CSN PRESS ROOM: DISABILITY CLAW-BACKS IN ALBERTA AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL ACCESS-ABILITY AWARENESS WEEK
Press Release/Sample Article
CSNews May 28, 2025 Contact H. Noerenberg CanadianShareableNews@proton.me
Since 2017, the week following the last Sunday in May is designated as National AccessAbility Week. This year, the dates fall from May 25 to 31 and feature this theme: “Breaking barriers together: Paving the way for an inclusive future.”
On June 21, 2019, the Accessible Canada Act took effect. It states: “it is essential to ensure the economic, social and civic participation of all persons in Canada, regardless of their disabilities, and to allow them to fully exercise their rights and responsibilities in a barrier-free Canada.” This act was followed on June 22, 2024 by the Canada Disability Benefit Act which was intended to support the financial security of working aged Canadians with disabilities. The final Canada Disability Benefit Regulations took legal effect on May 15, 2025.
Alberta residents who receive monthly payments under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program are noting that while their counterparts in other provinces are receiving the full Canada Disability Benefit, they are not. As reported by the CBC in March 2025, “the payment will be considered non-exempt income under AISH rules” and “The Alberta government plans to keep AISH payments at the same amount but take back the $200 monthly amount for the federal benefit.”
Jason Nixon, Alberta Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, states that the federal government set a minimum of $1,811 for provinces to meet, and that in Alberta AISH payments of $1901/month already exceed that minimum amount. A federal government statement shared with the CBC stated: "While recognizing that provincial and territorial authorities are ultimately responsible for determining how their programs will treat the new benefit, the federal government has called on them to exempt Canada Disability Benefit payments from counting as income in relation to provincial or territorial supports.”
What is particularly egregious to Albertans facing this clawback, is the knowledge that Alberta Members of the Legislature receive an accommodation allowance of $2200/month, up from $1930. Last fall, the Members Services Committee was presented with the request to increase accommodation allowances for the 63 MLAs who reside out of driving distance from Edmonton. The four Opposition members of the Committee voted against the 14% increase while the six Government members voted for the motion, planned to be implemented retroactively and to cost over $200,000 if every eligible MP makes us of it.
Speaking on a Telephone Town Hall event on May 28, 2025, the leader of Alberta’s Opposition New Democratic Party, former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, stated that Alberta is the only province in Canada planning to take the Canada Disability Benefit out of the hands of its citizens.
In April 2025, members of the citizen action group “Vibrant Communities Calgary” (VCC) updated their 2020 “Enough for All” poverty reduction strategy. Since their launch in 2005, VCC has launched a number of projects, including research projects intended to inform the development of public policy.
In August 2023, in an article entitled “How do we fix AISH”, VCC summarized key areas addressed in their policy brief entitled: “Liveable Incomes: Improving the Effectiveness of Alberta's AISH Program”
These include:
AISH benefits do not meet the poverty line (VCC recommends that AISH benefits should not be indexed using the all-items Consumer Price Index, but in a way that more closely ties to food and housing inflation.)
Many people fall through the cracks because of complex procedures, confusing language, limited access to case managers, and high out of pocket expenses. Additionally “certain eligibility requirements present unnecessary obstacles for individuals with severe, temporary disabilities or moderate but permanent disabilities.”
People who qualify for federal disability programs must apply again for AISH
People with disabilities not on AISH must continuously justify their income support benefits
AISH appeals are difficult or impossible for those with intellectual or cognitive difficulties
For more information about recommended changes Alberta’s AISH program reach out to https://enoughforall.ca/contact
For more items featuring National AccessAbility Week see https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/national-accessability-week/toolkit.html
And https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/national-accessability-week.html
To contact the office of the recently sworn in Alberta Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon, see https://www.alberta.ca/minister-of-assisted-living-and-social-services
NOTE: Writing for the Edmonton Journal, on May 9, 2025, Cindy Tran mentions Alberta’s plans to start a new disability support program stating:
Province touts new disability program to launch in July 2026
Starting July 2026, the province will implement the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), intended to ensure Albertans with disabilities are not negatively impacted from having a job, according to the province. The program will not be replacing AISH.
(See the second half of this article: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/albertans-protest-federal-disability-benefit-clawback-aish)
Here are links to statements made various disability advocacy groups on the move to claw back the Canada Disability Benefit