Alberta’s new disability program isn’t about empowerment — it’s about stripping support from the people who need it most
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 Assistance Program (ADAP), a move that will hurt tens of thousands of disabled Albertans.
This change is not needed, it is not wanted and it is dangerous.
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.
And the cruelest part? Alberta plans to claw back every dollar of that federal benefit from provincial payments.
The CDB 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.
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. At the Premier’s Council town hall on September 8, the message was clear: these changes are unnecessary, cruel and they will deepen poverty.
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.
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.
A friend of mine, paralyzed in a car accident, has a Canadian accounting degree. She applied for more than 200 jobs and didn’t receive a single offer. She was ready and qualified, but the moment employers saw her wheelchair, doors closed. If someone with her credentials can’t get hired, what hope do people with higher care needs have?
And now, on top of all of this, comes the claw back. 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?
The desperation in Alberta’s disability community is real. There is growing chatter about medical assistance in dying (MAiD). People are exhausted from endless barriers and crushed by the prospect of even less financial security. Some now see death as the only way out of this government-created suffering.
That reality should horrify every Albertan.
Meanwhile, Premier Smith and Minister Jason Nixon didn’t decide to “find savings” by asking oil companies or their wealthy friends to pay their fair share. They chose instead to take money from the poorest and most vulnerable. We are left choosing between food, catheters or medication that keeps us alive.
And let’s not forget: Alberta is the only province without accessibility legislation, and the only one clawing back the Canada Disability Benefit. The richest province in the country is also the one most intent on robbing its disabled residents.
This is not just about us. Disability is not an “us versus them” issue. You can be born with one. You can acquire one through an accident or illness. Or, if you’re lucky enough to grow old, you will age into one. No one is immune.
What happens to disabled Albertans today will happen to you or someone you love tomorrow.
The changes planned for 2026 will devastate lives if we don’t act now. Disabled Albertans need allies to speak up and hold this government accountable. We cannot let Danielle Smith’s government pretend it is “empowering” us while stealing from us.
Disabled Albertans deserve dignity, stability and real opportunity — not political spin. So, I ask you: whose side are you on? Because one day, these policies could affect you too.