I never thought I would have to keep justifying my existence to the government, but that’s exactly what it feels like in Alberta today. Read More
I never thought I would have to keep justifying my existence to the government, but that’s exactly what it feels like in Alberta today. The United Conservative Party, under Danielle Smith’s leadership, is making harmful changes to the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program. They want to replace it with the Alberta Disability
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I never thought I would have to keep justifying my existence to the government, but that’s exactly what it feels like in Alberta today.
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The United Conservative Party, under Danielle Smith’s leadership, is making harmful changes to the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program. They want to replace it with the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), a move that will hurt tens of thousands of disabled Albertans.
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This change is not needed, it is not wanted, and it is dangerous.
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Noon News Roundup
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Right now, people on AISH are being forced to “prove” their disabilities all over again. That means scrambling to find a doctor, paying hundreds for paperwork to apply for the federal Disability Tax Credit, and then applying for the new federal Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which maxes out at just $200 a month.
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And the cruellest part? Alberta plans to claw back every dollar of that federal benefit from provincial payments.
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The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to help disabled people survive as food, gas, rent and medicine skyrocket in price. Instead, Alberta decided to simply take it back. We are the only province clawing back the benefit — while also being the richest.
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The government is trying to spin ADAP as “empowerment,” claiming it will help people with disabilities work while receiving supports. They say we asked for this. I know thousands of people with disabilities in Alberta, and not one of them wanted this change.
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At the Premier’s Council on the Status of People With Disabilities town hall on Sept. 8, the message was clear: these changes are unnecessary, cruel and they will deepen poverty.
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Under AISH, people can earn just under $1,100 before their income support is affected. Under ADAP, that drops to only $350 a month. The government calls this “opportunity.” It is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
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Worse, the plan ignores Alberta’s employment reality. There simply are not enough equal opportunity employers for this to work. Resume workshops and interview prep programs already exist, many provided for decades by community organizations. The barrier has never been training, it’s employers unwilling to hire disabled people.
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And now, on top of all of this, comes the clawback. Once Alberta takes away the federal benefit, people on ADAP will need to work an extra 13.5 hours a month at minimum wage just to break even. But how can they if they can’t get hired?