BC FORUM News

Resolutions passed at the 2016 AGM

Download the AGM report here.

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Resolution 1: Delivering Community Power

Resolution 2: Seniors Residential Care

Resolution 3: Disability Benefits

Resolution 4: Childcare

Resolution 5: Selling Blood for Profit

Resolution Number 1: Delivering Community Power

Whereas the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have teamed up with environmental, Indigenous and several community groups to develop a “Delivering Community Power” program which includes:

a) Postal bank services

b) Postal fleet run 100 per cent on renewable energy

c) Electric charge stations added to every post office and depot

d) Expand door-to-door delivery service that can support elders and people with limited mobility

e) Using post offices as community hubs

and:

Whereas it makes sense to expand and leverage the assets of our public postal system rather than cut, deregulate and privatize it;

Therefore be it resolved that the British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members (BC Forum) endorse the Canadian Union of Postal Workers “Delivering Community Power” program.

Resolution Number 2: Seniors Residential Care

Whereas according to the 2015 BC Seniors Advocate Report, 232 of 292 government funded senior’s residential care facilities do not meet the Ministry’s minimum staffing guidelines; and

Whereas private residential care facilities are reducing and laying off staff because they state the chronic government underfunding makes a profitable operation impossible; and

Whereas seniors in residential care deserve quality health care, a safe and stable home environment to have their needs met and be to treated in a dignified and respectful manner; and

Whereas staff layoffs adversely affect seniors in care.

Therefore be it resolved that the British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members (BC Forum) will:

- Work with our allies, including but not limited to various unions involved in the health care sector, to ensure that minimum staffing guidelines for seniors in residential care are followed and to ensure that seniors in residential care have quality care.

- Work with our allies, including but not limited to various unions involved in the health care sector to protest the reductions and layoff of staff in senior residential care facilities and to oppose the privatization of current senior residential care facilities.

- Continue to work for an expanded public healthcare system, including additional public senior residential care facilities and to oppose the privatization of health care.

Resolution Number 3: Disability Benefits

Whereas the disabled people in British Columbia have not had an increase in their monthly pension of $906.00 since 2007; and

Whereas the British Columbia Liberals recent increase of $77.00 per month to $983.00, compared with $1,580 in Alberta, does not even bring their income up to the poverty line; and

Whereas disabled people, for the most part, cannot drive a vehicle, let alone afford one, must rely on the transit system to get around; and

Whereas the BC Liberals when announcing the shameful $77.00 increase also callously announced that the disabled people of British Columbia would no longer have their $55.00 transit subsidy meaning the they will now be charged $56.00 a month for a bus pass or $66.00 a month for special transportation assistance.

Therefore be it resolved that the British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members (BC Forum) send a letter to the Provincial Government demanding the reinstatement of the transit subsidy for persons with disabilities; and

Be it further resolved that BC Forum demand the Provincial Government put into place a yearly cost of living increase to the disabled pension allotment.

Resolution Number 4: Childcare

Whereas a great many seniors can remember the challenges and hardships of finding and keeping acceptable, accessible, affordable childcare for their children; and

Whereas many of these seniors are now seeing their children and grandchildren facing these same challenges and hardships; and

Whereas it is too often seniors that are the overused fallback caregivers to their grandchildren and great nephew and nieces, sometimes to the detriment of their own well-being; and

Whereas seniors often are not able to provide childcare services for their loved ones now due to personal circumstances and must sadly watch the younger generations struggle on their own, often delaying or cancelling altogether starting a family due to financial circumstances; and

Whereas there has been an obvious multigenerational lack of political will to find solutions to providing our Canadian children with the quality of care that they should have while their parents work;

Therefore be it resolved that the British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members (BC Forum) seize any opportunity to endorse and support any initiative that appears to have merit in procuring acceptable, accessible, affordable and public, not for profit, childcare for Canadian children; and

Be it further resolved that this resolution be forwarded to the upcoming National Pensioners Federation convention later this year in Richmond, B.C.

Resolution Number 5: Selling Blood for Profit

Whereas Canada’s tainted-blood disaster infected tens of thousands of Canadians with HIV and Hepatitis C and killed thousands; and

Whereas one of the clearest conclusions of the Krever Inquiry into that disaster, and supported by the World Health Organization, is that non-profit, volunteer-based blood systems are safest; and

Whereas Ontario and Quebec legislation expressly bans paid-blood product donations; and

Whereas for-profit corporations are actively lobbying other provincial governments to allow paid-blood product donations and established a clinic in Saskatchewan in February, and provincial governments in British Columbia and Nova Scotia are considering allowing paid donation clinics;

Therefore be it resolved the the British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members (BC Forum) work with allied organizations to urge the BC Government to enact legislation banning all paid-blood donations in B.C.; and

Be it further resolved that BC Forum work with the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC) and other national allies to urge the federal government to legislate a national ban on all paid-blood product donations; and

Be it finally resolved that this resolution be forwarded to the upcoming National Pensioners Federation (NPF) convention later this year in Richmond, B.C.