B.C. disability benefit policies questioned after couple faces huge rent hike
'The more money you make, the less money you have when you're a person with a disability,' renter Amelia Cooper told Global News.
She and her husband, Aaron Busch, contacted Global News when they received less than a month's notice that their rent would increase from $1,345 to $2,265.
The co-op board where they live had found the couple's household income is too high to be eligible for a subsidized program but Cooper said their income is only 'too high' by $2,000.
'When I make more money with my work, the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) income decreases,' Cooper said.
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'It's like, at what point can we actually start advancing our income without getting penalized with PWD as well as housing charges?'
Story continues below advertisement
2:06
Vancouver couple in co-op handed $920 rent increase
Busch said there needs to be an exception for people with disabilities.
'There are added financial challenges that we face on a daily, monthly basis,' he said.
The housing critic agrees there should be different considerations.
'They are right, that if you are operating within an environment of many extended costs around your disability, that those all need to be taken into consideration,' Linda Hepner, the BC Conservative housing critic, said.
The B.C. Ministry of Housing did not respond to those questions, but in an email to Global News, they said it is building more accessible homes.
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction told Global News in an email that is it continuing to ensure programs reflect the needs of people with disabilities.
Story continues below advertisement
'This is a longstanding discriminatory practice of the federal government on many of the benefits that they have for persons with disabilities is that it's based on your household income rather than your individual income,' Bonita Zarillo, the former NDP federal critic for disability, said.
Cooper and Busch said they feel punished for earning a comfortable income and for finding love.
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National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in American hands
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How Canada Wins: Having so many digital services that we rely on coming from U.S. companies has left us vulnerable to losing those services, Guillaume Beaumier warns 'There should be a strategy to invest and develop more national digital ecosystems, to reduce the reliance on American companies,' says Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor at Quebec's École nationale d'administration publique. Photo by Getty Images Canadians are waking up to just how much power American tech companies have over their digital life. In April, Microsoft confirmed that U.S. law can override foreign privacy protections, even for data stored on servers outside the United States. That means if Canadian data is hosted by Microsoft, Amazon or Google, it can be accessed by U.S. authorities. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors For Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP) in Quebec City, it's a clear sign Canada needs to take digital sovereignty seriously. In a recent Policy Options article, he argues that Canada has grown too dependent on U.S. cloud providers and tech infrastructure, and risks losing control over its economy, governance and security in the digital era. National Post spoke to Beaumier about what digital sovereignty means and what steps Canada should be taking now. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again I think you can define digital sovereignty in multiple ways, and that's the issue with the concept. It can relate to the ability of the Canadian government to control its own digital ecosystem through regulation, and having the availability to force or influence companies to act in certain ways. It's also, to some extent, the ability to have the economic independence to be able to produce digital services for Canadian citizens, in ways that are not dependent on having access to services coming from other places in the world. It can also relate more broadly to the security of the nation. If you're depending on other countries for accessing specific digital services, in times of crisis, you can end up in a position where you don't have access to the services, and so the broader security of the country also depends on having the ability to produce the services on your own. For a very long time the United States has been using its control over the digital infrastructure around the world, so a lot of the digital services that we rely on are American companies and they also rely on physical infrastructures that are located in the United States. You can think of data centres in that regard. And so, for a very long time, we were fine with it, we forgot that other countries like Russia or China, might have used this control over this digital ecosystem to its advantage, to survey the world, to sometimes even impede other countries. You can see again what happened after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, where Microsoft stopped offering some of its services in Russia. And so, like I said, for a while most countries around the world would have been fine with that, especially western countries because we were allied countries with the United States, even sometimes collaborating with them. But as the (Donald) Trump administration came in and took a more coercive approach towards its traditional allies, it's also making these countries more insecure about their dependence on the United States. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I think that we do lack, to a large extent, sufficient capacity to operate on our own, to have a digital ecosystem that can function without American companies. And so, if you think about our digital ecosystem, most social media platforms, if not all, are American companies. If you think about data centres, the main ones that are operating right now and that we rely on, are either in the United States or are owned by American companies on Canadian soil. On the regulatory side, we have also seen the government struggling over the years, to enforce its own regulations, or to even want to regulate these platforms. So we threaten these companies, Google and Meta, to basically leave the country. More recently, the government decided to move back on this decision to impose digital services taxes, and it's an example of where the Canadian government seems to be struggling, because it relies primarily on American companies. So to summarize what I just said, I think just this lack of the ability to offer basic digital services by Canadian companies is one of the big gaps right now. In times of crisis, they can be used as leverage against the Canadian government, so like during this trade negotiation, they can threaten to stop offering some services to Canada. There's also the risk that when the government tries to regulate these companies, they can just threaten to exit the country. You can see in the example of Meta blocking news because of being asked to share the revenue with news organizations. This has left our media ecosystem in a worse-off position. And in times where there are forest fires or other emergencies, information can be more difficult to access by citizens. I think there should be a strategy to invest and develop more national digital ecosystems, to reduce the reliance on American companies. It also should not shy away from regulating these big tech companies and level the playing field for Canadian companies. Basically, making sure they are being taxed, and that they contribute to the national economy. Also, promoting the use of more open source software, in public administration and the digital ecosystem, could help reduce reliance on big tech companies, and prioritize the development of more digital expertise in Canada. When you're thinking of all the big projects the government wants to launch, like big national infrastructure projects, I think it would be a good moment to invest in having more data centres owned by Canadian companies, funded by the government. With the new investments coming in the defence sector, some money could go towards the development of artificial intelligence (AI). I think this broad national plan to invest in Canadian digital capacities would be an essential thing to do in the years to come. I think we just need to find a balance between still being open, we still want to rely on the valuable services that come from the United States, and elsewhere in the world, but to ensure our resilience in times of crisis, and have some basic capacities to function without the use of these services coming from the rest of the world. This is the latest in a National Post series on How Canada Wins. Read earlier instalments here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Trump-Putin summit watched with ‘curiosity,' hope by Ukrainians in Canada
U.S. President Donald Trump's pivotal meeting Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin is being watched with cautious optimism by Ukrainian Canadians, who are hopeful that Ukraine's interests and rights will be upheld in the push to end the war. Canada is home to the second-largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world, which grew larger after the country accepted Ukrainians fleeing Russia's full-scale invasion. While they distrust Putin's willingness to negotiate a ceasefire or give up his territorial ambitions, community leaders say they appreciate Canada's role in ensuring Ukraine has a seat at the table. 'We're watching this with curiosity,' said Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO and executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. 'I think we're going to find out, is President Trump there to be an ally of Russia or an ally of Ukraine, or some third option?' Story continues below advertisement Trump has lowered expectations for what could emerge from the summit, saying Thursday he wants to 'set the table' for a second meeting between himself, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 1:00 'We'll see if they can get along,' Trump says ahead of Putin-Zelenskyy meeting Those comments came after European leaders, along with Prime Minister Mark Carney, stood united in voicing 'shared principles, including that decisions on the future of Ukraine must be made by Ukrainians' in a virtual meeting Wednesday that included Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance. Trump briefed Zelenskyy, Carney and European leaders on the upcoming summit with Putin in a call on Wednesday, and has promised to brief them again following the meeting. 'We feel that with Europe, with Canada, with Ukraine kind of speaking with one voice to the American president, he is listening,' Michalchyshyn said. Story continues below advertisement 'We hope that this will be what he takes into the meeting with the Russians, but you never know … what Putin will do in a room with Trump.' Canada has been one of the most vocal defenders of Ukraine since Russia first invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, and particularly after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. 2:00 Ukraine must be involved in peace deal, EU leaders warn That support has continued since Carney became prime minister earlier this year. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He hosted Zelenskyy at this summer's G7 summit in Alberta, where Carney announced a new military aid package worth over $2 billion — pulled from previously-announced funding — as well as the first tranche of money backed by frozen Russian assets that will go toward rebuilding Ukraine following the war. Carney affirmed in calls with Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week that Canada welcomes Trump's leadership in seeking an end to the war, but that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be protected. Story continues below advertisement Canadians see 'parallel' between Ukraine, 51st state threats Support for Ukraine has also come from Canadians themselves through humanitarian aid donations. The Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which focuses on getting that aid delivered to Ukraine and other humanitarian efforts, says it has sent over $95 million to the country since 2022. Valeriy Kostyuk, the group's executive director, said there have been noticeable upticks in support and donations so far this year — particularly after Trump and Zelenskyy's disastrous meeting in the Oval Office in February, but also following Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state. 