It’s hard to comprehend the cruelty of the United Conservative Party’s surreptitious implementation of a rent hike for Albertans who receive Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and live in community housing.
Media reported Wednesday that last May Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon quietly approved a new formula for determining how much AISH recipients in community housing pay in rent, resulting in a de facto $220 monthly rent increase for some of Alberta’s most vulnerable citizens.
The formula achieves this goal by no longer exempting income used to determine an AISH recipient’s community housing rent, cutting their income by $220 every month staring on Oct. 1.
This blow comes on top of the UCP Government’s outrageous decision in March to claw back the $200 Canada Disability Benefit from AISH recipients as soon as it took effect this month by cutting AISH payments by the same amount.
Alberta was the only Canadian province mean-spirited enough to snatch back what was supposed to be a federal effort to reduce poverty among disabled people. It amounted to a near-10-per-cent tax on disability, Inclusion Alberta CEO Trish Bowman said at the time.
Last night, Marie Renaud, the NDP’s Community and Social Services Critic and a long-time advocate for disabled people, accused the government of Premier Danielle Smith of “deliberately targeting disabled AISH recipients with policies that inflate housing costs, further destabilizing lives already on the edge of deep poverty.”
Calling the Smith Government “astoundingly incompetent and corrupt,” she said “disabled Albertans have had the new Canada Disability Benefit stolen from them by the UCP and are told it’s all good because AISH is generous.”
“Intake for essential disability services is essentially non-existent, waitlists are hidden, and disability advocacy groups are being silenced,” Ms. Renaud added.
Here in Wild Rose Country, though, we presumably need the dough to run separatist referenda and bust up the most efficient public health care agency in Canada. Danielle Smith’s government certainly wouldn’t want Ottawa getting any credit for helping the poor and vulnerable!
Folk wisdom says we should never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. But in this case, the balance of evidence suggests malice played a more significant role in these decisions.
For starters, when the CBC broke the news about the rent hike to organizations representing disabled Albertans on Wednesday, it appears to have been the first anyone had heard of it. The UCP, which often pumps out six or more press releases in a single day on a variety of often picayune topics never published a formal statement about the change to the rent calculation formula.
As a result, advocates for the disabled were gobsmacked.
The change was outlined in an Order in Council signed by Mr. Nixon without fanfare on May 15. A list of such cabinet orders is published on the government’s website, so some of the blame for Wednesday’s surprise must go to Alberta’s mostly compliant and under-staffed media. Still, is said here that Mr. Nixon, who is no dummy, knew perfectly well what would happen when the plan was not properly announced.
Mr. Nixon, moreover, appeared to have taken a powder Wednesday, leaving it to his press secretary to try to pass the change off as an effort to “increase fairness” in the way the government assesses rent.
And remember, while the AISH cuts were being planned and covertly executed, the same government was about to exultantly announce that the province had ended the last fiscal year with a bigger-than-telegraphed $8.3-billion budget surplus.
This, of course, had to be known to the government at the time the plans to push disabled Albertans further into poverty were being hatched.
Yesterday, meanwhile, the government was back flooding the zone with six news releases, some of little significance beyond their value as distractions, others aimed at engaging the UCP’s extremist base.
In a release headlined “New standards for school libraries,” Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced new mandatory rules that will result in many books containing “inappropriate sexual content,” whatever that means, being banned from school libraries.
“Our actions to ensure that materials in school libraries don’t expose children to sexual content were never about banning books,” Dr. Nicolaides insisted. Nevertheless, books will be banned.
Critics described the ban as an Alberta version of Florida’s #DontSayGay book ban. This would be on-brand for a government run by Ms. Smith, who has praised the Republican state as “a little bastion of freedom.”
Another presser yesterday announced the creation of performative regional health care advisory councils to provide “more opportunities for Albertans to bring forward their local priorities and offer input on how to improve the system,” as the canned quote attributed to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange put it.
Oddly, Mr. Nixon was available to contribute a quote to that news release extolling the way “these regional advisory councils will help us better understand those needs and ensure that assisted living services are shaped by the people who rely on them.”
