In Disstress

TO THE EDITOR,

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING FINANCIALLY ABUSED BY THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF CANADA! I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED FOR MANY YEARS BY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT! FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MY LIST OF ABUSERS IS WORKERS COMPENSATION I FEEL THAT THEY WRONGED ME BY STOPPING MY WCB PAYMENTS AND THRUSTING ME INTO ABJECT POVERTY. TRYING TO LIVE ON WELFARE DISABILITY! IS NOT ENOUGH TO FEED AN ANIMAL IT IS MY BELIEF THAT I SHOULD BE A RECIPIENT OF PERMANENT DISABILITY BENEFITS FROM WCB WHICH SHOULD BE RETROACTIVE TO 1995 WHEN THEY UNJUSTLY CUT ME OFF TRAINING ALLOWANCE!I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF FINANCIAL HELP!I CANNOT WORK! I DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT TRAINING! I ONLYHAVE SKILLS TO WORK IN THE FISH PLANTS! UNFORTUNATLY MY WRISTS,ARMS AND KNEES PREVENT ME FROM WORKING IN THE CANNERIES HENSE I AM ON WELFARE DISABILITY!

IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEIR ANNOUCEMENTS TO THE WORLD ON HOW MUCH THEY SPEND ON FOREIGN AID TO OTHER COUNTRIES IN CRISIS WHEN THEY WOULD NOT COME TO MY AID WHEN ALL OF MY WORTHY BELONGINGS WERE DESTROYED IN A DEVASTATING FIRE! I AM STILL IN DIRE NEED OF A CRISIS GRANT! A CRISIS GRANT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO ME RIGHT AWAY ON THE DAY OF THE FIRE OR THE NEXT DAY! I FEEL THAT THE WORST PERPETRATORS OF MY FINANCIAL ABUSE IS THE MINISTRY OF BC EMPLOYMENT AND ASSISTANCE! WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY? HERE ARE FEW REASONS WHY I FEEL PERSECUTEDBY THE MINISTRY!

FIRSTOF ALL I AM ON WELFARE DISABILITY! MY TAKE HOME PAY FOR A MONTH IS $685.67! MY GOD WHEN I WORKED I MADE MORE THEN THAT IN A WEEK! THIS SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY IS WHAT I HAVE TO LIVE ON EVERY SINGLE MONTH! MY RENT IS $500.00 PER MONTH AND THE $185.67 IS FOR GROCERIES AND LAUNDRY. I AM STRUGGLING TO KEEP FOOD ON THE TABLE EACH DAY, RIGHT NOW I MANAGE TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE MEAL A DAY! EVERY MONTH I RUN OUT OF ESSENTIALS SUCH AS COFFEE, BREAD, MILK, MEAT, RICE, POTATOES, EGGS AND TOILET PAPER! WHEN THIS HAPPENS I BEG THE MINISTRY FOR A MISALLY $20.00 FOOD VOUCHER BUT THEY ALWAYS REFUSE ME BECAUSE IT IS NOT AN UNEXPECTED EVENT! SO DOES THIS MEAN THE MINISTRY EXPECTS ME TO RUN OUT OF MONEY EVERY MONTH? ACTUALLY ONE MONTH I RAN OUT OF TOILET PAPER! CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I DID? LIKE A FOOL I CALLED TO MINISTRY IN PRINCE GEORGE I BEGGED THE SUPERVISOR FOR A$20.00 VOUCHER BUT OF COURSE SHE DENIED IT! THIS WOMEN LAUGHED WHEN I TOLDED HER THAT I RAN OUT OF TOILET PAPER,SHE THEN TOLD ME TO GO TO ALL THE RESTURANTS HERE IN PRINCE RUPERT AND STEAL TOILET PAPER FROM THEM! SHE KEPT ON LAUGHING I TOLD HER THAT THIS WAS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER! SHE SAID SHE WAS IN A FUNNY MOOD THAT DAY! NO! AS USUASL I DID NOT GET THE VOUCHER! I WONDER WHY I BOTHER TO BEG THEM FOR HELP THEY ALWAYS REFUSE ME.

