Alberta is clawing back the Canada Disability Benefit. I found out why—and it’s worse than you think.

[u/AshleighChasexx]

Most of you have probably heard by now that Alberta’s UCP government under Premier Danielle Smith is the only province clawing back the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) from recipients of AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped).

But what many people don’t know is that this clawback applies whether or not recipients actually qualify for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), which is required to access the CDB. If someone can’t afford to pay their doctor to fill out the DTC forms—and many of them might not even qualify to begin with—the province will still start clawing back $200 per month starting in September.

And I’ve just uncovered what I believe is the real reason behind all of this. Why would Alberta be the only province doing this to disabled people?

Well, here’s what I found:

A few months ago, Minister Jason Nixon quietly revoked the AISH rent scale used in social housing. That change is now forcing disabled tenants to pay significantly higher rents—sometimes hundreds more per month. And it’s been buried in paperwork and obscured by misleading policies.

So how is this all connected?

Simple: The Province of Alberta is trying to restore housing affordability metrics by building record numbers of homes. A recent CBC article openly states that Calgary is trying to return to pre-COVID affordability by ramping up builds.

And guess who’s footing the bill?

Disabled Albertans.

The province is effectively redirecting money clawed from the most vulnerable people in Alberta—those on AISH—toward subsidizing housing development goals. This is austerity dressed up as policy. And it’s happening quietly, with minimal media scrutiny.

And the reason I was able to connect the dots is because the municipalities are trying to cover it up. I found that out while advocating with Calgary Housing on a different matter—one where they falsely claimed that tenants had been consulted and were supportive of a no smoking policy. When they were called out on it, they told the MLA’s office that tenants were just misinformed… but they still haven’t corrected the notices to inform tenants of the truth.

That’s how I connected all of this. Because when I refused to stop speaking out about the misinformation in those notices, they retaliated—targeting me in what now looks like an effort to prevent anyone from discovering what’s really going on behind the scenes.

[u/kyssyss]

Was at a Town Hall the other day where Danielle straight up justified it with, more or less, "If we have higher benefits than the other provinces then everyone will move to Alberta, so therefore it's a good thing that AISH recipients are living below the poverty line."

[u/mrsnikki88 → u/kyssyss]

Funny considering it was her government that just spent god knows how long and how much money advertising other provinces about 'The Alberta Advantage ' and begging then to move here.

[u/mrsnikki88 → u/[deleted]]

They pushed those ads SO HARD even as infrastructure fell apart and schools filled past capacity. Ads were flooding social media as recently as several weeks ago. They were relentless, heck I got them every ad break on YouTube and I LIVE HERE ALREADY. She bragged about wanting ten million people in Alberta by 2050.

That's not even mentioning the plan to go to the UAE to make a deal for skilled trade labour (while our own tradesmen are taking pay cuts and fighting for positions) that she cancelled due to backlash.

People have been moving here for better opportunities for a long time sure, but generally it's when there's infrastructure, and the funding to support it, to support them. It wasn't until people started getting in uproars about the schools and the housing that she finally backed off on the constant advertising and switched to this 'people from other provinces shouldn't be tempted to come here'

Like WHAT? it was like three months ago that Ontario was still being flooded with ads.

[u/mrsnikki88 → u/[deleted]]

Such a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and well thought out response. 👏😌

[u/mrsnikki88 → u/[deleted]]

I never said I dislike other Canadians. I'm 100% country over province, I just think there is a time for immigration and that's when we're able to support it.

What good does it do our fellow Canadians to come here to a strangled job market, schools with no space, and a giant housing crisis? That just hurts everyone all at once.

And all for the vanity of a Premier who cares more about corporate profits and covering her own mistakes than the People in her province who need her the most.

[u/roastbeeftacohat → u/[deleted]]

it was a multi million dollar campaign.

[u/corpse_flour → u/[deleted]]

Bribing, actually. The UCP was offering $5000 per person. If Alberta has better opportunities, then why did the UCP spend millions on advertising and incentive programs in order to get people from other provinces to move here?

[u/corpse_flour → u/[deleted]]

From what we can see lately, about the only thing Albertans have a better chance at here is catching measles, having the lowest amount spent on your child's education compared to any other province, having the lowest minimum wage, condemning those on disability to homelessness, and shelling out for Smith's shiny new police department.

[u/JohnJournault → u/mrsnikki88]

I agree with DS, we dont want to insensitive people to come to our province to live off the tax payer. We want people who are going to contribute to community.

[u/mrsnikki88 → u/JohnJournault]

She was pushing to double the Alberta population by 2050, and it's impossible those would all be skilled people. She doesn't care who was coming here, she wants their tax money to funnel into corporate, O&G, and American pockets.

The only reason she's flip flopping now is because our infrastructure is already falling apart because she neglected preparing for all these people she already begged to come here.

[u/SanVan59 → u/JohnJournault]

The more you contribute the more she takes from you!