Yet another release announced the three-year appointment of lawyer Jonathan Carlzon as commissioner of the government’s so-called Compassionate Intervention Commission, which will conduct reviews and hear appeals related to the government’s planned involuntary abstinence approach to treating drug addiction.
Yesterday’s crop of releases also included word that Alberta Sheriffs closed down a house in Edmonton said to have been used in the drug trade, announced a grant from the Aboriginal Business Investment Fund, and provided the latest list of Orders in Council.
Media are advised to look through that list to ensure there are no surprises lurking among the cabinet orders for unsuspecting Albertans.
Mr Nico laid as is “banning” books he hasn’t read because he’s too busy ???
Malice sounds about right for Cruella du Berta ….her other hero did it in one BBB, while she is whipping them out one lash at a time.
Podcasters and commentators have been saying for some time now, that- cruelty- IS the point.
They just really don’t care, and the phrase ” give me your poor, your tired, your hungry ” has become if you have $5m, we’ll give you a gold visa card. (Fine print-subject to change at our discretion) .
And Mother Nature keeps warning them, but again, they don’t care. “So what if the oceans rise a few inches, that’ll just mean more waterfront”…. sorry to say, that was an actual quote…. Twitch
Randi-lee: Cruella du Berta is very good. DJC
Iam disabled clawing back 220 bucks then increasing the cost of housing by 200 meana the disabled are out 420 desperately needed dollars at a time of rising food costs etc.that is called inhumane , yet the politicians dine on steaks and caviar. Must be nice for these idiots to have a good nights sleep while we are looking at the streets ss our next home.
My rent has gone up $350 in the last 2 yrs and will go up again when i renew the lease. I may be homeless. She does this to vulnerable Albertans. She won’t even implement rent control. We have to show them with our votes.
They are also throwing all on aish to ADAPT in July at a rate of $1740 and we have to apply and prove again that we qualify for aish. Also no rent control. My rent has gone up $420 in last 2 years.
And for those who missed it,
Mr Nicolaidas,
Education Minister,
is going to have to resign that bill….**
Signed at ‘July 4th, Alberta, on Calgary (date)
Thanks N. Maybe he was distracted by that “secshulle espliset” material .
“…books containing ‘inappropriate sexual content,’ whatever that means…”
The appendix to the ministerial order spells out exactly what it means, in rather tiresome detail. It’s more or less any sort of illustration or written description of physical contact involving private parts, or of “ejaculation onto another person”.
Denying grade 11 and 12 students access to that sort of material in their school libraries strikes me as paranoid and puritanical. We can fault the movers and shakers in the government for that, but not for being unclear about their intentions.
Nixon driving more clients to his family business.
Yes, the one that his family benefits from, with pensions payable to them. The grift just never ends. When will CRA clamp down?
Meanwhile Jason (aka Lurch) has no problem in quietly penalizing those with less means to survive.
Is he receiving a pension from the business?
How many of these people will end up on the streets, unhoused? As anyone who has lived fully employed on a precarious income knows, one unexpected expense in a month can be enough to tip the scale.
Certain politicians would like us to believe that people deserve to be punished for poverty in a society that values money alone. Somebody will end up at the bottom of this pyramid. A pyramid has a wide base. Those at the top are fewer in number, so kicking down the poors maintains one’s place higher up.
Jason Kenney got the ball rolling down this path in 2019. Danielle Smith simply pushed it the rest of the way, over the bluff.
https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/02/14/kenney-comments-at-restaurants-canada-event-draw-the-ire-of-phillips/
“…Kenney said: “Take all the government programs you want. None of them replace the value of a job. The greatest social program is employment. And the greatest creator of employment for young people – for people with modest levels of human capital, for first-time hires – is the restaurant and food services industry.””
When will the UCP start culling old people, who after decades of gainful employment leading to retirement, now seem to have decreased “human capital”? Does a green future in this province mean Soylent Green?
Let us each pause and consider the members of the UCP caucus as the arbiters of our own “human capital”. Some advice for anyone who might not measure up on the UCP “value of a human life” score: don’t move to Edmonton. Why risk having the city police evict you from your tent shelter and strip you of whatever meager belongings allow you to survive in brutal -30 C. weather? Poors gone!
