With Christmas just over two weeks away, many community organizations are well into their annual campaigns to raise funds. Tapping into the season of giving, associations, groups and service organizations have strategically planned raffles, contests, bazaars and other events to entice Powell River residents to open their wallets and dig a little deeper to make contributions.
Powell River residents are known for their generosity and willingness to pitch in and help. But the need is great.
This week the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report that documented the growing gap between rich and poor in Canada. The average income of the top 10 per cent of Canadians in 2008 was $103,500, 10 times that of the bottom 10 per cent, who had an average income of $10,260. That’s an increase from the early 1990s when the ratio was eight to one.
The report pointed to a growing wage gap—disparity in earnings between high- and low-paid workers—along with cuts to government spending on income support programs as contributing to the rise in inequality. Taxes and benefits used to offset 70 per cent of the rise in the income gap in Canada, according to the OECD, but now they offset just 40 per cent.
In British Columbia, changes making it more difficult to qualify for Employment Insurance, low welfare rates and a minimum wage that did not increase until this year were all identified as three factors that are keeping BC incomes at the bottom end low. On the other hand, income tax cuts in the province over the past decade have resulted in those at the top end keeping more of their money.
Powell River Community Foundation released its Vital Signs report in October. It showed that close to one third of Powell River’s children live below the poverty line, the highest ratio in all of the 21 communities across Canada that did Vital Signs reports. As well, research indicated nearly one quarter of families in Powell River live in relative poverty. The report also found a growing income gap in Powell River.
As Vital Signs stated, making ends meet is a major stress for low-income residents. Assessing the gap between the most prosperous and the poorest can help determine what social services and facilities are needed to help residents cope in financially difficult times.
There are many organizations in Powell River that provide services to those in need and these groups need the community’s support particularly over the Christmas season.
Giving is its own reward, as those who contribute know. This year more than ever, all of us who can need to open our hearts to help others in the community.
