Editor:
An open letter to Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett:
The Seniros’ Advisory Council of Williams Lake and Area is an affiliate member of the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization of B.C. (COSCO), which represents more than 85,000 seniors residing in every municipality of British Columbia.
We understand that a motion proposing the elimination of MSP (Medical Services Plan) premiums for all seniors in British Columbia will be considered at the UBCM annual general meeting in September.
British Columbia is the only province in Canada whose seniors pay for their medical insurance. This inequality needs to be addressed and resolved so that B.C. seniors receive the same benefits as those in other provinces. The pensions, both federal and private, that many seniors receive either do not increase at all or only grow by tiny amounts that do not keep up with inflation.
Most seniors find their income eroded but cannot return to the workforce to improve their economic situation.
Not having to pay MSP premiums would certainly help older adults to cope with increases in their cost of living.
No seniors retire after years in the workforce expecting to see their income fall over time to the poverty level.
We urge you to support the resolution when it comes on the floor of the annual general meeting of the UBCM.
Thank you for your attention to this reasonable and important request to help the seniors of B.C.
Audrey MacLise, chair
Seniors Advisory Council of Williams Lake and Area