The women of the Anti-Poverty Committee (APC) successfully occupied the office of Finance Minister Carole Taylor on monday. At 10:00am five women locked down inside the office, with the support of 20 other APC members.

The APC Womens Committee made the following demands to Carole Taylor and the Liberals:

* Spend the $2 billion surplus on securing safe housing for all women in this province;

* Complete restoration of funding to all social programs cut by the Liberals since 2001.

‘Women are dying everyday on the streets, or facing violence and exploitation within the deplorable housing situation in our city. This surplus money has been made on the backs of poor women in the form of massive cuts to welfare, it has to stop’ said organizer Stephanie Cameron.

Media and supporters were forced to leave the building at the request of the landlord and under threat of arrest by the VPD, but five women had locked down in the office refusing to leave until they had a guarantee from the Finance Minister that the surplus would be spent on housing and services for women and children.

It took the VPD three hours to remove the remaining women from the office and arrest them. All five are being charged with mischief. All five will be released with mischief charges.

‘This surplus was stolen from the poor women and children of this province,’ said organizer Mary Claremount. ‘We were just here today to get it back. This money was stolen through welfare, legal aid and other
social programming cuts. Evictions, homelessness, violence and child apprehension are the only trickle-down poor women of this province have seen so far from this government. This wont be the last time Carole Taylor and the Liberals hear from us.’