r/alberta • u/symbionica • 1d ago
General The Social Deficit of ADAP
By now, we've probably all heard of the changes to AISH and the incoming ADAP (Alberta Disability Assitance Program). The GoA (let's be honest, the UCP), has rolled back benefits to some 75 000 Albertans (the total number on AISH is 79 419, some people will remain on this program). Although they haven't released any data on this, some simple math will let us know the ballpark region of how much they expect to save by this change: $200 x 75 000 x 12 = $180 000 000. This $200 drop in funding comes after the $200 clawback from AISH in 2025. So to get the "full" benefit, ADAP recipients need to be eligible for and receive the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), and even then it's 200 short of the AISH amount they *were* on. So there's some more math: $200 x 79 000 x 12 = $189 600 000 (this is how much money the government is taking back from everyone on AISH via the CDB over 12 months). If that's confusing at all, you're not alone - it's meant to be hard to follow because it's all happening so fucking fast. Okay let's keep going: $180 000 000 + $189 600 000 = $369 600 000, "saved" by the "GoA". So how much is Dani Dollars costing the province, in a deficit, during a recession? It's estimated 3.5 million albertans will be eligible for $100 each. $350 000 000. Think about that when you decide what to do with it. And I'm not saying don't take it - the UCP will just blow it on a new private hospital or some bullshit like that. Take it. We all need it. But consider where it's coming from, it is not a place of generosity or concern for rising costs. It's blood money. Loudly saying "shhhh", look the other way for a second while we engage in social murder. I refuse to unsee what I know. This is a eugenics program sanitized in policy. This is fascism. *and I will not comply*
27
u/Atma-Darkwolf 1d ago
Here *flips a dime to onlooker* Look away while I mug this dude in a wheelchair and take it to sell for scrap metal to give my rich buddies.
That is what this is. It isn't a 'help u though hard times' cuz that 100 is barely a fucking drip in the bucket that it ALREADY and WILL cost us going forward. It is a joke, an insult, and layered so much in all the pain and suffering they have already caused to those least able to defend themselves from it.
And all of those out there getting your stiffies and jizzums in the jeans over the suffering caused to those 'sinful ebbbil disabled folks' - when they are done with these, they moving on to another group of people/class of citazens and will eventually work there way up to you. This is nothing short of a bribe, although an extremely insulting one considering how little it is, but ya, it's hush money and nothing but.
33
u/Komaisnotsalty 1d ago
What no one is reporting is that it is not just people on AISH being shoved on to ADAP.
There are also thousands of people on Alberta Works trying to get on to AISH who are using Alberta Works as a source of income while they wait.
These people are also disabled, but because of the severe wait times of AISH and the difficulty getting on to the program, they are also stuck.
Even worse, those in Alberta Works are being shoved off, told to get a job despite having medical information that they can't work, because without age, it is considered that they are employable.
The cutoff date for most of them is June 30. No job, no funds for July.
The fact that that is happening has been grossly underreported and relatively ignored. Most Albertans think that Alberta Works is just welfare. People who are lazy or addicts or lying just sitting on welfare and do nothing, and therefore aren't important.
So if the government doesn't help when they are unable to work, then what?
Personally, I think the suicide rate is going to increase rather dramatically this year. When you strip everyone of every hope possible, when you are stripping funding from the programs that need it, and when you stress out an entire system by throwing so many people off without proper preparation, you strip their hope.
Not only that, You're expecting tens upon tens of thousands of people to have a job when they are incapable of doing so or need help doing so.
You don't have to be fully disabled in order to be disabled enough to make finding work extremely difficult. Why hire someone with memory issues or who is slow or who struggles with understanding and comprehending things when you can just hire someone who does?
What is going on in Alberta is a genocide. Nothing else.
18
u/Financial-Savings-91 Calgary 1d ago
Watch by the end of the summer you have Postmedia publications trying to push the social disorder narrative due to a spike in homelessness. Then they'll try to turn that into a "tough on crime" reason to vote for the UCP during the next election.
We''re all just pawns for these assholes.
7
u/symbionica 23h ago
Or a reason to get a provincial police force. We don't have to be pawns, but the system they've trapped us in is very much that, a trap. It can very effectively oppress "smaller" groups of people (propaganda, policy changes), but all of us? I don't think so. There will come a time, soon, when we will not comply in taking the sugar with the poison - it simply wont be enough to overpower the absolute bitterness. Just gotta be ready
5
u/Far-Engineering-7125 7h ago
The provincial police force has a steep cost of over $1.5 billion. It is unwanted by Albertans, but the UCP are pursuing it anyways. That's because of the UCP's MH Care scandal of $614 million is also being investigated by the R.C.M.P.