The problem with this unique method of eliminating poverty is that someone always has to be at the bottom of the pyramid in a (late) capitalist society. The scale must move higher. New poors must take the place of the eliminated poors.
We should probably start wondering if we’re headed down a path that was familiar in late 1930s Europe. We must not look away this time. We might not have alligators and crocodiles in Alberta but we do have lizard brains running the swamp. Cold winters are the ultimate exterminator, so who needs reptiles anyways?
I honestly don’t know what to say anymore. Albertans have voted in a dictatorship, that only cares about themselves. Danielle, the Trump mini me, is only open to what these fundamentalists tell her to do and say. She is a good pitch person, I’ll give her that, but she is evil and spews nothing but hate and entitlement.
Not incompetence. Cruelty. They’re punishing people for being disabled and unable to work. There’s no other explanation.
It’s hard to fathom coming from a bunch of people that claim adherence to a religious philosophy based on helping out the less fortunate.
jerrymacgp: Yet, many church pastors and church goers support the UCP. It is mind boggling how they support such a cold hearted and corrupt government.
It appears that cruelty is no longer the point with the UCP, it’s a priority. The UCP can’t decide if they want to be Florida or Texas.
As for the book banning, I notice that a book that includes incest(Genesis 19:30-38) has been deemed A-OK for kids of all ages.
As an aside, has anyone heard how the Stornoway Stowaway is doing poll wise as he carpetbags Battle River?
Maybe if Queen Danielle asks the Orange Mussolini nicely, he will find space for Alberta’s disabled persons in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’? Surely the gators will find them as delicious as the not-so white migrants?
Things just keep getting worse and worse with this government, or should I say seniors and those with disabilities. This Minister is the most heartless one we have ever had in the history of Alberta by far.
All of his tricks are quietly enacted without any discussion or consultation, except no doubt with the premier.
This all started in February of this year when he disbanded the group looking after AISH people’s dental plan. It went from that agency to Blue Cross. The old system of dental benefits had things like 8 cleaning units per year and a quick approval if another 4 we required at the advise from the dentist. Now Blue Cross has 8 units but will not approve any more. So this is an extra cost for those on AISH.
Next was the reduction of optical services for seniors and those on AISH. Items like an annual checkup and following up on things like glaucoma are no longer covered.
Then came the lone province to claw back the Canadian Disability Benefit, and the rent increase. Never mind that many of the folks on AISH that are trying to work generally are at minimum wage, again the UCP thinks having the lowest minimum wage in Canada is good and perhaps would lower it if possible.
In addition rents have been increasing in Alberta at a blistering pace and the UCP refuses to do anything, other than raising the rents for those that live in community housing.
As well they raised the cost of medications for seniors for the first time in 31 years.
And next is the idea of engaging those on AISH so they can find meaningful work, presumably so they can be cut off AISH. One can only say, don’t hold your breath for things to get better, as they no doubt will get much worse before that happens.
Instead of supporting those individuals who are trying to keep “their heads above water” they are being pushed into the deep end. I know one person who is living with a long term disability who has successfully lived downtown Calgary for 37 years. With these new restictions, higher rent and AISH cuts success may be turn into long term care.
There are not enough spaces without being on a wait list. And of your finances aren’t in order….?!
Regarding the library book ban, exactly what kind of material is being removed. Let’s have a look. …
No, Ron, let’s not. If anyone wants to see for themselves, they can go to the government’s page and look it up themselves. While there is disagreement about this, I think most of us here would find the four examples found at a very few locations were not appropriate for school libraries. Even some of the authors said they didn’t think their books were suitable for school collections As I have said in this space before, that problem could have been solved with a discreet phone call. Moreover, none of the examples you would like us to look at were found in elementary school libraries. One problem with this policy is the other things that are going to get caught in this net – including Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, for heaven’s sake, no joke – if the rules are enforced. This in turn is related to the fact that under-funding means many schools can no longer afford librarians. Furthermore, the fact that the government based this performative policy on a group of vigilantes associated with religious extremist groups that advocate for private schools and home schooling suggests a motive unrelated to protecting children from unsuitable materials. If you don’t think this is coming to public libraries soon, you are mistaken. I’ll reconsider this decision if you’ll pledge to read Anne of Green Gables in its entirety (it’s an excellent story; you’ll enjoy it if you have a heart) and get back to me. There will be a close-reading test. DJC
Modern conservatives are only able to think in black and white terms. This simple mindedness seems to help them feel better about themselves.