'It's a parallel,' he told Global News of the threats to Canada's sovereignty. 'I think that experience allowed Canadians to relate a little bit more to the issues that started in 2014 (for Ukraine).' Story continues below advertisement 2:09 Zelenskyy rejects territorial concessions as Trump and Putin plan Alaska summit Kostyuk said the CUF and other Canadian charities have helped fill some of the humanitarian funding gaps in Ukraine left by the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this year. The CUF's latest mission has been to try reuniting Ukrainian children forcibly removed by Russian forces with their families — an issue the Canadian government has been co-leading international efforts to resolve. Over 19,000 Ukrainian children have been relocated to Russia, with many adopted by Russian families or held in 'summer camps.' Researchers and advocates say the goal is to erase the children's Ukrainian identity and prepare them for military conscription when they become adults. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau last year accused Russia of committing an 'element of genocide.' Story continues below advertisement That Russian effort is symbolic of the need to stand up forcibly against Putin in negotiations, Kostyuk said. 2:49 Trump warns 'severe consequences' if Putin doesn't end war in Ukraine Russia currently controls around a fifth of Ukraine's territory, and Zelenskyy and the Europeans worry that a deal set by Trump and Putin could cement those gains. Trump has acknowledged the possibility of 'land-swapping' under a future deal, but has also promised to get some territory back for Ukraine. Michalchyshyn said the focus for himself and the Ukrainian community is to ensure the prospect of giving up occupied territory doesn't become a reality. 'Holding firm to the fact that Ukraine's territorial integrity and decision-making processes are its own, and not being ceded to someone else or negotiated away — that there are key lines to hold to — that's what we're seeing is the most essential role of European and Canadian leadership at this point,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Zelenskyy has criticized any talk of Ukraine ceding any territory to Russia, noting Ukraine's territorial borders are enshrined in its constitution and would require a referendum to alter. Trump said Monday he's 'a little bit bothered' by that. Kostyuk said there are historical parallels to what could emerge out of Friday's U.S.-Russia summit. 'Quite often we compare the crossroad at which Trump currently is to Chamberlain's approach of appeasing and dealing with Hitler,' he said, referring to the 1938 Munich Agreement that ceded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany. Historians have criticized that deal for setting the stage for Hitler's further incursions into Europe, and ultimately the Second World War. 'The sentiment from within the (Ukrainian Canadian) community has been consistent: that appeasement of the aggressor at the cost of the victim, which is Ukraine, is not going to bring a sustainable and just peace,' said Kostyuk. 'Supporting justice has been something that the community has been calling for.'
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
B.C. disability benefit policies questioned after couple faces huge rent hike
There are questions about disability benefit policies in B.C. after a couple living in a co-op said they are facing a rent hike of $920. 'The more money you make, the less money you have when you're a person with a disability,' renter Amelia Cooper told Global News. She and her husband, Aaron Busch, contacted Global News when they received less than a month's notice that their rent would increase from $1,345 to $2,265. The co-op board where they live had found the couple's household income is too high to be eligible for a subsidized program but Cooper said their income is only 'too high' by $2,000. 'When I make more money with my work, the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) income decreases,' Cooper said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's like, at what point can we actually start advancing our income without getting penalized with PWD as well as housing charges?' Story continues below advertisement 2:06 Vancouver couple in co-op handed $920 rent increase Busch said there needs to be an exception for people with disabilities. 'There are added financial challenges that we face on a daily, monthly basis,' he said. The housing critic agrees there should be different considerations. 'They are right, that if you are operating within an environment of many extended costs around your disability, that those all need to be taken into consideration,' Linda Hepner, the BC Conservative housing critic, said. The B.C. Ministry of Housing did not respond to those questions, but in an email to Global News, they said it is building more accessible homes. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction told Global News in an email that is it continuing to ensure programs reflect the needs of people with disabilities. Story continues below advertisement 'This is a longstanding discriminatory practice of the federal government on many of the benefits that they have for persons with disabilities is that it's based on your household income rather than your individual income,' Bonita Zarillo, the former NDP federal critic for disability, said. Cooper and Busch said they feel punished for earning a comfortable income and for finding love.
