Re: "Welfare families can afford food," letter, Oct. 9.

Claude Richmond takes issue with the Times Colonist's editorial and states a family of four would have at least $100 left over after paying rent, utilities and food; he even cites the 2006 Dietitians of Canada report to prove his argument.

In fact, the Dietitians report says a family of four would need to spend almost 60 per cent of their income on shelter and about 40 per cent on food, leaving nothing for clothing, transportation, child care, medical and dental care. The report also says "B.C. has the worst child poverty rate of any province in Canada."

The numbers Mr. Richmond bases his rosy opinion on are a $653 food basket (not including toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo or laundry detergent) and $934 for shelter -- a figure based on the 2004 rental cost of a three-bedroom apartment in Vancouver. Even with the April 2007 income-assistance rate increase and assuming shelter costs have not gone up since 2004, a family of four would have only $124 remaining at the end of the month for all other expenses.

The Dietitians report calls for "...ministries to work together to ensure government policies do not create more poverty, while additional supports are put in place to help those caught in poverty." Claude Richmond's idea of working together is to write petty letters to the local paper trying to back up his government's inadequate response to B.C.'s families in poverty.