Our Purpose

Senior Rights Matter.
We are a seniors anti-poverty group committed to fair pensions for Canadian seniors and raising all Canadian seniors out of poverty.

We are not affiliated with any particular political group.

We refuse to be invisible.

Join our group and help to improve our Canadian Pensions to at least meet the current accepted line of poverty.

At the moment, a lot of seniors are living below the poverty line.
The poverty line in Canada is $25,252.00.
28% of senior women are living in poverty.
This is not due to bad planning. Life is an unpredictable journey.

Seniors Tin Cup is organizing to ask the Canadian Government to increase our pensions to at least meet the poverty line to allow us to live with dignity.

We are not asking for trips, for fancy anything. We would like dignity and respect. We would like to be heard. We are tired of being the invisible generation.

Our plan is to protest on the streets in Canada – we began with small groups in Vernon, Vancouver and Ladysmith (on Vancouver Island), and have grown to many more different communities with interest from across the country.

If we can find more people to organize – we will be in more cities.

We will do this simultaneously.

We also hope to get some media attention. If enough people start to take notice of this – we will get more people taking part in this group.

Remember – Boomers made big changes in the world, by marching together. It is time to do it again.

We refuse to be invisible.

History

SHARON ELLIOT
The Tin Cup movement was started in Vancouver by Sharon Elliott when she teamed up with the Marpole Oakridge Family Place and together they organized three rallies to draw attention to the plight of seniors regarding pensions.
Sharon saw a woman taking bottles and cans out of a garbage can in a nearby park, so she approached her and had a conversation about pensions and shared with her what she was trying to do. Sharon said the woman was clean, neatly dressed and didn’t appear to have any mental health issues. The woman told Sharon she had to collect bottles etc., as she didn’t have enough money to live each month. They agreed that soon seniors would be standing on corners holding tin cups in order to survive each month. Hence the name Tincup.

Sharon concentrates on politicians as she is closer to the hub of Provincial Government. Carole focuses on communications with media and public.

CAROLE FAWCETT
In December of 2023, Carole Fawcett of Vernon, BC also organized a protest, unaware of Sharon’s demonstrations in Vancouver. As a Writer and retired Counsellor, Carole was aware of challenges that some seniors were having, due to low pensions. Sharon reached out to Carole after seeing her on a Global News piece and they now work together to get the word out about this group.