Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 56: All levels of government must coordinate on an Indigenous specific poverty reduction plan, complete with specific goals, targets, timelines, and accountabilities.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 57: Implement an Indigenous reparations tax on top of property taxes on residential, commercial, and industrial properties, with all revenues going to implementation of an Indigenous poverty reduction plan.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 60: Implementing existing recommendations from the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition for a whole-of-government poverty reduction strategy.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 76: Free skills training, retraining, and apprenticeships for Indigenous women in the DTES.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 77: Rectify Indigenous women’s exclusion from the economy by:

1. Developing equitable and inclusive hiring policy and standards.
2. Creating a diversity of low-barrier jobs in the DTES with priority hiring and support for Indigenous women of the community.
3. Creating peer-based employment programs including navigation positions throughout the housing, mental health, substance use, and income support systems.
4. Ensuring Indigenous women peer workers are paid a living wage, have full benefits, and have the right to unionization.
5. Creating jobs that value and compensate skills such as weaving, beading, drum making, food harvesting, and traditional healing, and support the creation of an Indigenous women’s cooperative in the DTES.
6. Improving employment supports and workplace accommodations for Indigenous women who are single parents and/or in recovery to ensure that they are not setup to fail in their employment due to systemic barriers.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 79: Recognize the role and contribution of volunteers in the DTES, and create accredited volunteer programs to transfer skills and enable access to employment opportunities.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 80: All levels of government should pay living wages to all direct and contracted government employees, and encourage other employers to do the same.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 85: Guarantee free and extended transportation:

1. Free transit pass for children ages 0-18 years old, all youth transitioning out of government care till the age of 25 years old, and for all adults on pensions, income assistance, and disability assistance.
2. Expand public transit, including HandyDart and community-based passenger van programs.
3. Access to free transportation to and from medical appointments, especially for those with disabilities and the elderly.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 86: Implement better educational supports:

1. Expansion of the Head Start program for Indigenous families.
2. Guarantee a school breakfast and lunch food program in all public schools that is free, nutritious, and culturally diverse.
3. More Indigenous-focused schools with Indigenous teachers, Indigenousbased educational methodology and curriculum, and that is supportive to urban Indigenous students needs and contexts.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 88: Adoption of low-income customer rates and rules by BC Hydro and all energy providers including waiver of security deposits, late payment fees, and reconnection fees; more flexible payment arrangements; and suspension of disconnections during cold weather and for people with medical conditions.