By Kendall Worth!
As the Federal government continues to work slowly to get the benefit up and running, here in Nova Scotia, persons with disabilities are waiting patiently for this benefit to come to life. The disability communities in Ontario and western Canada have questions. My recent article is on how an update remains a mystery.
While in other parts of Canada, persons with disabilities are very frustrated that they have to continue living life in poverty – usually meaning living on the allowances of provincial welfare systems. In Nova Scotia the disability community is basically saying we will believe it when we see it.
In the meantime:
Some good news coming to 60% or so of Nova Scotians on income assistance. Those with disabilities will be getting a $300 a month increase, as I covered here. The Nova Scotia disability community is wondering if this increase in our provincial income assistance cheques is a result of negotiations between the provincial and federal governments, happening behind closed doors? After all the federal government is suppose to be having meetings with the provincial governments as part of their work to create this benefit.
Since my posting on March 10th 2024, I have spoken to some sources who tell me that one of the reasons why payments of the disability benefit is being delayed is because closed door meetings, between the federal and provincial governments are happening. The federal government, I am told, is being very clear they want this to be an income supplement, not an income replacement. So some people in Nova Scotia suspect that this $300 increase is because the federal government asked the province to increase the rates for people with disabilities, so that when the disability benefit gets up and running, the Feds will top up the payment. Hum, wait and see!
Many are saying, however, as I have written about a number of times, that with inflation still running out of control, and the homeless population, visible to the public eye, increasing every day; and even though that $300/mo. increase is historic – it is still only a drop in the bucket given the housing rental market and general inflation!
So other unanswered questions are:
When the Canada Disability Benefit becomes available, 1) Will it be an amount a person can actually live on? 2) will it or will it not be clawed back from provincial Income Assistance? And 3) how will employment earnings be affected by this new disability benefit?
Something has got to happen Soon!
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Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.
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