I saw the movie and countless tv series depicting her antics.
Trying to remember Ron, is watching a film the same as READING A BOOK!?!?
Is the incest promoting “Holy Bible” in that list Ron?
“ ‘These are works with literary and artistic and scientific merit. And perhaps most important, these books contain stories and information that make a difference in the lives of students.’ ”
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/07/11/Alberta-Banned-Books-Target-Inappropriate-Material/
It would take a long time to convince me and be a cold day in hell before I believe that the average UCP supporter READS BOOKS of any kind. Facebook and Telegram don’t count.
It is so difficult to keep reading, and I would imagine, on your part, to keep writing this stuff, when it’s so blatantly evident who is really pulling the strings. No, it’s not the UCP. There’s a term for them I can’t quite remember- fat peasants for plutocracy? Useful sycophants? I wonder how much we’re paying for Ms. de Jonge to go to charm school in Richland, USA (I kid you not).
Bonnie Critchley is gunning for the right to repair and protection against corporate monopolies in agriculture which is why Monsieur Smart and Pretty will win of course.
In the meantime, what is the matter with the ‘reasonable progressives’ in this province, the mushy middle? Jenny Yerimy, Deirdre Mitchell-Maclean, Nenshi, ABResistance can all agree- UCP bad- for sure. But any whiff of a doubt about the whole eternal-growth-trickle-down-pyramid economy has them grasping at their platitudinal folksy ‘we got this together’ guys straws.
Guess they know their manufactured insecurity crowd.
Danielle Smith Alberta has gotten to her head. And this Jason Nixon guy should be sued to hell. Taking from most vulnerable while he only has a job because of the disabled?
Remember, Jason has to ensure a steady stream of clients for his family business.
A more brutal bunch of bastards has never brooded in the back halls of the legislature. Cruelty is the point; especially when you’re talking Jason Nixon, who has a history of bullying and threats of physical violence. Huge guy too, absolutely the mark of a coward when guys that big are bullies.
Bird: I believe this is a fair comment so I will let it stand and take the risk. As someone who has spent a lot of years studying the martial arts, however, I would dispute the folk claim that all bullies are cowards. As I read somewhere once, the graveyards of the world are full of people who made that assumption and discovered it was a mistake. DJC
Botox Dani is evil! She consistently attacks people with disabilities. Trump contagion? She is silent on the hardship heaped upon Canadian by her pal Trump while see looks on admiringly. She is certifiable and without question the worst person to occupy the Premier’s office since the Tory sweep of 1971.
DJC, thank you for your continued advocacy for those without a voice and living on margins in this province.
Thanks, TENET. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Sometimes it’s hard to devote the attention to some of the less sexy topics than they deserve. DJC
DJC— firstly, Thank you kind sir, it’s sad but true.
And I don’t know if my post got lost ( coffee hasn’t reached the fingers yet) so if the following is a duplicate, ignore…Ta!!
Globe and Mail
Danielle Smith isn’t trying to be a Maga leader. She’s trying to be the Wild Rose leader she once was.
( towards the end….)
“And by the time Ms Smith ran for the UCP leadership in 2022,
social conservatives were firmly back in their corner. Those social conservatives include individuals like John Hilton O’Brian,who was a founding member and past president of the Wild Rose party and who now happens to be the executive director of the PCE —one of the groups who pushed the government to act on explicit library material.
(The things that make you go Huh!)
