Thank you for publishing Sheryl Ann Wilson’s letter (Western News, Jan. 22, Speaking the truth).
Her detailed description of the situation (too often, the plight) of the disabled, needs to be widely known.
What she did not talk about is the suspicious, penny-pinching attitude of the ministry, looking to cut-off necessary supplements for such things as medicines and transportation.
All that this does, often, is transfer the cost to other branches of government, especially the health system, saving the taxpayer nothing, or even costing more.
The government should be doing four things now:
1. Raising the basic disability cheque to match cost-of-living since the last raise.
2. Adding a small supplement in view of the rapidly rising cost of food.
3. Starting to build a lot of affordable housing, and adding a rental supplement until that housing comes on line, and
4. Instructing ministry workers to help disabled people get the supplements they qualify for, with a respectful attitude, taking into account that many with mental disabilities have great difficulty negotiating the system to find out what they are entitled to, and how to apply for it.
Putting this high on the priority list would contribute far more to the life of the province than some of the current priorities.
John Greene
Penticton
