“They captured 20-thousand more seniors,”: BC Seniors Advocate pleased with supplement increase

BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie says increasing the province’s supplement for our elderly population is a step in the right direction.

According to the province, it’s increasing by $50 per recipient, raising the maximum rate to $100 per month.

This is the supplement’s largest increase since it was introduced nearly three and a half decades ago.

Mackenzie told Vista Radio more seniors will benefit as a result.

“Effectively they have captured about 20-thousand more seniors who will now be eligible for it. To be eligible for the senior’s supplement their is an income cut off and it’s very low income,  below $20,000 a year and they have raised it by a few hundred dollars bringing another group of low-income seniors.”

“The rate was set back in 1987 so it’s been quite a long time that the rate has not been increased and we were lagging behind other provinces so this I think will be very, very helpful.”

In total, the supplement hike will support around 80-thousand seniors according to the government.

However, Mackenzie noted it is a progressive supplement, meaning those at the lowest income are likely to receive the full amount, and then as your income rises it will be reduced similar to the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

“Our senior’s supplement is tagged to a person’s GIS rate – so not everybody will get the full amount but they will get some of the amount.”

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mackenzie also highlighted the growing poverty rate amongst seniors in BC and across Canada – noting the demographic is the fastest rising cohort accessing food banks.

“With seniors, the poverty is sometimes less overtly visible when compared to the younger population. We seem to get a notion that people are getting along and while many seniors are coping quite well that’s not the case for all of them. In BC, a third of our seniors are receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement.”

“So that’s a bit of a marker. If you are getting the GIS, you don’t have a lot of income. You have less income than a minimum wage job would provide for you.”

In addition, Mackenzie also hinted the federal government is in the process of increasing the Old Age Security benefit for those 75 and over.

“I think the reason they have chosen 75 and over because at that point, income is fixed. We are seeing a growing number of younger seniors remaining in the labour force and really when you need that extra money is when you are not in the labour force anymore and your health costs start to increase.”