VANCOUVER – New Democrat MLA George Heyman says that funding through B.C.’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will increase accessibility, allowing more people to participate fully in their community.

“Accessibility is something that is too often overlooked in our communities, which hurts people with disabilities and our province as a whole,” said George Heyman, MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. “Our government is committed to making British Columbia more inclusive and with this funding, we are creating more opportunities for meaningful employment, greater independence and greater community participation for people with disabilities.”

In Vancouver-Fairview, $40,000 in funding has been awarded to Pedal Society. They are one of the 15 recipients across the province receiving grants to enhance inclusion for people with disabilities in areas like employment, emergency planning and response, arts, culture and tourism, sports and recreation, education and learning, and community participation.

This is the fourth year in a row that the New Democrat government has made grants available to not-for-profits to build a more inclusive society, and over the last three years, 44 community projects have been funded. This year’s funding total is over $450,000.

The grants are evaluated by Disability Alliance BC in partnership with the B.C. Government.