SECOND OF ALL $ 185.00 IS NOT ENOUGH TO BUY FOOD AND TO DO LAUNDRY AT THE LAUNDRY MAT! I DO MY LAUNDRY IN THE KITCHEN SINK I USE A CUP, A JAR OR A POTATOMASHER AS MY AGITATOR THIS IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL TO MY ARMS, WRISTS AND KNEES BUT THIS HAS TO BE DONE DAILY ! I WAS HANGING MY CLOTHES OUT TO DRY BUT THE NEIGHBOURS COMPLAINED SO NOW I HANG THEM IN SIDE MY APARTMENT.

I DON’T THINK THE GOVERNMENT PRIEMIERS MP’S AND MLA’S SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES A RAISE SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON ALL OF YOU! I THINK AN INTERNAL FORENSIC AUDIT IS IN ORDER! HOW CAN THEY DO THIS?

PEOPLE LIVING ON WELFARE HAVE NOT HAD A RAISE IN OVER A DECADE! THE COST OF LIVING HAS RISEN! FOOD COST A LOT MORE THEN IT DID TEN YEARS AGO. RENT IS HIGHER, HYDRO IS HIGH NOW IT WILL GET A LOT HIGHER IN THE YEARS TO COME.

GIVE US A RAISE PLEASE I BEG OF YOU!

THIRD I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE CUTBACKS ON OUR MEDICAL PATIENT TRAVEL! WE ARE GIVEN $4.00 PER MEAL THAT IS $12.00 FOR THE THREE DAILY REQUIRED MEALS. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO PAY FOR ONE NUTRITIOUS MEAL! THE MINISRY ALSO REFUSED TO PAY FOR MY EYE GLASSES, MY GLASSES WERE IN THE SHOP FOR 9 MONTHS BEFORE I GOT THEM THANKS D.I.A.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR ME TO GO IN FOR MY YEARLY EYE EXAM BUT I CAN’T AFFORD TOO! I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW. I STILL HAVE A FEW MORE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MINISTRY AND THE OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT BUT I AM IN A LOT OF PAIN TYPING THIS LETTER!
LATER
JUDY DENNIS

Hi Judy,

You will find that most people won’t read that big wall of text. ALL CAPS IS THE SAME AS SHOUTING on the internet, and it is hard to read.

Do you have the same post in normal text? If so, it would be more effective.

Hi Judy…I am sorry to hear you are having such problems but I am wondering why you are not in receipt of PWD which would allow you $906. monthly, not a great deal to be sure but more than you are in receipt of now and allowable earnings of $500. monthly. I am in receipt of this myself and am very grateful to the Ministry for it as I am only able to work 15 hours weekly due to health issues. I never bother them for anything though, so am unaware of the allowances for anything such as travel and the like. If I can’t pay for something myself, then I just don’t bother. Stupid pride, I guess! Are you able to work at any job P/T? Have you tried CPP Disability Benefits as you should definitely be entitled to that, either regular or the disability. I would check into that as you should have those benefits available to you. Good Luck !

[quote=“Mark_Rex_1995”] FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MY LIST OF ABUSERS IS WORKERS COMPENSATION I FEEL THAT THEY WRONGED ME BY STOPPING MY WCB PAYMENTS AND THRUSTING ME INTO ABJECT POVERTY. TRYING TO LIVE ON WELFARE DISABILITY! IS NOT ENOUGH TO FEED AN ANIMAL IT IS MY BELIEF THAT I SHOULD BE A RECIPIENT OF PERMANENT DISABILITY BENEFITS FROM WCB WHICH SHOULD BE RETROACTIVE TO 1995 WHEN THEY UNJUSTLY CUT ME OFF TRAINING ALLOWANCE!
[/quote]

You should contact the Workers Advisor in Prince George at 1 800 263-6066. They work for the Ministry of Labour, not WCB, and it’s their job to assist workers who have problems with WCB.

If that happened quite recently, and you know the name of the employee in question (always get their names), the date and the approximate time, write a complaint to the Honourable Kevin Krueger, Minister of Social Development
PO Box 9058 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, BC V8W 9E1. You might contact Gary Coons office for assistance if need be.

