liv poz mag.qxd - Positive Living BC

The
FIGHTING WORDS
Fighting back
The BC government has made a string of funding cuts.
The Coalition to Build a Better BC is taking action by Glyn Townson
BC government is on a cutting spree. And those
funding cuts are going to hurt PWAs, among many
other groups in the province. It’s time to take action—and
that’s exactly what the Coalition to Build a Better BC intends
to do.
Last spring, the BC government made serious funding cuts
to non-profit arts programs throughout the province. How
does this travesty affect our HIV-positive community? Most
directly, BCPWA benefits from a long-standing affiliation with
the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, through which we receive
free promotional and networking opportunities at the festival’s
wide-reaching annual events.
Then last summer, British Columbians were shocked to
learn of our newly re-elected Liberal government’s plans to
implement the harmonized service tax (HST) and the emptiness
of associated campaign trail assurances that BC’s finance structure
was steadfast and true.
How will the HST impact our HIV-positive community
more than others in our province? Our good health and
longevity relies on sustained access to a range of products and
services not covered by the Medical Service Plan—or any other
insurance provider, for that matter. Whether we are employed,
retired, or making ends meet with a socially assisted income;
HIV-positive British Columbians can’t afford to sacrifice our
complementary healthcare necessities for increased taxes.
Last fall, BC’s Ministry of Health announced devastating
cuts to the administration budgets of community-based health
organizations (CBHOs) funded through the Vancouver Coastal
Health and Fraser Health Authorities. Though BCPWA operates
outside of this government funding strategy, these cuts still impact
us. BCPWA does its best to meet the ever-changing needs of our
diverse community, but we don’t have the resources to be all things
to all HIV-positive people. Instead, we serve our community best
as part of a network of CBHOs whose collective efforts provide
our province with a full continuum of HIV/AIDS care. Our success—
and the livelihood of HIV-positive British Columbians—is
interdependent with the success of our CBHO partners.
The last straw came this past March, when the BC government
announced severe amendments to the terms that govern
MayqJune 2010 living5 5
disability income eligibility and payments. Truly, the demographics
of our community are changing and an increasing number of
us are now consistently employed. But none of us can ignore
the significant percentage of our HIV-positive peers who rely on
disability income for such basic needs as clean, bottled water.
How can our already
cash-strapped HIV-positive
community affect
meaningful and immediate
change in an environment
where our own government
compromises our every
effort to survive?
So the big, overarching question is: how can our already
cash-strapped HIV-positive community affect meaningful and
immediate change in an environment where our own government
compromises our every effort to survive?
We can’t do it alone.
Early this year, BCPWA was invited to join the Coalition
to Build a Better BC. This grassroots initiative combines the
strengths of a diverse range of community organizations
impacted by the BC government’s unwieldy, irresponsible
system of funding cuts and policy amendments. By the time
this issue of Living Positive is published, we’ll have already
facilitated a “teach-in” at the Vancouver Public Library and a
large-scale rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
If you missed either event, don’t worry; the Coalition is
committed to its long-term campaign for public awareness
and active opposition to the BC government’s strategy for
community funding. I encourage you to check www.bcpwa.org
and BCPWA’s eNews for updates about the Coalition’s events
over the coming months. 5
Glyn Townson is the chair of BCPWA.