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Subject: Sign the petition! Premier of Alberta and Members of the Legislative Assembly: Open letter to the Government of Alberta – Cancel the ADAP program: Protect the dignity and livelihoods of Albertans with disabilities

Body:

Friend,

I signed a petition on Action Network telling Premier of Alberta and Members of the Legislative Assembly to Open letter to the Government of Alberta – Cancel the ADAP program: Protect the dignity and livelihoods of Albertans with disabilities.

Dear Premier and Members of the Legislative Assembly,

We write with urgent concern. As former leaders in Alberta’s disability programs or members of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, we know these systems well. The proposed Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) would cut monthly support by $200 and undo decades of progress in supporting Albertans with disabilities.

ADAP proposes cutting monthly income support for tens of thousands from $1,940 to $1,740. This 10 per cent cut comes as living costs as represented by living wages rose 7 to 19 per cent last year in 15 municipalities where over 68% of Albertans. This does not even count the extra expenses people with disabilities incur—about 20 per cent more than the average household. In Calgary, this cut would put individuals on ADAP below the “Deep Poverty” line. Forcing people with severe disabilities to make impossible choices like medication versus rent is fundamentally immoral. Reductions in income support can also cause increased public spending in more costly health and homelessness interventions.

All 79,000 people on AISH will be moved to ADAP. Some may return to a redesigned AISH if they provide an assessment showing they have no ability to work. Forcing people to reprove their disability through another adjudication process will add needless complexity and stress. Fairness is further eroded because final eligibility decisions will no longer be appealable to the Citizen’s Appeal Panel.

Repeat assessments for thousands of individuals will be a costly draw on the medical system. Setting up ADAP alongside AISH also costs the government for both start-up and additional ongoing administration. If ADAP burdens systems and people, what objectives does it actually serve? The government has framed ADAP as a way to reward and support employment. Yet, ADAP’s earned income exemption amount tells a different story. Individuals on ADAP, because they have a severe disability and are assessed as having some ability to work, will only be permitted to earn $350/month before their benefits are clawed back, down from the $1,072/month threshold under AISH now. Analysis shows that under ADAP or the redesigned AISH, many, if not most, individuals will earn less overall than they do today—even if they work the same hours. The assumption that tens of thousands of Albertans with disabilities will secure sufficient employment to offset this cut is unrealistic, especially given the high unemployment rate among adults with disabilities.

ADAP fails to reflect the complexity of disability, relying on a binary classification of adults with disabilities as either “employable” or “unemployable.” Such labeling risks

Restricting opportunities for employment, and therefore reinforcing isolation, for individuals labelled unemployable.
 
 Deepening financial insecurity for those whose ability to work fluctuates or is limited by systemic barriers.

Meaningful consultation did not occur before ADAP was announced. Organizations the government claims to have consulted say they were only shown a preview of the program. They were not invited to shape its design or rationale. That is not consultation—it is a formality that silences those most affected.

We stand with the Albertans with disabilities, organizations and healthcare professionals who are urging the Government of Alberta to

Cancel the implementation of ADAP and commit to maintaining AISH’s current eligibility and benefits.
 
 Consult with individuals with disabilities to understand the employment barriers they face and how employment supports and benefit programs can be enhanced, and only then introduce enhancements to services and benefit programs.

Alberta has the resources and the moral obligation to do better. Cancel ADAP. Preserve AISH. Anything less fails the Alberta we believe in—one that supports people to live with dignity, thrive and contribute to their communities.

Sincerely, Chloe Atkins, PhD, former Premier’s Council member, Associate Professor at University of Calgary
 Eric Boyd, founding Executive Director of Premier's Council on Status of Persons with Disabilities, former Executive Director of Canadian Paraplegic Association, founding CEO of Rick Hansen Institute
 Hart Chapelle, former CEO of Edmonton Region Community Board for PDD
 Tara Chisholm, former Premier’s Council member
 Tony Flores, Alberta’s first Advocate for Persons with Disabilities
 Mike Hambly, former Premier’s Council member
 Austin Mardon, PhD, CM, FRSC, former Premier’s Council member, Assistant Adjunct Professor at University of Alberta
 Margaret McCabe Conquest, M.Sc., former Premier’s Council member
 Norm McLeod, former CEO of PDD Provincial Board
 Janalee Morris, former Premier’s Council member
 Ann Nicol, former Premier’s Council member, former CEO of Alberta Council of Disability Services, former Co-chair of provincial PDD Review, former member of Citizens Appeal Panel and PDD Safety Standards Consultation Team
 Neil Pierce, former Chair of the Premier’s Council, leader in neurological health charities for 30 years
 Alison Plain-Cutknife, former Premier’s Council member
 Diane Ridley, BA, LLP, former Premier’s Council member
 Inara Samoylove, former Premier’s Council member
 Lori Shortreed, former Premier’s Council member
 Cam Tait, former Premier’s Council member, journalist
 Dr. John te Linde, psychologist, former member of Premier’s Council and Citizen’s Appeal Panel, former chair of the PDD Safety Standards Consultation Team
 Pamela Wagner, MEd, RSW, former Premier’s Council member 
For media inquiries email 2y4edxu5w@mozmail.com To contact the signatories, or for former government leaders or Premier's Council members wanting to add their name email 2y4edxu5w@mozmail.com

Can you join me and take action? Click here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/open-letter-to-the-government-of-alberta-cancel-the-adap-program-protect-the-dignity-and-livelihoods-of-albertans-with-disabilities?source=email&

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Petition by

Former leaders in Government of Alberta disability program and former members of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Sponsored by

Former members of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities and former leaders in Government of Alberta disability programs

Thanks for adding your voice to advocate for Albertans with disabilities.

*URGENT REQUEST CONTACT YOUR MLA- Bill 12, which makes changes to AISH and creates ADAP, is scheduled for final debating and voting in the Alberta legislature on Monday, December 8. Bill 12 — Financial Statutes Amendment Act — is an omnibus bill that amends thirteen pieces of legislation including AISH. Please email your MLA and ask them to vote against Bill 12 or to amend Bill 12 to remove changes to AISH from the bill.

If you enter your name, email and postal code here, an email will automatically be generated and sent to your MLA and cabinet ministers.

Please join us in taking other actions to alert Albertans to this policy change and activate them to let government know they do not support it:

Share the letter with other Albertans, and ask them to add their name. You can do this by phoning or emailing them and by posting on social media.
Encourage your municipal councillors and local business leaders to raise this issue with MLAs and cabinet ministers. Ask them to highlight the impact these cuts will have on local economies and essential social supports like food banks.
Inform any groups you’re connected with—such as service clubs, faith communities, unions, business associations, or volunteer organizations—about the AISH cuts and asking them to share the information with their members.

Here are more sources of reliable information about ADAP and Bill 12 which creates ADAP changes AISH:

Alberta Medical Association Doctor's Digest
Zachary Weeks: Bill 12 and ADAP: The Biggest Rewrite of Disability Supports in Alberta in 20 Years
VanderLeek Law podcast and "Whitepaper on the proposed Alberta Disability Assistance Program"
Gillian Pettit, (JD, PhD): The New Alberta Disability Assistance Program: Will It Deliver on Its Promises?
Inclusion Alberta: Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP): The facts and how to take action and Media release: Bill 12 erodes rights and deepens poverty for Albertans with disabilities
Dr. Ginetta Salvalaggio and Petra Schulz

Your email address will only be used to provide email updates from Former members of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities and former leaders in Government of Alberta disability programs, the signatories of this letter.

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