Across Alberta, people with severe disabilities are being pushed into poverty and food insecurity by the very systems that are meant to support them.

About 79,000 working-age adults live with severe disabilities, most trying to survive on government benefits through the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program, because they cannot earn enough on their own. As costs rise, every month becomes a struggle to keep a roof overhead and pay for heat, power, prescriptions and groceries.

People with severe disabilities face a higher risk of having too little income for food — 15 per cent struggle with severe food insecurity compared with two per cent of those without disabilities. Many must restrict food intake or skip meals — some endure days without eating.

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Now, their lives are becoming even more unstable. Changes and clawbacks to government benefits could push them over the edge. These aren’t abstract policy shifts — they’re purposeful cuts leading to empty fridges, unpaid bills and impossible choices.

In a province as economically healthy as Alberta, it’s unacceptable to treat our most vulnerable citizens this way. We need more effective, compassionate policies.

Consider Alberta’s track record:

AISH benefits max out at $1,940 a month. In 2024, AISH introduced a two per cent cap on annual cost-of-living increases. Benefits lose purchasing power in times of high inflation, making it even harder to get by.

In 2025, Alberta raised AISH Community Housing rents by $220 per month — a 63 per cent increase that cuts into grocery budgets.

Also in 2025, the federal government introduced the $200 per month Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), to help reduce poverty. Alberta was the only province to claw back AISH benefits to offset the CDB, leaving recipients no further ahead.

In July, a new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) will replace AISH for people with severe disabilities deemed capable of some employment. These people will face another $200 per month cut in benefits in 2028 (reducing the maximum to $1,740), unless they obtain a new medical assessment that confirms they cannot work.

This will push many below the deep income poverty threshold.

AISH continues only for people deemed permanently unable to work, creating a dehumanizing two-track system.

These policy decisions force impossible trade-offs for people who already cannot meet basic needs. Disabilities come with higher expenses: special diets, medications, therapies, equipment, personal care and accessible housing and transportation. Caregivers may also be unable to work due to the support required by a family member with a disability. There is limited to no coverage for most of these costs.

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I Can for Kids supports food-insecure families and children with a first-of-its-kind grocery gift card program delivered through a diverse network of front-line agency partners. They know that food insecurity is not about a shortage of food, but a shortage of income. In 2025, one in four households that accessed their program included an adult with a disability, while one in five had a child with special needs.

This reality is mirrored in the families served by Mamas for Mamas Calgary. Their online sharing networks and in-person, community‑driven Karma Markets provide dignified access to essential needs.

These grassroots organizations reflect how Albertans show up for each other. They help narrow the gap through charitable giving and volunteer work. But charity can’t meet the scale of this crisis. We need effective government policies that show an equal amount of compassion and care for all citizens.

When governments knowingly leave people with disabilities without enough income to meet basic needs, it’s both a moral and a policy failure.

Alberta can choose differently.

If we believe that everyone deserves the dignity of adequate food, shelter and care, then protecting and strengthening disability supports is not optional; it’s essential.

Bobbi Turko is the executive director of I Can for Kids Foundation.

Anita Chowdhury is branch co-ordinator of Mamas for Mamas.

© Calgary Herald