I had the privilege of participating in The Annual Celebrity Carwash at Our Place, again this year.  The event, termed Splish Splash 2014, was designed to raise awareness of homelessness in our region and funds to support their meal program.

Our Place is a safe location that offers hope and a sense of belonging to our region’s most vulnerable citizens though their programs and services. It was wonderful to see so much support for this year’s event. The line up of cars kept the washers busy all day!

Thank you to the many volunteers who came to help out this worthy cause and thank you to the leadership provided by the Board and Staff of Our Place Society.  Special thanks to City of Victoria Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe who was instrumental in organizing this event.

Shown with me in the photo banner above Murray Rankin, MP Victoria and Ryan Windsor, Central Saanich Councillor.

Back in March 2014,  I raised a concern about the lack of protection for Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) and Registered Education Savings Plan (RESPs). Industry Canada is now conducting a public consultation that includes these same concerns.

As a quick reminder, RDSPs are a federal, tax-deferred, long-term savings plan for people with disabilities who want to save for the future. Unfortunately, under the Court Order Enforcement Act,  RDSPs  are not listed as a registered plan in BC’s legislation and are therefore not exempt from creditor protection. Therefore, should an individual with an RDSP go into debt, their savings in the RDSP will not be protected from seizure.

To put this in context, Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRIFs) are protected. Most provinces, including British Columbia, have recognized the importance of protecting RRSPs and RRIFs from creditors in the event of personal bankruptcy.  Legislation was passed to protect these registered plans from being seized in the event of personal bankruptcy. Here in British Columbia, such seizures are governed by the 1996 Court Order Enforcement Act.

Industry Canada is currently conducting a public consultation on the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act – and in the discussion paper, a proposal has been made to exempt RDSP assets from seizure in insolvency proceedings.

Industry Canada has called for public input on the issue of creditor protection for the Registered Disability Savings Plan. Submissions will be accepted until July 15, 2014. Information about making a submission can be found here.

To read more about the concerns I raised, including my questions to the Minister of Justice, please click here.

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The BC Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth is seeking input on youth mental health issues. The Committee will be meeting with stakeholders and experts on this important issue and they are also inviting written submissions from the public until Friday, July 25, 2014.

The Committee is an all-party committee of the Legislative Assembly.

Interested individuals may make a written submission, or learn more about the work of the committee at: https://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/cay.

The Walk for Reconciliation was held in Vancouver, BC on September 22, 2013 – with a purpose to transform and renew the very essence of relationships among Aboriginal peoples and all Canadians. Seventy thousand were in attendance and a keynote address was delivered by Dr. Bernice A. King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech.

A gorgeous sunny July day in Victoria and enthusiastic participants made the Five Hole for Food event a huge success.  Close to 7,000 lbs of food were raised for the Mustard Seed Street Church and Food Bank. Andrew had a chance to connect with the puck and a terrific group of community leaders present. Congratulations to the organizers!

To find out more about this event, click here.