Human Resources committee  It certainly was one of our comments last night at the poverty meeting, that lots of people can't get post-secondary education. Also, one of our members has a problem with literacy. There are 44% of Canadians who have a hard time reading. I also recommend that post-secondary educ

Human Resources committee  We've attached a presentation to ours called “Poverty Makes Me Sick”. These are some more testimonials on the root causes of poverty that we'd welcome you to look at.

Human Resources committee  There's one person I know who owns her own home and can't afford to get a furnace. She qualifies through the RRAP program. It's amazing when you think about it, that a furnace could set someone back and put them in poverty, with the risk of homelessness. But she didn't have the m

Human Resources committee  She has to put the money up front.

Human Resources committee  It's the cost of using utilities and the price of keeping up a house. It's very difficult for people on a fixed income.

Human Resources committee  I agree that a Canadian disabilities act would be a great thing to have, very similar to the American disabilities act. I know that the Conservative government promised in the stand-up for 2006 to look at a Canadian disabilities act. We look forward to helping you participate in

Human Resources committee  Well, many organizations have intelligence quotient cut-offs. A lot of people who are employable don't qualify for provincial service programs. Those who do qualify don't have enough employment supports. It's been proven that when a person has a support worker on the job, after t

Human Resources committee  I was an employment worker for about eight years, and the first thing employers ask in Alberta is if they can pay a person less than the minimum wage. That's just a reality. I don't think the Alberta labour standards or regulations are strong enough. The labour standards vary fro

Human Resources committee  They said: I don't understand who I go to if my boss says things that are unfair. I do not know who my union leader is or how they can help me. I don't know all the rules if people are unfair. I work with a boss who picked on one of my co-workers. I didn't say anything, b

Human Resources committee  They said: Bullying on the job is a real problem. One time my co-worker locked me in the freezer for five minutes and another time outside in the freezing rain. It was hard because I just wanted to quit. If I get paid the same as my co-worker, why do I do more work? Why does

Human Resources committee  They said: Access Calgary as special needs transportation is not reliable. It is hard to book. I lose my job because my bus does not show up on time. We need a cheap bus pass to get to our jobs. Our city says we need to make this pass available only to people who make les

Human Resources committee  They said: I had to quit the job because my boss didn't want to make adaptations for my wheelchair in the bathroom. I need a power chair, so I can work in places. Our government benefits don't cover enough. I would like health benefits at the workplace. Some of us don't g

Human Resources committee  In their words: Pay people fairly. A living wage is a human rights issue when it's less than $10 an hour. I worked three part-time jobs to make ends meet. There is not enough motivation to stay healthy and take a break to rest. We do not make enough money because of the $

Human Resources committee  These are their words: We need more accommodating bosses who take time to train us. I find the applications and resumes too hard to apply. I need help filling them out. I don't like going alone. I need an employer who understands that if you're sick and need to go into th

Human Resources committee  Again, this is what they told us: When I apply for a new job, I don't know if I should say I have a disability. I still get fired because I can't learn the job. When I say nothing, I still get fired because I am not fast enough. It takes me longer than the average person to