Advocacy

noun
public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy. "their advocacy of traditional family values"

The Canada Disability Benefit Revealed 18/09/2024

Rather than try and decipher what is being said in their report, I am providing you with a link so that you may glean what information you would like from the Canada Gazette, Canada Disability Benefit Regulations.

Canada Gazette Reveals More Info On The Canada Disability Benefit

Good news! More information on the Canada Disability Benefit from Canada Gazette! It is a lengthy document, but it is full of answers to questions I'm sure you must have. If you are hungry for some new facts to chew on, GO HERE.

Opportunities Fund For Persons with Disabilities 19/07/2024

The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities assists persons with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. It supports persons with disabilities in overcoming barriers to participation in the Canadian labour market, and it supports employers to hire persons with disabilities. This program supports a wide range of programs and services, including job search supports, pre-employability services, wage subsidies, work placements and employer awareness initiatives to encourage employers to hire persons with disabilities. The Opportunities Fund is delivered across the country by Service Canada Centres, in partnership with organizations in the community. In Halifax, the organization I accessed the Opportunities Fund For Persons with Disabilities through Teamwork Cooperative. The cover the Halifax/Truro/Amherst areas of Nova Scotia. Go here to find an office near you.

Results of Mental Health Research Canada Poll 18 03/07/2024

More than 1 in 2 people (52%) struggling with their mental health aren’t getting the help they need. This is just over half of the 15% of people who are either accessing mental health supports or feel they should be but are not accessing support (struggling).
Poll 17, full report, page 31.
1 in 8 Canadians have been experiencing high levels of anxiety. Those indicating feeling high anxiety was 7% just before the pandemic and 11% now. 1 in 4 Canadians will receive a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety.
Poll 18, full report, page 9.
15% of Canadians have accessed mental health services in the last year, an additional 6% believe they should but are not.
Poll 18, full report, page 29.
33% of employed Canadians are burned out.* In some professions, however, it is much higher (e.g., 66% of nurses, and 61% of the mental health workforce).**
*Poll 14, full report, page 27; and **Psychological Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces, page 20.
Of those who accessed mental health services, one third accessed through a provincial health system.
Poll 14, full report, page 34.
We have noted higher negative mental health statistics for LGBTQ+ ,younger Canadians and health care professionals. 30% of Canadians who identify as LGBTQ+ have thought about suicide in the past year.
Poll 14, full report, page 24.

Canada Disability Benefit 02/07/2024 - Update

I think we can all say that we are VERY disappointed with the Liberal government. The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) is not the savior that it was meant to be. With an average benefit of two-hundred dollars per month, people with disabilities in Canada feel like they have been given the shaft. The CDB was well under funded in the April 15 budge, and advocates for those with disabilities are calling for an immediate review of the government's decision to underfund the CDB.

Draft regulations are now open online for public feedback here , and you can look at current community recommendations at Disability With Possibility Report, penned by the advocacy group Disability Without Poverty.

There are some things you can do to ready your self for the implementation of the CDB as it is. Here is a checklist of things that will help you in your pursuit of the CDB:

- Apply for the Disability Tax Credit. Yes, it is not perfect. However, at this time you must have the DTC to receive the CDB.

- File your taxes. Even if you have zero income, the federal government needs to know your last income statement to be on the list to receive the CDB.

In any case, I encourage you to share your stories by sending a message to your elected officials, by requesting in-person meetings with elected officials where you live, or by approaching elected officials at community events.

It's important for MP's to know about our concerns with CDB funding - by educating them on the situation in Canada, it would make officials more likely to support Canada's disabled population. Do you want to take a minute and get in touch with your MP? Click here to send your MP an important personal message.

Overview of the Canada Disability Benefit 13/06/2024
From: Employment and Social Development Canada

UPDATE: Launching the Canada Disability BenefitBudget 2024 provides funding of $6.1 billion over six years, beginning in 2024-25, and $1.4 billion per year ongoing, for a new Canada Disability Benefit, including costs to deliver the program.
The proposed design of the Benefit is based on a maximum benefit amount of $2,400 per year for low-income persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64. This benefit is estimated to increase the financial well-being of over 600,000 low-income persons with disabilities.
Budget 2024 further announces the government will begin providing payments to eligible Canadians starting in July 2025, following successful completion of the regulatory process and consultations with persons with disabilities.
To deliver the benefit as quickly as possible and to ensure nation-wide consistency of eligibility, the proposed Canada Disability Benefit would be available to people with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate.
To ensure access to the Canada Disability Benefit for eligible Canadians, and to address an anticipated significant financial barrier associated with benefit take-up, Budget 2024 further proposes funding of $243 million over six years, beginning in 2024-25, and $41 million per year ongoing, to cover the cost of the medical forms required to apply for the Disability Tax Credit.
Next StepsThe Government is very aware that many Canadians with disabilities are in need of the additional financial support that the benefit will provide. The intent, therefore, is to move forward as fast as possible with the regulatory development process.
The next phase of the engagement process will focus on the Government of Canada’s formal regulatory development process and will begin in the coming months with the publishing of the draft Canada Disability Benefit regulations in Part I of the Canada Gazette.
Following this, stakeholders and the public will be able to review and provide comments, and the Government will then analyze the comments received and make changes to the regulations if necessary.
The final regulations will then be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette, at which time the design of the benefit will be complete.
Future updates will be posted to this website as information becomes available. Please check back in the coming weeks or subscribe using the link below to receive updates.
Supporting Canadians with disabilitiesOn June 22, 2023, the Canada Disability Benefit Act received Royal Assent. This benefit will help reduce poverty among working-age Canadians with disabilities.
Working-age Canadians with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty as working-age people without disabilities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even worse. That is why the Government of Canada is trying to address the financial hardships and other barriers faced by persons with disabilities. The aim is to ensure a Canada that is inclusive for all Canadians, including persons with disabilities.
The Canada Disability Benefit is a key commitment and is the cornerstone of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) – a Plan that was promised in the 2020 Speech from the Throne. The DIAP is a blueprint for change to make Canada more inclusive for persons with disabilities. It is based on the understanding that disability inclusion benefits everyone. The DIAP will evolve over time – the aim is to take action across the Government of Canada and make targeted investments to create lasting change.
Engagement process for the Canada Disability Benefit RegulationsBased on engagement, the Government of Canada will develop regulations under the Canada Disability Benefit Act. These regulations will include details such as the benefit amount and eligibility criteria.
Building on engagement activities that took place in 2021 and 2022, in summer 2023 the Government launched a 2-phase engagement process to inform the development of the regulations and the implementation of the benefit.
The first phase of the engagement process, in fall 2023 and winter 2024, included:

four ministerial roundtables, with national disability organizations, women with disabilities, racialized persons with disabilities, and youth with disabilities
four technical roundtables, on the extra costs of living for persons with disabilities, legal capacity, barrier-free applications, and administrative processes
meetings between the Government and provinces and territories, Indigenous governments and organizations, and stakeholders
an online engagement tool, which was launched on November 15, 2023, and closed on January 4, 2024
individuals and organizations were also invited to submit emails, videos, telephone messages and briefs directly to Employment and Social Development Canada’s Office for Disability Issues

In total, the Government heard from over 8000 Canadians during the first phase of the CDB regulatory engagement and received over 5000 pieces of input during the first phase of the regulatory engagement process.
The second phase of the engagement process will begin with the publishing of proposed regulations in Part I of the Canada Gazette. Canadians will be able to review and provide comments on the proposed regulations. The Government will analyze the comments received and may make changes to the regulations in response to the feedback received before finalizing them. The final regulations will then be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette.

Nova Scotia progress report undermined by blown deadline: Disability rights advocate

Bill C-22 UPDATE - 6/05/2024

Get Bill C-22 Update

I attended a webinar with the ladies from disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca . We shared a common disappointment in the federal government for underfunding Bill C-22 in the last budget tabled on April 15/24. They recognized the numbers the federal government were working from were flawed to say the least when it comes to how many people are living with disabilities in Canada. By the government's best count, hundreds of thousands of Canadians are living with disabilities.

The speaker from disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca suggested that number was much, much larger. In fact facilitator of the Zoom meeting said there are well over a million people in Canada suffering from some form of disability. The Zoom meeting acted as a new call to force for AbilityRadio.ca. You can help the cause by getting in touch with your MP or by emailing the minister directly responsible for the legislation. Please send your letters of disappointment to [email protected]. Every email counts. Let's keep this topic at the top of the minds of our country's leaders!

Bill C-22, the Canada Disability Benefit, Falls Short of Expectations - May 23/05/24

The latest federal budget (April 15 2024) tabled by Trudeau's Liberal government did provide a semblance of commitment to helping those with disabilities in Canada by providing a monthly deposit of around $200 per month. Unfortunately nobody at Service Canada could answer our questions regarding the benefit. If you ask anyone with knowledge of the disabled population in Canada, this amount is far off from the original plan to provide an income supplement that would pull people with disabilities up to the poverty line, at least that was the plan.

Now, it seems that the feds are stalling on providing a lower monetary benefit that would not bring clients anywhere near the threshold of the poverty line. It's rumored that, once put into action, people with disabilities would receive a $200 to $300 benefit per month, as long as the individual applying for the benefit was granted full DTC (Disability Tax Credit) status on their current taxation year. There are approximately 600 000 individuals in Canada that would directly benefit from what is being called the "Canadian Disability Benefit."

Stakeholders did their best to lobby for a fully funded benefit in the 2024, and most say they are disappointed with the current state of affairs. The government says they are still making determinations about the Benefit and how it might be effected by the current taxation laws in Canada - so, it seems, the government is dragging its' heels regarding the implementation of the new Bill C-22.

After royal ascent in June of 2023, a deadline was placed on when the benefit should become available to eligible Canadians. According to the bill, the federal government has until June of 2024 to implement the new benefit. As far as funding is concerned, the budget did reflect an amount that would fund the bill, but as mentioned, the amount was far less than what lobbyists and the disabled population of Canada expected for support.

For more information about Bill C-22 (Canada Disability Benefit) contact your local MP, or your local MPP. Why bother doing this? Well, even at it's current level of funding, money is money and the disabled community is crying for a benefit that will make a significant change for them in their financial lives. It's a call that you will be glad you made.

Would you like to know what programs are available to those with disabilities in your area? Try looking at this.

Nova Scotia's Conservatives Make More Funding Available To Those In Need With Permanent Disabilities - May 23/05/24

Nova Scotia's Community Services minister Brendan Maguire says he's planning to schedule regular meetings with service providers, non-profits and people working in the field to "have a real conversation about" what can be done for income assistance clients.

"Once we have those conversations, we'll have a better understanding of what's actually really needed to move people forward."

Vince Calderhead, a Halifax-based human rights lawyer, said the government's efforts don't come close to doing what's required to help lift people out of poverty.

Calderhead compiles annual calculations looking at how provincial budget measures affect the most vulnerable people in Nova Scotia. For more information about the $300 bump in income to those unable to work due to a permanent disability contact the Department of Community Services.