‘We can’t pay for anything’: Alberta disability income recipients struggle with inflation

Budgeting amid high inflation and rising gas prices has proven to be a tricky task for most, but those living with a disability or medical condition on a fixed-income say they are really struggling.

In 2019, the UCP government changed the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and other employment support programs so increases to payments are no longer tied to inflation.

The maximum payment under AISH is $1,685 a month, an amount recipient Raven Wolf says is not enough.

Wolf tells CityNews they can’t keep up with inflation, which hit 5.7 per cent in February — the second straight month the rate has clocked in at more than five per cent.

“It’s like as soon as I pay the power bill and the land rent, it’s like I can’t buy food, I can’t pay for propane, I can’t pay for insurance,” they said.

Related Article: ‘Can’t we have lives too?’: High risk Canadians feel forgotten as COVID rules lift

Wolf says they feel left behind by the government.

“It’s like we don’t exist or we’re not there,” they said, noting he has reached out to every level of government.

The issue is not new for NDP MLA Marie Renaud who serves as the critic for community and social services.

She has previously documented her attempt to live on an AISH income.

The representative for St. Albert says $1,685 is simply not enough.

“You know average rent for I think a one-bedroom apartment in Edmonton is just under $1,000, so you can imagine then paying for groceries, transportation, medication in some cases. People are just unable to afford it,” said Renaud.

In an email statement to CityNews a spokesperson says the government “knows how important social programs like Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped are for people who rely on them. That is why Alberta’s AISH rates are the highest among the provinces at $1,685 per month.”

“At over $1.4 billion, this is the largest budget AISH has ever had and we are proud of that. In budget 2022 Alberta’s government is also investing $34 million in employment support to empower the most vulnerable and help them reach their full potential,” the statement concludes.

Related Article: COVID long-haulers dealing with issues accessing financial assistance

Renaud points out the reason the UCP’s spending on AISH is so high is because there’s so many people on it.

She is calling on the government to tie payment increases to inflation immediately and catch people up for the years they have missed.

“In a year where essentially they’ve won the lottery with commodity prices, they have balanced a budget, they have a surplus, they again have chosen to crow about a balanced budget and a surplus meanwhile we’ve got over 120,000 people really struggling,” she said.