Increasing Sustainable Incomes

Despite historically low unemployment and new sources of wealth creation, poverty in British Columbia's Capital Region, particularly among the working poor, is unacceptably high.

The shortage of both skilled and unskilled labour continues to jeopardize the business community. The region’s deteriorating affordability is impacting our ability to attract workers, including new immigrants, and coupled with our declining birth rate, the declining available workforce puts significant pressure on our ability to sustain and grow our local economy.

The good news is that employers have begun to increase wages in response to the low unemployment rate and average wages in Greater Victoria are increasing faster than inflation. Consumers paid 1.9% more in March 2007 for the goods and services in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket than they did in March 2006. For the same period, average weekly earnings increased 4.2%, compared to 3.6% in BC overall.

While some progress is being made and community awareness of the issues is greater than it has ever been, the numbers of people living in poverty continue to grow in the Capital Region. Everyone pays a high price for poverty. Taxpayers pay for increased social services, health care and policing. The region loses its economic vibrancy when affordability and social instability are prevalent. Society suffers as income gaps widen and social cohesion is weakened. The Quality of Life CHALLENGE’s vision is for a vibrant and sustainable region where everyone lives in a safe and decent home, able to care for themselves, their families and their community.

Quality of Life CHALLENGE partners are working together to generate long-lasting solutions that prevent and reduce poverty in BC’s Capital Region.

INCREASING SUSTAINABLE INCOMES by:

• ENGAGING EMPLOYERS: Engage employers in managing thriving sustainable enterprises through inclusive employment practices.
• REMOVING BARRIERS: Be a community-catalyst for effectively removing systemic barriers to employment.
• SUPPORTING COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Support new alternative forms of employment and entrepreneurial behaviour that create economic opportunities for citizens who have difficulty participating in the labour market.
• INFLUENCING POLICY: Explore and provide information to policy-makers about policy alternatives that could increase incomes, especially for those living on low or limited incomes

Key Activities:

• Affordability Index calculation
• Employer CHALLENGE Newsletter
• Capital Region Policy Roundtable on Poverty Prevention and Reduction
• SkillsPlus Project

Employers: Click here to access resources for HR, hiring, retention and other helpful information.