Recount what was said, much as you have here. Keep it short, to the point and courteous. Tell them that you are not disagreeing with their policy on emergency funding, or even the decision that was made, but that you feel that the communications - especially the laughter and comment about a “funny mood” - was insensitive and unhelpful; not in keeping with the standards of courtesy and professionalism that you’ve experienced when dealing with the Ministry on other occasions.

Your complaint will be passed down the line and there will be a timeline for a report back to the Minister’s office. Perhaps the person you dealt with will bs her way out of it; but it will not be a happy day for her or her supervisor. Bureaucracies don’t like receiving complaints about sub-standard conduct.

You may also wish to try and contact the Unemployed Action Centre on Fraser Street, they may be able to steer you in the right direction for some help and advocacy

(250) 627-8776

povnet.org/node/2580

Hope you find some relief from your situation and that one of the agencies in town can offer up some assistance to you

you state you were a cannery worker therefore you are an union member have you asked your union to help you? or at least assist you to get help? after all what did you pay union dues for? also is there any union pension for disability available to you?

I may be wrong, but I don’t think the OP is actually the person who wrote this letter. I think the OP lifted it from a letter to the editor somewhere or other.

You may be right. Lifting a letter from elsewhere then posting it here for comments without pointing out that the author of the original post is not the author of the letter would be most inconsiderate, even off-putting.

[quote=“BTravenn”]

You may be right. Lifting a letter from elsewhere then posting it here for comments without pointing out that the author of the original post is not the author of the letter would be most inconsiderate, even off-putting.[/quote]

Yes that would seem rather churlish of someone to do, then again, at least others that may be in a similar type of situation now have a few avenues to follow that they may not have known about before.

This is written by the same woman who hung her laundry out at the old SA office in protest because they wouldn’t buy her a particular pair of shoes. Was in the paper a few years ago. I remember that article and the photo also.

Does anyone have any proof that the first post is not genuine?

[quote=“hitest”]

Does anyone have any proof that the first post is not genuine?[/quote]

their first post and no followup.

Whether the authenticity of the OP or not… It got me thinking.

I have family that are on Disability, Income Assistance, Pension, etc etc
and I know firsthand what they are going through. I’m very sorry that things have to be this way… But, There’s sometimes no helping it… It’s just the sad reality.
The way they look @ it is “if they need help (which they do), then they must accept whatever little we give them.” which is often 100% of the time not enough…

As a F/T student with a meager allowance of $750, it is not enough for I to live on for a month & feed a family / pay bills / spend money for personal needs…
I still do the best I can though, it’s been working so far.

My mother is the author of this i put this on here for her voice to be heard! To say that someone would steal from other on line is ridiculous this time of year!

The time of year doesn’t stop people from being idiots.

By the way, you Basically have to be unable to work ANYWHERE, if you want to get onto government disability. Sad but true, too many people abuse the system.

my mother does not abuse any system and is just trying to survive in our socitey with having to suffrer for all the work she has done she does not abuse any system

If you re read my post, I never said your mother abused the system, I said other people do and have in the past, unfortunately. The few, ruin it for the many. Or maybe, the many ruin it for the few. It’s sad that your mom is going through this. I know how depressing and stressful it can be.

My mother doesn’t abuse the system either, but since she is still able to work in some form of job, they’re not going to even cover her a bit, luckily she’s in a good union and has great benefits, because at this point in time, she really has no other choice than to retire, or be on disability. She worked at her job for almost thirty years, when they decided to lay her off, but she was and is still on LTD, and they can’t lay off a person who is on disability. Talk about a slap in the face.

When a person works their entire life, in a job, and all of a sudden can’t do it anymore. It’s tough, it’s depressing and it makes you feel almost useless. I sympathize with her for sure. I hope something can be done.

[quote=“bubbasteve735”]

The time of year doesn’t stop people from being idiots.

By the way, you Basically have to be unable to work ANYWHERE, if you want to get onto government disability. Sad but true, too many people abuse the system.[/quote]

That is basically true of CPP Disability only as Ministry Disability (PWD) allows for you to work and earn $500. monthly. Sometimes, in some instances, people just demand too much and that is all I will say about that !!