HONOURABLE CLAUDE RICHMOND
MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT
AND INCOME ASSISTANCE

BC Non-Profit Housing Association
‘Welcome to Your Home’
Tenant Starter Kit Announcement

August 30, 2007

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Thank-you Al.

2010 Legacies Now is most certainly an energetic and proactive partner of this government – providing opportunities for all British Columbians to reach for their dreams and more.

With our province set to host the Games in 2010, there is no better time to show the world that British Columbia is the leader when it comes to helping persons with disabilities.

Today I want to talk about the province’s Provincial Disability Strategy – specifically, how our many funding programs – including the newest one I will be announcing later – fit together to help make British Columbia Canada’s leader in improving the lives of people with disabilities.

You will recall at last year’s UBCM Mayor Sam Sullivan and I issued a challenge to mayors around the province to increase the employment of people with disabilities in their communities by 10 per cent by 2010 – just in time for British Columbia to welcome the world to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The response has been amazing.

So far… 41 communities across the province have enthusiastically taken up the challenge.
And… every week, thanks to the tremendous support we have from the media, BC Transit and Translink, we continue to gain momentum.

For those of you who may not know… the ultimate goal of 10 by 10 is to increase the number of British Columbians with disabilities in the workforce by 13,000 by 2010.

A community like Ashcroft will meet the challenge by hiring 6 persons with disabilities and bigger communities like Prince George will meet it by hiring 389.

I strongly encourage all communities to get on board with us – it will be well worth it.
Think about this – businesses in British Columbia will need to fill one million new job openings by the year 2015.

Persons with disabilities currently provide a talent pool of 300,000 working-age persons in B.C. – many with university degrees, college diplomas and trade certificates.

I’m no HR expert, but I see opportunity in the under-utilized talent pool of people with disabilities.
I know there are many in this group who would like nothing more than to have a job and start paying taxes.

The business community will ultimately play a large role in hiring people with disabilities for our 10 by 10 Challenge goal to be reached.

For government’s part… we’re investing $20 million annually in our Employment Programs for Persons with Disabilities.

These programs help prepare individuals for the challenge and satisfaction of paid employment.
We’ve also established WorkAble Solutions – a program that encourages connections between skilled disabled workers with employers who need them.

One of the key requirements – and I think we all recognize this – is that for people with disabilities to be able to participate in work and leisure activities – communities must be accessible.
That’s why we are actively supporting 2010 Legacies Now and their Measuring Up Guide which is a tool that provides information on a variety of topics including how to create accessible public places.

Specifically… in April we established a $2 million dollar Measuring Up Accessibility and Inclusion Fund to provide municipalities with 70 grants of up to $25,000 each to make their communities more accessible.

I understand the first series of grants – totalling $400,000 – went out last week to over twenty communities and that is very good news, both for those communities and persons with disabilities living in them.

We also provided 2010 Legacies Now with $1.1 million for their Accessible Tourism Initiative that will ensure people with disabilities – visitors and residents alike – can enjoy all that B.C. has to offer.

This is a solid initiative aimed at making B.C. the most “disability friendly” tourist destination in the world for people with access difficulties, persons with disabilities, their families and friends.
In fact, Tourism BC has committed to having an accessibility assessment conducted on all commercial accommodations within the province by 2010.

To build on this great work, I am very pleased to announce today that government is providing 2010 Legacies Now with another grant worth $900,000 to be spent over three years to establish the Access Works program.

Access Works is a unique program – designed specifically for people with disabilities – giving them access to jobs, volunteer opportunities and other economic opportunities resulting from the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Over two dozen agencies throughout British Columbia, including the Neil Squire Society, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the British Columbia Paraplegic Association, are enrolled in the program.

Working with these service providers, Access Works will establish connections between organizations needing to fill job and volunteer positions with disabled persons who are qualified for these opportunities.

In addition to its role in facilitating employment and volunteer opportunities, Access Works will also identify potential joint economic ventures between businesses, disability-friendly organizations and disabled entrepreneurs.

Access Works – along with the 10 by 10 Challenge, Measuring Up and WorkAble Solutions – will not only make an important difference in the number of Persons with Disabilities working – it will also help make our province’s communities more inclusive and accessible for everyone.

Of course, these programs represent only a small portion of government’s commitment to people with disabilities.

Here are a few examples of what we’ve accomplished in the past year.

In May, I was in Burnaby to make a $2-million announcement with the Canadian Red Cross. With this grant, the Canadian Red Cross – in communities all around B.C. – is able to update its supply of mobility aids and devices that are loaned out – free of charge – to people in need.

That same month, we provided the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians with a $355,000 grant to make low tech visual aids available for those with visual impairments… aids like talking thermometers, large print phones and magnifiers.

And, earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of announcing a $750,000 grant to the University of Victoria’s CanAssist project.

This project develops high tech equipment and devices, like a special children’s tricycle equipped with sensors that warn the child of obstructions.

Later in the summer, several MLAs, municipal leaders and I in 10 communities proudly participated in the BC Paraplegic Association’s “Day-in a Chair” event. This involved a tour of parts of the city in a wheelchair and I can tell you it was a worthwhile experience and certainly met our goal of raising awareness and understanding of people with disabilities.

To ensure as many British Columbians with a disability and their families as possible take full advantage of all the supports and services we offer, we’ve also launched the toll free Personal Supports Information Line.

By calling the line, a person will be put in direct contact with the government service that will best meet their need for an assistive device or other necessary supports.

One call – Easy access – Needs met!

We are making progress…
And we will continue to build on this momentum because like you, we believe, people with a disability should have the opportunity to live the life they choose, in the community of their choice – it’s simply the right thing to do.

With partners like 2010 Legacies Now, community involvement and my Government’s commitment, we will make British Columbia a leader when it comes to accessibility and inclusion.

Thank you.