Regulation changes support families on income assistance

VICTORIA – Amendments to the employment and assistance and the employment and
assistance for persons with disabilities regulations made today pave the way for
significant changes to the income and disability assistance program in British
Columbia. These changes will come into effect on Sept. 1, 2015.

The new Single Parent Employment Initiative will remove barriers to employment for
single parents on income and disability assistance, providing them with the
training and supports they need to secure long-term and sustainable employment. Up
to 16,000 single parents on income and disability assistance will be able to
benefit from this program which offers:

* Up to 12 months of funded training for in-demand jobs, or a paid work experience
placement;
* Transit costs to and from school;
* Child-care costs during their training or work placement and in the first year
of employment;
* Health supplement coverage for a full year after they leave income assistance
for employment;
* Single parents will also be able to remain on income assistance when they attend
a training program, and
* Exemptions for bursaries, scholarships and grants have also been extended to
single parents in approved training programs.

Regulation changes required to make child support payments fully exempt for
parents on income and disability assistance were also made today. This is expected
to provide $32 million to more than 5,400 vulnerable children throughout the
province over the next three years.

To further support B.C. children, government also amended regulations to make the
Canada Pension Plan Orphan’s Benefit exempt. Like child support, the ministry
intends for these payments to fully benefit children. The Orphan’s Benefit is a
monthly payment that goes to a surviving child of a deceased parent. The average
monthly benefit is about $235.