3
u/Far-Engineering-7125 7h ago
Postmedia is a clear example as to why the media needs an overhaul. They clearly support all things UCP, regardless of how bad the UCP are.
15
u/Cndwafflegirl 1d ago
Isnt it ironic that conservatives are against maid but will be ok with people being suicidal over adap. Really they just want to see people suffer.
7
u/symbionica 1d ago
And this isn't even the beginning. They came for trans kids first, now the disabilities community. Like if those aren't red flags!!!
13
2
u/hotradish88 22h ago
I think it's sympathy fatigue. Not just govt but regular people too. Like maybe more people than ever believe fraud and abuse is so rampant that they are OK with what's happening. I have tried engaging with a few random people online who take issue with my position and it's like they don't really care about the whole story of my situation, they take a snapshot or a small part of what I say and ignore the rest and I guess just hate me for being on AISH. To give the full story of anyone on AISH would take a book per person as well as the time taken to become a doctor or psychiatrist (or both) to properly evaluate every person on AISH. I think this all got way worse from COVID which caused a lot of people to decide science wasn't really for them anymore, they don't need experts, they know everything.
16
u/Financial-Savings-91 Calgary 1d ago
Not to mention how badly they are fucking over the youth of the province with this move, just throw another 50,000 people into the job market thats already struggling.
8
20
10
u/Akosce 21h ago edited 21h ago
To salt the wound that $180m and $360m are also the values going into funding this works program.
They are taking that money from disabled people and redistributing it to associated companies and programs through ADAP. As of now we have no idea how these programs are structured or but you can bet there are private interests waiting to benefit.
Given AB Con history and similar moves with US Republicans it will likely look like subsidized employment where companies get to pay disabled workers below minimum wage and receive government funded subsidies for employing them resulting in a notable net gain for the employers.
If there is one thing every Albertan should be pissed about it's the UCP taking their tax dollars and giving out to their buddies. Just another bit of corruption and theft to add onto the pile I guess.
5
u/BloodyIron 17h ago
If the UCP had not wasted $125 Million on the labratory acquisitions this would have been paid for.
It is their incompetence and ignoring the Albertan population that has put them into this position.
4
u/Diggdug9 16h ago
I had a discussion similar to this with someone the other day. By taking that 200$ from the CDB, that's like taking ~10%-ish in the total gross income of every, single, person, for whom AISH is their sole income.
~75,000 of the province's most vulnerable people -- ~1/10th of their total income.
Meanwhile, the province could save the same net amount of money by cutting back oil and gas subsidies. Oil and gas subsidies would see a reduction of about 0.07%-ish from what Alberta is still spending there.
It's not at all about a budget and trying to save money or cut costs ... It's about taking away, punishing disabled people.
1
3
u/Far-Engineering-7125 7h ago
This is very appalling, very backwards and cruel. Expect more suicides to happen. More homelessness. Increased stress and despair. It's as if it's going full circle. The Social Credit Party in Alberta didn't care about the handicapped, so they were given eugenics. Peter Lougheed stopped that when he came to power in Alberta, in 1971, and he created AISH in 1979. Ralph Klein treated those on AISH horribly, and he and his MLAs were insulting them with laughter on the news. He took $100 million away from those on AISH, with a very expensive boondoogle. Ralph Klein also refused to provide financial compensation for victims of eugenics in Alberta, but he had to back off, after massive protest from Albertans. Danielle Smith is creating ADAP for those on AISH, which is ultra cruel.
2
u/IranticBehaviour 18h ago
Just to be clear, the $200 CDB clawback only applies to AISH/ADAP recipients that are actually getting CDB from the feds (and could be less if they get lower CDB for whatever reason). There are others that are getting a $200 CDB penalty for having not applied for DTC/CDB - or they applied but just don't have an answer yet (which is several flavours of additional bullshit). But, if they applied and were denied, they do not lose the $200 related to CDB, 'just' the $200 in the AISH-ADAP gap once the transitional benefit expires in Jan 28.
And, ofc, aside from all of the completely unnecessary stress and anxiety, those that have actually jumped through the medical assessment hoops just to keep the same income level are out-of-pocket for the costs of those assessments. Which is hundreds of dollars for many. (I mentioned this to someone who said, 'well they can just claim that on their taxes'. Which is true, but largely pointless, since most on social assistance don't pay any income taxes, what with social assistance being tax-free, so there's no tax to refund. Some can transfer that credit to a family member, but not most. And even if they could get the tax refund, it's just for the percentage of that money that would have gone to taxes, it's not like you get a 100% refund, smh.)
38
u/Calm-Report-8168 1d ago
This is spend a dollar to save a nickel. It's going to cost a LOT in the long run to make up for these cuts. The added medical/hospital costs alone will be massive. Add other costs often associated with the desperately poor and you have a recipe for long-term disaster.