Pat Pimm

February 1, 2012 Column 

Helping Make a House a Home

Nothing is perhaps as important as having a place to call home. It is a sanctuary; a place to welcome friends, and a space to bring families together. But for many, a clean, comfortable, accessible home is something that is out of reach. Financial circumstances often stand in the way of making a house or apartment anything more than just a space for living.

Thankfully, a new program has just been announced that can help people in need turn a house into a home.

The Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI) program is designed to help eligible homeowners and landlords pay for modifications which improve access to existing parts of a home and make getting around a little easier.

HAFI provides up to $20,000 in the form of a forgivable loan to low-income seniors and people with disabilities, and can be used towards renovations and retrofits that include handrails, ramps, lifts and bathroom grab bars. In short, it will help them create a home that is more comfortable, safer, and more accessible. Perhaps most importantly, it does so while allowing them to retain their independence and improve their quality of life.

The HAFI program represents an investment of $15 million over the next three years, with all funding shared equally by the provincial and federal governments. Eligible applicants will not have to pay back the loan if they adhere to program requirements, which include continuing to live in the home and limiting rent increases for tenants.  

This is a great investment. Now people who might be having a tough time moving around the house can make modifications so they can stay in their own home. Think of the difference that will make: rather than moving to a care facility, they’ll be able to remain in their community, close to friends and family, and maintain their independent lifestyle. 

To be eligible for a loan, you must be a low-income senior or person with a disability living in your own home or rental accommodations. You must be a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant, and you must permanently reside in British Columbia. In addition, you or any member of your household must have a permanent disability or a loss of ability which causes difficulty with daily living activities. Finally, the assessed value of your home must be less than the limit established for our area. Tenants in rental accommodations can apply for assistance with the help of their landlord.

The modifications must be permanent and fixed to your home. Exceptions can be made for equipment designed to improve access to existing facilities, such as bath lifts. While every case is different, the most common types of adaptations will be handrails, access ramps and walk-in showers with safety bars. As this program is designed to help make accessibility improvements within a home, portable aids such as walkers or scooters—as well as household appliances—are not eligible for the program. Emergency repairs to roofs and furnaces, as well as regular household maintenance work are also not covered.

Our government is working hard to improve the lives of seniors and people with disabilities, and this program is a direct result of our commitment to them. HAFI is a great step forward in promoting safe and independent living, and provides real solutions for accessibility issues.

This is a wonderful program, and I urge everyone who is eligible to apply for a loan. For more information on the program and how to apply for assistance visit the HAFI website at: www.bchousing.org/HAFI.

For any further information please contact my office. 

Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm

Finance Committee Recommendations

I’ve been very busy the last few months travelling the province with the Finance Committee. Our committee report was tabled in the legislature on November 15, 2011. I am very proud of the work that was done and the recommendations that have been submitted. The committee was made up of government and opposition MLAs and we agreed on about 80 per cent of the 75 recommendations put forward. The report took a slightly different focus this year and identified the Northeast and Northwest as becoming even more important in the years ahead and therefore, a lot of recommendations came in that regard. Some of the highlights for our area are as follow:

• Develop and implement an effective, efficient, and transparent permitting review process, and ensure that government agencies have sufficient resources.
• Provide more certainty to business applicants about what is expected from them with regard to

First Nations consultations and clarify what government takes responsibility for.

• Consider synchronizing Albertaand BC trucking regulations to permit wide and heavier loads (e.g. axle weights) and improve wait times for issuing permits.
• Work with all sectors and the Industry Training Authority to enhance and target apprenticeship opportunities.
• Negotiate with the federal government to expand the Provincial Nominee Program to meet the province’s labour market demands.
• Review ALR boundaries and give consideration to removing land that is not fit for agriculture, particularly in rural regions of the province.*
• Develop an industry-supported Centre Line Roadthat would reduce the time to travel into the center of the HornRiverdevelopment by 1.5 hours, therefore eliminating the need for operating some live-in construction camps.
• Remove an appropriate amount of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve so that Fort Nelson can expand its residential land base to accommodate the growth pressure demands of developing the Horn River, Liard, and Cordova shale gas basins.*
• Initiate a Fair Share program in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality equivalent to the existing Fair Share program in the Peace River Regional District.*
• In collaboration with industry, First Nations, and the regional municipality, develop a regional economic strategy and implementation plan with ongoing monitoring for the NorthernRockiesRegionalMunicipality.
• In recognition of the pressures on public services from a rapidly expanding economy, support the development of a strategy for meeting public service needs in Fort Nelson, such as health, education and safety.
• Lower student loan interest rates to the same national ranking as BC tuition fees – i.e. middle of the pack.
• Establish a provincial system of upfront needs-based grants to ensure success for students at all socioeconomic levels.
• Expedite the review of Community Living BC and be prepared to invest as appropriate; and continue to improve planning and services for youth and adults with special needs who are in transition or whose families are in transition.
• Examine funding options for the province’s 60 restorative justice programs, including the Albertamodel, as these programs result in significant cost savings.
• Cap the carbon tax at the rate as of July 2, 2012.
• Address the inequity for BC cement producers arising from imported cement not being subject to a carbon tax.
• Review the impacts of the carbon tax on all business sectors and develop a strategy to keep BC businesses competitive with other jurisdictions.*
• Consider immediate carbon tax exclusions for agriculture, including the greenhouse sector, and public institutions.*
• Stop further expenditures on the development of cap and trade until the province has sufficient trading partners to trade with.*

These are only the items that I felt were extremely important to our region, to read the entire report please go to the Ministry of Finance website. Again, I want to point out that our report was agreed upon – however, the recommendations followed by * signify ones that opposition members did not support.

Pat Pimm, MLA Peace River North