Guest Speaker

Murial Groves introduced Seth Klein, the BC Director for the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. Seth said there are connections between his area of research and the good work of Rotary. The question is how we all share in the BC economic growth towards the 2010 Olympics. It is a coming together of social justice groups, the church and business groups. What will the profiles of the Olympic host city be like when it is a 5 minute walk from the international media centre to Victory Square. Policy change is needed. CCPA can do a better job of taking care of each other. He said BC shares with Newfoundland the highest poverty rates in Canada. BC had cut support for welfare payments and social housing and stripped welfare recipients of the opportunity to keep earned income ($100. per month for singles and $200. per month for families). He praised Newfoundland's Conservative government, led by businessman Danny Williams, for launching a comprehensive program to reduce poverty. He indicated this would make a good model for BC and with our surpluses we can afford it.