Seniors demonstrated in Williams Lake Thursday, June 27, to raise awareness about seniors living in poverty.
Williams Lake was one of several communities across the province where the Seniors Tin Cup rallies were held.
Some of the Williams Lake seniors carried signs with messaging such as Stop Canadian seniors poverty, Seniors are not invisible, Seniors must be heard and Dignity for seniors.
They were stationed in front of the parking lot of FreshCo on Oliver Street.
"They are not expecting us to live this long, that's their problem," said one of the participating seniors, Sylvia Prevost.
Chantal Lambert said it is time the government realize seniors need help more than promises.
"Elections are coming and seniors vote, they should remember that," she added.
Tina Derksen of the Old Age Pensioners Association (OAPO) helped organize the rally.
She said she was happy with the turnout and the response from the public who were picking up signs and joining the rally.
"I think it's great," Derksen said.
Cariboo Chilcotin BC Conservative MLA Lorne Doerkson attended the rally and said he continues to hear from seniors who are struggling.
Last year he organized a petition asking for the premier to advocate on behalf of seniors to the federal government to raise pensions to a non-poverty level and for a review of SAFER, the program that reduces rent for low-income seniors.
"Inflation is still persistent and creating issues for senior citizens and others in our society," he said. "Seniors are feeling the pinch for sure."
He praised the OAPO locally for letter-writing campaigns in respect to the high cost of heating fuels.
"When you think of a couple that is living together, when they lose one of those individuals they lose most of the CPP and all of the OAS (Old Age Security) and now you have one person with all the same expenses basically that is obviously under much more pressure," Doerkson said.
Seniors Tin Cup is an organization started to raise awareness of seniors' poverty and demand the Canadian government increase pensions to the poverty line.