Randi-lee: This was Robin Urback’s piece, I think. I thought her premise was silly. MAGA wasn’t a thing in the years Ms. Smith led the Wildrose Party. The Tea Party was. So what? The key factoid is that Ms. Smith always enthusiastically advocates whatever the worst, farthest-right idea coming out of the United States is. And that’s always just the same shit, different label. So of course she’s trying to be a MAGA leader. When Trump has croaked and some new and even more repugnant right wing movement emerges in the States, Ms. Smith will advocate that. DJC
Not to mention eliminating eye exams for elderly, where early intervention can prevent blindness and an even larger expense for govt. Danielle Smith need to be put out of power along with her up cronies. They have no empathy for anyone.
I just want to cry when I think of the impacts of these measures on people with disabilities. I know many people with disabilities who would love nothing more than to be able to provide for themselves. This is not always possible. And when it’s not, I want my tax dollars poured into their lives to assure the highest quality of life. Instead, my tax dollars are going into the pockets of crooked politicians and their business friends. I am pro business – I have two small businesses of my own. But I am a compassionate capitalist -I believe I have a responsibility to do well, so that I can do good. I have yet to see this Alberta government, with its huge budget surplus, do anything good for people with disabilities. Instead they are stealing federal money intended to make their lives a little easier, and raising their rents. Meanwhile, they’ve given themselves increases to their housing allowances because rents have gone up. I would go insane if I didn’t believe that justice is always served, this side of life or the other.
Thank you for your conscience call!
Donna McBride: The UCP are fooling Albertans when they claim to have a surplus. It is sickening how they treat those on AISH. Basically, much like Ralph Klein did. Very badly.
I am really starting to wonder if the conspiracy theory of aliens that hate us, living amongst us is reality. The hating era of Trump and his disciples.
In my opinion, Carlos, aliens would be smarter. DJC
LOL – loved it
David Climenhaga: There was a song from The 5 Man Electrical Band (Canadian band from the late 1960s), that had a song with lyrics that fit what you are saying.
Anon.: it’s called “I’m a Stranger Here.” The song has a strong pro-environment, anti-war feel. Disturbing, how some things come back around again. And again, and again….
Hello DJC and fellow commenters
The monthly payment of AISH does not even cover the cost of decent rental housing on the open market in Calgary. About all a single AISH recipient can afford is living in a rooming house. Many of these are unsafe from a physical point of view, for example, the electrical system is in poor condition.
The living conditions are usually quite unsatisfactory. Almost no place other than a kitchen table and chairs outside of your room. Often surveillance cameras along with the prohibition of having visitors. Sometimes, other residents have some mental health issues which may create difficulties for other residents. And so on.
I am making these observations as result of trying to assist a family friend living on AISH who was looking for adequate housing in Calgary.
Taking away the federal $200 disability payment from those AISH recipients who may be eligible for it is callous to say the least. It is my understanding that some AISH recipients may not be eligible for this funding, but I do not know how that is determined. My view is that any AISH recipient who is not eligible for this fundiggn should have their AISH increased by $200 so everyone is treated fairly.
Increasing the cost of housing also seems to be unreasonable.
This government is incredibly miserly towards those who, through no fault of their own, are in need of AISH. And this is all happening after Jason Kenney, when he was premier, vowed to decrease the number of people on AISH altogether.
Albertans are just cruel people who look to this as entertainment. I lived in the province for 40+ years and saw this behavior first hand constantly. I know many people will say “That’s not Alberta”, but it is. Some, I found out, are good people.
Christina: I know people who are heartless, and do not care about these people on AISH. One person I know told me that if these people are cut off of AISH by the UCP, that they will have to get a job. How can they do that if they are severely handicapped, and can’t work?
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
If I understand what you have written, inmates in these forced detention facilities would be able to appeal to a Commission? Is there provision for proper procedures for appeal to an administrative tribunal? Could these inmates ask a lawyer if habeas corpus is available? Is there provision for appeal to a court? And is there provision for the inmate to have access, provided by the province, to funding to pay for legal advice?
