Inclusion BC for over 12 years in various roles, most recently as Associate Executive Director.

Community Ventures Society (CVS) has completed its 2017/2018 outcomes management report.

On May 9th, Inclusion BC and the Family Support Institute of BC announced that 2 BC teams and 12 BC educators are being honoured with 2018 National Inclusive Education Awards recognizing their exemplary contributions to providing inclusive learning opportunities for students with special needs. Winners come from Prince Rupert, Saanich, Nanaimo, West Vancouver, Coquitlam and Vancouver.

Nominations were invited in three categories this year as part of Inclusive Education Month in February. 19 nominations were received that included 29 teachers, educational leaders and support staff working in preschool, elementary and secondary schools across the province.

Inclusion BC and Family Support Institute of BC announced that this year’s winners work with students of all ages and abilities who learn, play and grow together in inclusive preschools, elementary and secondary schools. These awards show the excellent work being done by so many excellent educators across our province and the awards celebrate that great work.

To learn more about the recipients and the awards, please visit the Inclusion BC website.

Further to our stories back in April about longer wait times for Disability Assistance and accessing wheelchairs, wait times are back in the spotlight. On May 5th, CBC published a story of a B.C. father who was pleading with the government to help his 20-year son, Conner, who has autism. His efforts are linked to wait times for programs that help adults with autism.

Despite significant cognitive and language challenges, Conner thrived in support programs offered through his schools in Victoria. However, when he aged out of the school system at 19 and lost those supports, his behaviour became more than the family could handle. The family has had minimal options to help Conner with the long wait times for programs.

Conner has since been approved for residential care services through Community Living B.C. — the crown agency that provides housing and support for those with developmental disabilities. However, the agency can\’t say when a placement may be found, leaving Conner in a psychiatric facility that\’s not appropriate for his long-term needs.

Stories like Conner\’s are fairly common. A growing number of B.C. children are being diagnosed with autism — currently about one in every 51. With the rate of diagnosis on the rise, the support required for each child\’s transition to adulthood is an urgent issue for families, said Andrew Pinfold, director of operations at Autism B.C.

While that\’s an increase of several hundred million dollars over five years ago, the number of clients the agency serves has also increased in that time to 20,000, compared with around 15,000 five years ago. Community Living B.C. currently operates with a budget of $1.02 billion from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Social Development Minister Shane Simpson says he is confident Community Living B.C. has the funding it needs. He says delays in receiving services are often the result of trying to find the right fit for individuals with high needs.

Community Ventures Society (CVS) is fully aware of the continued issue of long wait times and the challenge of finding the right fit for individuals looking for adult programs. If these wait times were reduced, we would see more of the individuals get the care and support they need to improve their quality of lives. We are hopeful that by having more people speak up and more attention to this issue, change will happen in the future.

Last week, when the Toronto van attack occurred on Monday, April 23rd, individuals were quickly looking to learn more about the driver who killed 10 people and injured an additional 16.

Alek Minassian, who has been charged with 10 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder, has been described by former classmates and acquaintances as someone with social difficulties and behavioural tics. It was noted that there was a possibility that the alleged driver has Asperger\’s syndrome, a clinical diagnosis currently considered to be part of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This created a flurry of commentary in the media but autism advocates have been quick to respond. They have noted that autism does not typically cause violence or motivate an individual to drive a van into pedestrians on a crowded city street. Additionally, many individuals who knew Minassian noted that he had social difficulties but in their experience individuals with autism are not normally violent to this level.

It\’s important to understand that autism isn\’t responsible for the Toronto van attack. The situation was extremely unfortunate and sad. This should never have happened and everyone has a heavy heart for the victims of the attack. However, it\’s important as a society that we don\’t point fingers and begin to assume that all individuals who have autism or Asperger\’s Syndrome will be violent. It is not the case – at all.