​STAYING CURIOUS AND LISTENING TO NEW PERSPECTIVES...
​​COLLABORATING TO BUILD ON OUR STRENGTHS AND ASSETS!

​WILLIAMS LAKE LIVING WAGE

What is a Living Wage?
The living wage is the amount of income that a family needs to meet their basic needs. Living wage is calculated based on the actual cost of living in a specific
community, once government transfers have been added to the family's income
and deductions have been subtracted. The living wage gets families out of severe financial stress by lifting them out of poverty and providing a basic level
of economic security. The living wage in Williams Lake will be calculated for 2020 early in the year and released in the spring in conjunction with communities across the province.
The Living Wage is made up of wages plus employer paid benefits. To find out how yours measures up, you can find an online calculator here:
Want to know more?
Interested in becoming a Living Wage Employer, check out these links:

Living Wage Canada: 
​www.livingwagecanada.ca/
Become a living wage employer: 
www.livingwageforfamilies.ca/become_a_living_wage_employer

 'Game Changer' ??

Picture
"A poverty reduction ‘Game Changer’ is a priority area or strategy that not only aims to deliver on its own specific goals or outcomes, but also elicits an array of other significant, positive outcomes that cascade both within and outside of its area of emphasis, and consequently, profoundly impacts the course, character, or extent of poverty experienced by people, both individually and collectively." 
A Partnership of
​The Social Planning Council and
​Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy
Funded by
​Vancouver Foundation
Canadian Red Cross

Poverty Simulation Experience

This was an opportunity for an immersive experience of what it's like to live in poverty in our community, and to explore how our community can address this so that everyone can thrive.

When people arrived, they were assigned a role as a member of a family for the simulation experience. We provided an orientation and specific instructions and together with their 'family' they moved through a simulation of a month in the life of that family, with each week represented during a 15 minute period. Food was available during this event and a debrief of the experience followed.
This event was a partnership between Thrive and United Way Thompson Cariboo Nicola and is supported by funding from Vancouver Foundation and Red Cross.​
Picture
​
Thank you to our funders
  • Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
  • Vancouver Foundation
  • City of Williams Lake
The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the ​Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia
A collaborative effort of the Social Planning Council, Thrive, and the Regional Education Council (School District #27, Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy and TRU - Williams Lake). We brought together employers and community services to focus on finding solutions.

​Inspired by keynote speaker Kristi Fairholm-Mader, who shared creative solutions to employment challenges, as well as a panel of local success stories, we tackled the following questions with a goal of designing tangible local solutions for implementation:
  • How can we help employers better understand the capabilities, aspirations and challenges of employees so they can attract and keep them as employees? ​
  • ​How can we help employees better understand the requirements of the employer, the challenges they (employee) may have in meeting those requirements, so they can get and keep that job?​  

Other Initiatives 

  • Community Innovation & Adaptive Leadership Training
  • Roadmap to Poverty Reduction
  • Social Enterprise Development
  • Regional Rent Bank Pilot
  • Community Navigation Training
Contact Us
​SOCIAL PLANNING COUNCIL OF
WILLIAMS LAKE AND AREA
[email protected]
266 Oliver Street, Williams Lake, BC   V2G 1M1  
Home   Thrive   Communities That Care   Community Food Hub   Community Engagement   Join US
This site provides general information about the Social Planning Council.
G-B35YX9JK4F