These are excellent questions, Christina. I expect they will all end up in court, at which point significant portions of the legislation will be ruled unconstitutional. At that point, the government has indicated they would contemplate using the Notwithstanding Clause. A related fact is that the entire system has been privatized, with contractors being paid per occupied bed by the government, and the addiction “coaches” will be trained in an uncertified program run by a private contractor, so the potential for both quackery and perverse incentives is high. Perverse incentives could include keeping inmates in illegal confinement when they don’t need to be there to keep the cash flowing, and the opposite, hurrying them through and declaring them cured in the reasonable expectation that as soon as they are on the street, they will be back again. And since there won’t be any properly trained, publicly employed correctional officers on site, God only knows what happens when there’s a riot or a mass breakout. DJC
All of these issues have been observed in what is, without question, a significant cover-up in Alberta. The Provincial Government was paying to have Albertans sent to quack US programs at least as far back as 1988. Very unorthodox undertakings were involved to get the Provincial cash sent out to New Jersey in the most infamous case. This involved lobbying by typical Kons of the day such as Diane Mirosh, and culminated in Jim Dinning arranging $600k to set up a franchise in Calgary. It exists to this day, and when the opportunity to address the scam arose, the three mainstream parties of the day all fell in line to ensure no action was taken. This is an example of the criminality paid for by Alberta tax-payers:
“Lulu Corter of Wanaque was signed into Kids of North Jersey Inc. in Hackensack by her parents on Oct. 27, 1984, when she was a 13-year-old with learning problems. In August 1997, she bolted from what dozens of teenagers have described as a living hell.” https://culteducation.com/group/1274-straight-inc/19713-keeping-cult-out-of-the-case.html
That is correct. The child was held for 13 years. Dinning visited that program in person, while it was receiving money from the Alberta Government, and arranged for the creation of the Calgary branch, with matching money from the Rotarians. “3 Youth Treatment Centers Linked by Abuse Accusations…In addition, Newton has authorized the opening of KIDS of the Canadian West in Calgary this spring. The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission has agreed to allocate $600,000 toward setting it up. Private donors are expected to match the government grant. More than 40 Canadian youngsters are currently under treatment at KIDS of Bergen County in Hackensack. Los Angles Times March 24, 1990”. Barn door long since fallen off the hinges and decomposed, horse only a distant memory.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-24-mn-711-story.html
Smith has been subjugated
Nixon Decision Too Incresse AISH Recipients Rents, While Clawing Back Federal Funds
($200/Month) Knowing The Provice Has 8 Billion Makes Me Cringe.
Nixon, Like Premeir Smith Get All The Credit, For This Heartless And Gutless Move.
The UCP Have Shown Their True Colours, Monsters Who Hate Disadvantaged Albertans.
Shame On You For Not Caring
About Albertans In Need.
Indeed! Wish more Alberta had a soul.
“You think being disabled is hard? Try explaining to your government why you need enough money not to starve.”
The UCP thinks disabled people should be working. I am disabled and feel the UCP should be thinking. So I guess we are even.
I am sorry Don but you are expecting the UCP to do something they cannot do. Thinking is part of a functional brain.
looks like Dani is getting ready to join the U.S.A. first the book ban, omg how stupid is that woman and her various idiot followers and now cutting the income of people already living below the poverty line. Well its one way of reducing the people who need financial assistance from the province, kill them slowly hoping no one notices. Any idiot can figure out people will die because of Dead Head Dani actions.
Perhaps its time these politicians are given a room and told to live there with the income their neighbours receive.
There is no reason for the disabled, elderly, to live in this manner. Perhaps that is the idea of course, cruelty is the point. So with all those good christians in Alberta you wonder what they are doing to help their neighbours? well they told us in sunday school that is what you’re supposed to do. Maybe Dani is trying to save money to pay for the clean up of all those abandoned oil wells.
There is no reason for the Alberta Government to take these actions beyond that they want to and they can. With any luck they will rot in help. (0h right I don’t believe in that stuff so what ever)
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
Maybe a mass breakout wouldn’t be such a terrible idea? Dunno.
It seems like a bad idea to place people in a detention facility with no due process and few, if any, guidelines on how the detainees are selected.
My guess is that street people/homeless people will just be thrown into these places willy nilly.
