Albertans transitioning to ADAP say cut to benefits will be life-altering

Advocates for people living with disabilities say Alberta should cancel its ADAP program, which will require most disabled people to get a job to keep benefits.

In one month tens of thousands of Albertans who are currently on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) will be transitioned to the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).

The province says the program was designed with input from Albertans living with disabilities to be a more tailored support for clients, but advocates for people living with disabilities are calling for the government to cancel the program.

Deborah Strobel, 56, and her partner Darryl Learie, 52, are among the Albertans set to be transitioned to the new program.

Strobel has osteoarthritis, diabetes and COPD.

Learie has severe generalized anxiety, chronic depression, ADHD and autism.

A year ago when ADAP was announced, they received a letter informing them they’d have to get jobs to continue getting disability benefits.

“They kind of warned us that we have to comply,” Strobel told CTV News Edmonton on Monday.

“It’s not like I don’t want to work. I can’t work. I can’t stand long, I can’t sit long, I can’t walk with weight.”

“To be warned that if I don’t comply, I won’t get assistance, that’s a threat, and I’ve never been threatened by a government ever in my life.”

Currently they receive $1,900 a month each.

“It’s hard to live on $1,900 a month,” Strobel said.

“I don’t know who they think they’re fooling.

“It barely feeds us now.”

She says they pay $1,200 a month for rent and have one vehicle with insurance.

“We have some TV as fun. We don’t do anything, we don’t go anywhere.”

Learie says under the new program couples will face a 12 per cent reduction in their benefits, which for him and Strobel amounts to around $400 per month.

“I’ll have to look at options for credit counseling because for decades under AISH, which was assured income, we could depend on our income not changing,” Learie said.

“We knew that there was going to be money to make payments for prior financial commitments, but now we have to forego some of those financial commitments.”

“I would have to sell my car and get something really cheap, something that might break down after a while,” Strobel said.

The couple says they would also have to move and may not be able to stay together.

“I’ve got one daughter that I could ask to live with, but she doesn’t have room for both of us, and his mom might take him,” Strobel said.

“We won’t be a couple anymore.”

Learie started a petition that gathered nearly 6,000 signatures asking the government to reconsider.

He also wrote an essay on how ADAP would impact his life that was presented in the Alberta Legislature by the opposition NDP.

The party held a news conference on Monday and told reporters there aren’t enough jobs to accommodate everyone on ADAP.

“We’re in a recession. There are no jobs. To expect that 40 or 50,000 people are going to be able to find jobs instantly is ridiculous and dangerous,” Marie Renaud, shadow minister for community and social services said.

“That’s why we are here right now saying please listen to all of the people that are urging you to stop this dangerous transition before it’s too late.”

The NDP was joined by advocates for people living with disabilities, including Zachary Weeks.

“What we are seeing from this government is arrogance and a lack of responsibility, they’re trying to spin this transition as something the disability community wanted. Let me be very clear, that is not true,” he said.

“People are telling us they do not know how they are going to survive this transition. Some are in crisis.”

The province says clients transitioning to ADAP will receive customized, one-on-one support and access to resources to gain new skills.

The cost of one medical reassessment for anyone who believes they should not be transitioned to ADAP will also be covered by the province.

About 30,000 Albertans receiving AISH will not be transitioned to ADAP, including those with severe and profound developmental disabilities, people with palliative or terminal medical conditions, people living in care homes, and people 60 years of age or older.

The carve-outs don’t cover Strobel and Learie.

“The original AISH program was a very good program. It wasn’t perfect but it accommodated everything that was necessary, including fantastic employment opportunities,” Learie said.

“There was really no need for ADAP. It’s just a budget cut disguised as opportunity.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa