By Kendall Worth
A rally is to take place on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday October 19th, 2022!
This Tweet points out why!
Right here in Nova Scotia, the Disability Community, are going through a range of emotions, on hearing about the proposed Disability Benefit being debated in parliament. On the one hand, because everyone is hoping for something better than our Provincial Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Program. Although, on the other hand, the disability Community members all agree that there are a lot of unanswered questions and details to be worked out, regarding this benefit. I wrote about a number of these unanswered questions, here.
The best we can hope for is that this benefit will provide enough money, for those who qualify, to actually live on.
As much as Nova Scotian’s with disabilities want to be on Parliament Hill to show their support, tomorrow, it is not difficult to assume that, at the standard household rate of $950/mo., provided on the ESIA program, making a trip to Ottawa is completely out of the question. Most people have next to nothing left after rent, and living expenses are paid.
However, this disability benefit is for people with disabilities, living anywhere in Canada, not just here in Nova Scotia. According to a contact I have in Ontario, people in Ontario do not receive much more than the $950 we receive monthly, here in N.S. The one thing this disability benefit should ensure is that it will improve the quality of life, of persons with disabilities. To determine who will qualify for such a benefit the government needs to look at:
The growing homeless population in Canada, includes people with disabilities. If a person with a disability received $2000 a month on a disability benefit while homeless, they can have the freedom to start having success, looking for a place to live,. Many homeless people with disabilities need adequate and sometimes special housing because of health care needs.
Sources tell me that in addition to 950.00 standard household rate right here in Nova Scotia, other provincial income assistance and disability allowance programs, across Canada do not provide enough money to live on.
Receiving a disability allowance from something like a Disability Benefit, does not cancel out the need for things like Pharmacare, and more affordable housing.
A Disability Benefit should be all about improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities.
An Ontario contact recently pointed out it is impossible to understand how people with disabilities, in Ontario, can afford to live in downtown Toronto with rents starting at $1500 a month. According to my contact a person with disabilities in Ontario gets $1023 a month to live on from the Ontario Disability Support Program. This is only a $73.00 jump from the $950.00 a month Standard Household Rate we receive right here in Nova Scotia. My Contact also told me, that he personally knows people with disabilities, who became homeless within the past year because they could no longer afford rent. People should matter whether or not we have disabilities, we all need to live an acceptable quality of life. The government should look at things like how can we afford to pay rent, eat healthy food and pay Bills!? The $2000 a month Canadians received on CERB is the answer.
Persons with disabilities in Nova Scotia, are saying, even though the creation of the Disability Benefit is Federal jurisdiction, our provincial Government has a responsibility in this as well. The provincial Government’s responsibility is making sure that people who qualify for this Disability Benefit do not lose income assistance. When people were receiving CERB, then got automatically transitioned over to EI, when CERB ended, Income Assistance was suspended for those who qualified.
Let’s hope better days are to some for Persons with Disabilities with this Disability Benefit.
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