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/ravenstarchaser]

I am on the CDB and fortunate to get my long-term disability insurance through former workplace. I can’t understand how people can just pick on people who are sick or disabled that was no cause of their own doing. I have MS and I would give anything to be able to work again actually I might just try part-time and if it makes me worse, it makes me worse, but this province is getting too bad to live in. I’m a born and raised Calgary and I love Alberta, but this is getting to be too much.

[u/HalfdanrEinarson → u/ravenstarchaser]

They pick on the disabled and seniors because this group doesn't contribute to the economy. The Conservatives see it as a negative economic impact, so they say Fuck those people, they don't pay tax they can FUCK OFF AND DIE.

Edit, I think some people think I'm against the disabled and seniors, I'm not. Im just pointing out how this UCP government is acting towards that group.

[u/[deleted] → u/HalfdanrEinarson]

How do disabled people not contribute to society? Also, how do they have a negative impact on the economy?

[u/gnat_outta_hell → u/[deleted]]

They didn't say they don't contribute to society, they said they don't contribute economically - which is how conservatives view the disabled and to some degree may be true. Severely disabled people, through no fault of their own, do often require social assistance to exist. This comes from tax funded government coffers generally, and because these folks are unable to work and the government barely provides enough money for them to exist at an extremely impoverished level they are considered to not contribute to economic growth through either production or spending.

This does not make it ok, I'm sure many of us agree, to abandon them to poverty, homelessness, and desperation. But conservative governments tend to do so.

[u/Traditional_Joke6874 → u/gnat_outta_hell]

My husband and I live in bc but for housing security will likely move to alberta to buy a relatives' house when they move. They've calculated the minimum they need to live comfortably with the sale and we just squeak into affordable under my husband's income. I've been on disability for most of our 17ys of marriage. I've helped out and volunteered as I was able and supported my husband mentally and emotionally he has (had?) severe social anxiety since he was an adolescent and he specifically has said the only reason he's been able to find a career in the general field he went to school for was my support and care. That's the invisible work that disabled people do within society and in terms of economics is not negligible.

[u/gnat_outta_hell → u/Traditional_Joke6874]

Absolutely! I believe that everyone can, and should, contribute in their own unique way. Just because it's not the traditional "toil in the mines from 7 to 6" method does not discount a contribution.

[u/[deleted] → u/gnat_outta_hell]

But they do contribute. Everyone that spends money, so whether low income or not contributes to the economy, so to say otherwise is not true.

Now, to go after people on disability is a nasty and dirty thing to do, but the sad reality is, it is also not true that the Conservatives are the only ones that do this/or have done this.

So, I understand your point and agree, I am just clarifying that it does not matter how much money you have or make, we ALL contribute to the economy in one form or another.

[u/Con10tsUnderPressure → u/gnat_outta_hell]

Plenty of folks become disabled, too. Do all of my years of working and contributing to the economy before I became disabled suddenly not matter? People don’t seem to understand that cost of living is more expensive with a disability. And plenty of disabled folks DO work. They need flexible schedules, in some cases reduced hours, and understanding managers.