By Kendall Worth!
As I wrote in my first BLOG of 2026, Income Assistance (IA) rates in Nova Scotia were increased as of January 1st by 1.6%. The official Government announcement can be found here.
What this means in practice is that those eligible for the full enhanced Standard Household rate will now receive $1,022 a month, which is $17 more than last year. Depending on their circumstances that is, as many IA recipients receive much less. The Disability Supplement was also increased at the same rate, which means an increase of only $6 a month.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been having conversations with people in my community about their response to these increases. The general feedback has been one of disappointment as the rate of increase this year on the standard benefit was MUCH lower – only about half – of last year’s rate increase of 3.1%. Not surprisingly, people questioned how they would be able to make ends meet through 2026. This is particularly worrying given that most tenants face 5% increases in their monthly rent. Many in our community are concerned about the risk of becoming homeless if they are unable to meet their new rent charges. This is an issue I have written about regularly in my BLOG.
Another issue that arose regularly in conversation is that of the Special Diet Allowance. The fact is that the Special Diet Allowance benefit has not increased in 12 years! This is unbelievable, given how much the price of groceries has increased over that same period. I have addressed this issue in earlier BLOGS. There are also many issues around the eligibility criteria for this program, which is an important but different issue as over the years, many past recipients have lost their access to this important Allowance.
Group Interview:
I recently came together with four members of our community to have a group conversation on these issues and how it was affecting their daily lives. For the purpose of this BLOG, I will refer to these individuals using pseudonyms or “fake names”. This is for reasons of personal privacy, to avoid any risk of stigma or harassment.
The four participants were Florence, Jable, A-jay, and Rover.
Florence receives the $1022 Enhanced Standard Household Rate as well as the $324 Disability Supplement. She also qualifies for a rental subsidy of $315, as well as the small telephone ($40) and special diet ($54) supplements. This totals $1,755 in monthly benefits - which may sound to readers like a lot of money, but in today’s economy, it really is not. Once rent is paid, Florence is left with only $705 to get through the month. $94 of that goes directly towards her phone and special dietary needs, leaving only $611 to cover her power bill, groceries and personal supplies. Compared to many others, Florence can actually be considered fortunate because she is now also receiving $200 through the new Federal Disability Benefit. This cheque comes late in the month and helps her to make it through the month.
Jable: Jable’s situation is more difficult than Florence’s because she does not qualify for the Federal Disability benefit. I have been a big advocate for this Benefit through this BLOG, and have discussed the eligibility issues here, from a Nova Scotia perspective. Otherwise, Jable also receive the Standard Household plus the Disability Supplement, rental subsidy and Telephone Allowance. This totals a monthly income of $1,688. Once rent is paid ($1,000) as well as phone, she is left with $646 for all other expenses. Jable has applied for Special Diet Allowances, supported with the required Doctor’s notes. But she was denied and that decision was upheld when she appealed it. Jable feels that this is another example of how the IA bureaucracy is a systematic problem in its dealings with ESIA clients.
A-jay: A-jay’s situation is different as he is renting a room from a relative. But this has meant that his Caseworker will only approve him for a $674 Boarding Allowance. He is also not eligible for the Telephone Allowance because as a boarder he is considered to have access to a phone. A-jay’s relative charges him $550 for the room, which leaves him only $124 for all expenses, including groceries and cellphone. In this situation, A-jay is clearly food insecure and he has to rely on help from other community agencies for food and meals.
Rover: Rover was more reluctant to speak to his immediate financial circumstances. He acknowledged that he receives the Enhanced Standard Benefit, but did not want to discuss personal finances any further. It was clear that this was a conversation that was raising his anxiety level. However, Rover had comments and questions about a number of the policy issues that I regularly raise in my BLOGs. He brought up my recent BLOG post here, where I discussed ideas for change like Guaranteed Basic Income and Social Prescribing Organization. Rover questioned how many First Voices from our community really understand these issues and are open to going back to school or looking for work. With regards to my repeated calls to address the social isolation of IA recipients in this BLOG and others, Rover also questioned how people living in poverty are expected to think about such issues when they are pre-occupied with the threat of homelessness that hovers over their daily lives.
Reflecting on our Conversation:
For me, this conversation confirmed the point I made in a recent BLOG where I regretted the demise of BRAG – the Benefits Reform Action Group - and spoke about the need for IA recipients in HRM to have an advocacy organization that addresses their shared needs. The problem seems to be that we can all agree on how the social and economic circumstances for income assistance are negatively impacting our community. But we seem unable to come together to advocate for something better.
At different times over the years, I have felt like a one man show both in my advocacy efforts and my journalism. We can all see that there is a large pool of people living in poverty in HRM. Indeed, Florence, Jable, A-jay, and Rover are all members of that large pool. But the willingness or capacity to engage in joint efforts seem limited: everyone is focused on simple day-to-day survival.
It is clear to everyone that the recent small increases in benefit rates will do NOTHING to actually address and resolve the various issues that people living in poverty are facing in their day-to-day lives. With mental health and social isolation being the major examples.
To make any progress on these issues I believe we need to think creatively and “outside the box”. I am reminded of my conversation a few years back with a dietician who made a compelling case about the links between health and poverty as seen through diet and nutrition. It is only through this sort of thinking – and the resulting policy recommendations – that we can truly start to have a positive impact on the lives of people living on IA in Nova Scotia.
Celebrating a 1.6% increase in benefits just does not cut it. At the end of the day, we have to answer the simple question of whether we feel compelled to respect the human dignity of ALL our citizens and neighbours.
The
struggle continues!
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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