The Government of Canada is consulting with Canadians on the new Disability Benefit: Here is why you should participate.

“According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, 58 per cent of Ontarians with
disabilities aged 25 to 64 years were employed – well below the 81 per cent level for their
contemporaries without disabilities.” As stated by the former lieutenant governor of Ontario and accessibility advocate: David Onley’s Third Review of the AODA.

Today, many Canadians would cite that living in Canada post-2020 has been more expensive. But if you have a disability life only gotten worse – expense-wise. Many have to cover the cost of their prescriptions to stay alive, their medical devices to communicate and navigate their environment, and the many services they need to have a full life experience. However, since many do not have a steady income from a job/career, they rely on government funding.

In Ontario, Persons with disabilities can gain access to monthly funds from Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Despite the many issues that Canadians experience when using these supports, they are usually the only reliable source of financial support that is catered to disability.

Fortunately this summer (2023) The Canadian Disability Benefit received royal assent and is now in the process of becoming an official law.

Now it is time for Canadians to submit their feedback on the best practices regarding implementation and rollout next summer.

You are invited to share your thoughts on benefit details, such as eligibility and benefit amount, which will help inform the development of the regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit. 

You can participate by sharing your ideas online, through email, by phone, or mail. The deadline to participate is January 4^th!

Please visit this website for further information: Share ideas: Canada Disability Benefit Regulations

For me this new benefit is special.

(1) This is a federal benefit. Which means all provinces will have to implement it instead of having a cross-patch of various implementation strategies and different experience of accessibility across Canada.

(2) This is the first disability law I would have the opportunity to share feedback on. The ODA, the AODA and the Accessible Canada Act were all policies that came into fruition long before I was of age and were aware of accessibility laws.

(3) The Disability Benefit addresses disability issues such as unemployment, autonomy and dignity; issues I have raised personally in my articles in the Varsity. In fact my first article at the Varsity was ” Our workplaces don’t work for people with disabilities” where I identified the biggest issue in unemployment was due to inaccessibility.

My second article was “Opinion: Students with disabilities must be supported during COVID-19” where I explained despite the existence of support programs like ODSP, students with disabilities need more support from their universities especially in a post-covid-era.

Finally, in an interview with The Varsity ‘s “Petition to increase ODSP funding reaches over 50,000 signatures” I promoted the petition because I knew just how crucial it was for ODSP to increase its funding for those who use the service.

If you are a person with a disability, or a parent/guardian/family member, someone who works with the disability community etc I strongly encourage you to take the time of your holiday to advocate for the community!

If you are not a person with a disability, but a Canadian resident (including permanent resident) I also encourage you to submit. This benefit does not just impact persons with disabilities, it also impacts you, your family and your friends.

The Canadian Population is an aging population. As a result, as you and I grow old we too become less-abled as we were in our youth. We lose our sight, our hearing, our mobility, our mental and physical health. Additionally, we have the ability through happenstance to become disabled or temporarily disabled (ever had to wear a sling or a crutch?). Life is unpredictable. So lets make it more predictable by ensuring not only individuals with disabilities but anyone with the support they need to have a full life.