The UCP’s continuous transfer of wealth from those people with disabilities and in need to those 1% ers is a reflection of who the UCP are all about…..A disgusting GANG of trumpers pretending that they are working for the people…..All the worlds a stage and SMITH IS NOTHING BUT A taxpayer/corporate funded ACTRESS IN IT….. A SICK BILLION DOLLARS boys club stooge…….Albertans should hang their collective heads in shame at the farce that is an obvious BAY STREET Corporate Gov……wake me up when this BS is over……
You discuss what few care to. The UCP have shown they lack any compassion for the downtrodden. This is a very cold hearted move for those on AISH.
Yes Anonymous it certainly is…….how mighty Christian of them…….
The hypocrisy of the NDP is endless. Marie Renaud is being two-faced in her criticism. When the NDP were in power they gave absolutely nothing to those who are disabled living on AISH. The NDP had the opportunity to help disabled people but never did. They never once increased the AISH allowance while in government. So, for Marie who is the NDP Critic she is a two faced hypocrite calling out another when her government neglected the Disabled and never gave an increase in AISH allowance when Premier Danielle Smith has increased the AISH allowance.
SMS: I’m going to let this comment stand since I believe it was sincerely made and I wouldn’t like anyone to think I censor comments I don’t agree with, but your information is incorrect. In November 2018, the NDP introduced legislation increasing AISH payments, indexing future payments to increases in the cost of living, and other improvements. The bill was given Royal Assent on Dec. 11, 2018, and it came into force on Jan. 1, 2019. Payments for a single person AISH immediately rose 6 per cent. Payments for a single person with two children immediately rose 11 per cent. You can complain that the NDP waited too long to increase AISH payments, and you can complain that they didn’t increase them enough – I would agree with both these points and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ms. Renaud would as well – but you cannot accurately state, as you have, that the NDP “never once increased the AISH allowance while in government.” DJC
Smith is trying to financially drive the most disabled onto MAID and a quick death.
People like George Galloway and poverty activists warned of this manoeuvre, some not because they didn’t support the right to choose end-of-life, but because without guardrails, like capital punishment, the state can find ways to drive vulnerable people, to use it.
When you make people’s whose lives are a huge struggle to begin with, in an already financially stressful situation then throw them out on the street to suffer and die–which this series of cuts essentially does–it’s state-sanctioned execution.
There’s no other term for this but murder.
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
I just read an article about Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) in N S W Australia. NBH is a Public Private Partnership which went into receivership in May, 2025. The report on the hospital suggested that the profit motive outweighed the obligation to provide appropriate care for patients and gave examples. As David pointed out, these facilities are going to be private and the same thing could happen.
It appears that the review of a treatment order appeal is to the same commission that made the order requiring the “client” to be placed in the facility or to take treatment outside the facility when living outside the facility.
The legislation also has a section to the effect that the ordinary rules of evidence do not apply to the Commission so, presumably, the commissioners can use any kind of evidence they choose.
Also, the people who can apply for the order is a wide group which could leave room for all sorts of nefarious motives, including the motives of family members who have something to gain by a “client” having a treatment order requiring the “client” to be in one of these facilities.
Lots of room for problems here.
Christina: In fact, we have already seen much the same thing in Alberta when the Health Resources Centre, gifted the use of the former Salvation Army Grace Hospital during Ed Stelmach’s premiership to run a private orthopedic surgery clinic , went broke. Many surgery patients were left limping. The job of sorting it out fell to Stephen Duckett, by coincidence an Australian, who had been hired to be the CEO of Alberta Health Services. Taxpayers had to pay‘ for the receiver. A good summary is found here. DJC
Here is a link to the Guardian article on Northern Beaches Hospital. I think I read that Healthscope has something like 28 private hospitals in Australia.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/17/sydney-hospital-where-two-children-died-recently-is-at-risk-of-failure-scathing-report-finds
Hello DJC,
Thanks for the link outlining what happened with the Health Resources Centre.
Aish being hit like this. I don’t know how I will survive. I’m seriously considering asking for MAID if I just can’t off myself. Can’t live in a world of greed, selfishness and cruelty anymore anyway, especially being as isolated and alone as I am…..with no one to help me…..no friends, never a family. See you all in the next life, or more specifically, lack thereof
Marlaina Danielle Smith I blame you for this why can’t you jusy sept down and separate from.this land easy nobody needs you of eats you here anyway