Economic Justice
In conversation with Rowan Burdge
Q: What are some of the things the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition does?
A: The BCPRC is about 80 member organizations that come together to advocate for progressive policy solutions to address poverty and poverty reduction and lobby the government. All of our work stems from our blueprint for justice, which includes: climate justice, equity, universal basic services (having access to public, free services like healthcare, education, childcare, etc.), and economic security (raising the rates for disability assistance recipients, workers benefits). In addition to lobbying and advocacy, we also run some programs. One of them is called the Community Action Network (CAN) program, which is a group of amazing folks with lived experience of poverty or homelessness who go through a training program that empowers them to learn more about advocacy, community organizing, how to engage with media, and tell stories in effective ways that lead to policy solutions.
A: The BCPRC is about 80 member organizations that come together to advocate for progressive policy solutions to address poverty and poverty reduction and lobby the government. All of our work stems from our blueprint for justice, which includes: climate justice, equity, universal basic services (having access to public, free services like healthcare, education, childcare, etc.), and economic security (raising the rates for disability assistance recipients, workers benefits). In addition to lobbying and advocacy, we also run some programs. One of them is called the Community Action Network (CAN) program, which is a group of amazing folks with lived experience of poverty or homelessness who go through a training program that empowers them to learn more about advocacy, community organizing, how to engage with media, and tell stories in effective ways that lead to policy solutions.
Q: Can you speak to the connections between poor, unhoused communities and the climate crisis?
A: As we see more extreme weather events, these connections are becoming clearer. A really good example is the heat dome we experienced in June 2021 where 619 people died. I worked on the coroners panel that looked into these deaths and learned a lot about how people who are low-income, disabled, living in supportive housing / SROs (single room occupancies), and even heat shelters were impacted by the heat. People living in poverty won’t necessarily be able to afford an air conditioner or stay in a hotel if they are in unsafe conditions. For renters, they can’t do important, lifesaving things those who own their homes can do, like putting in a heat pump to adjust to a changing climate. Another piece is around energy poverty. Folks who live in rural and Northern communities experience [increased] barriers in accessing heating and cooling. I also think of food security, especially with B.C. floods & COVID disrupting the supply chain. Having culturally appropriate, sustainable, healthy, nutritious, and affordable food is becoming harder to find. So, if you’re low-income, reliant on the food bank, or a fixed income, it’s really challenging to navigate. |
“With enough political will and [people] power, we can change things to create a more dignified, just world for all of us, including folks with marginalized backgrounds, not just a small number of wealthy folks who own all the resources.”
Q: How can addressing wealth inequity assist in building more climate resilient communities? A: A lot of the folks we work with have lived experience of poverty, income assistance, or are people who have multiple low-wage jobs to pay for rent. The capacity to organize and respond to the climate emergency and climate events as they happen is drastically decreased by the struggle to survive through economic hardship they’re experiencing. |
A progressive wealth tax system and increasing benefits and raising the rates of social assistance are two ways we can build capacity [around climate resilience]. Right now disability assistance and income assistance are still well below the poverty line, which means folks are not even at the bare minimum the government has decided a person needs to survive. Coming up with community-based solutions that are informed by lived experience is so important, [especially] in terms of equipping folks with the ability to respond to these climate events, be prepared, and have a sense of agency when these things happen instead of being totally disempowered.
There’s a lot of structural violence, stigma, and shame around being poor that perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The policies that are being put in place leave people living in poverty with no exit strategy, so until that gap is addressed people are stuck and [constrained by these social forces] in what they can do.
There’s a lot of structural violence, stigma, and shame around being poor that perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The policies that are being put in place leave people living in poverty with no exit strategy, so until that gap is addressed people are stuck and [constrained by these social forces] in what they can do.
Q: When you imagine a world where everyone’s survival needs are met, what is present?
A: What I see now is a very privatized and neoliberal way of being in the world. Things like childcare, healthcare, and education have become profit-building [institutions]. The B.C. Basic Impact Panel Report had some really great recommendations including things like extended health benefits for low-income people and those who live below the poverty line. This includes dental care, free mental health support, in addition to fair pharmacare, access to glasses, etc. Disability justice gives me a lot of hope in seeing how people could organize and be in community with one another. You mentioned abolitionist futures and that’s something I dream about too. What would it be like if we didn’t have long-term care facilities, prisons, and police? Indigenous sovereignty is really important in terms of what I imagine the world to look like. I have read studies that say the most impactful climate [solution] is to return land to Indigenous peoples because they have and will continue to defend and care for it in ways settlers cannot. With enough political will and [people] power, we can create a more just world for all of us — not just a small number of folks who own all the resources. From an anti-capitalist standpoint, I envision a world where workers own the means of production and have self-determination. |
Ways To Take Action
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Bridging the Intersections between Wealth Equity and Climate Justice
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- Mutual Aid
- Vulnerability to Climate Effects
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