Protesters calling for increased senior pension payments at Vernon rally along Highway 97 on June 27. (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Senior Pension Protest

‘We will be heard:’ Seniors gather in Vernon to call for fair pension payments

Jun 27, 2024 | 1:00 PM

A group of protestors met at a high-profile spot in Vernon to demand an increase to senior financial aid.

Put on by Carole Fawcett, provincial organizer of the Tin Cup Society, said the rally saw dozens of seniors gathered at the corner of 25th Avenue and Highway 97, at the bottom of Hospital Hill, to call on the federal government for an increase to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) payments.

“The purpose is to get attention from the government, because every time they do a budget or anything like that they never mention or include seniors. I defy you to even find the word senior in the last budget,” Fawcett told Vernon Matters.

“They’re giving money here, there and everywhere, but not to seniors. I’m a global citizen, and I don’t mind us helping other countries, but not to the exclusion of our own seniors. It’s wrong.”

Fawcett noted the prices for rent, groceries, gas and much more are rising, but senior’s pension payments are not, leaving below the poverty line.

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“For old age pension, I think it’s about $708 [per month] for old age, OAS, that’s for people aged 64 up to 75, and then 75 and older, you get $778,” Fawcett said.

“Of course there’s the guaranteed income supplement, and then CPP if a person has CPP. So it depends. Everyone’s a wee bit different, but I know lots of people who live on $1,800 a month.”

In response to the concerns, the federal government told Vernon Matters that government are indexed to inflation.

“Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) benefits are reviewed four times per year (in January, April, July and October) in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This quarterly indexation provides benefit increases to recipients when prices go up. In fact, by April 2024, OAS benefits had increased by 3.2 per cent over the past year,” Maja Stefanovska, Media Relations Office, Digital Channel, Media and Events said.

“And if prices go down, the Old Age Security Act and the Canada Pension Plan contain a guarantee that benefits will not go down in the event of a decline in the CPI. Canada Pension Plan payments are also indexed to the cost of living. Benefit amounts are adjusted in January of each year to reflect increases in the CPI,” Stefanovska added.

The protest began at 11 o’clock Thursday, June 27, and at the time, there were roughly 40 participants.

“We’re invisible, we’re not heard, but I’m here to tell you we will be heard,” Fawcett said

“And the next time I will make sure people notice us.”

Protesters calling for increased senior pension payments (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Protesters calling for increased senior pension payments (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Protesters calling for increased senior pension payments (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Speaking with Vernon Matters, some protest participants noted the importance of having their pensions increased.

“There’s so many low income seniors in our area that have not had the opportunity to save money towards their future, for whatever reason, and they’re finding themselves in a position where they cannot retire, that they have to continue to work,” Heather told Vernon Matters.

“We worked all out lives, what do we get? A kick in the [rear]. It’s not right, and the money that was put into CPP, the people put it in, not the government,” Paul commented.

“A lot of us are earning between $8 and $12 an hour [in pensions] in this time when people are saying minimum wage has to go up, but our wage has not gone up the same rate so I think it’s really important. Myself, I only earned $18,000 last year, and my husband only earned $12,000 last year, so try living on that, and there’s people making even less,” Marg added.

This was the second pension protest organized in Vernon. The first saw about 80 participants march through downtown Vernon this past March.

Plans are in the works to host the protests every three months, with one scheduled for September, another for December, and another again next March.

She added the movement is growing, with many other B.C. communities involved this time around.

“We’re doing this in eight different towns, we’re doing this in Terrace and Vanderhoof, Williams Lake and Kamloops, us [Vernon], White Rock, South Surrey, and Ladysmith,” Fawcett told Vernon Matters.

“We’re growing, I just had two queries this morning, one from Kelowna and one from Campbell River. So we’re going to grow, and that’s what we want to do, we want to get this so big it grows across Canada. I will not stop until that happens.”

The Tin Cup Society also has an online petition and a paper petition that was being passed around at Thursday’s event, which will be passed along through the proper channels at a future date.

“Seniors living below the poverty line is not acceptable, it’s just not acceptable,” Fawcett remarked.