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CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
AISH recipients panicked over looming provincial deadline: health providers
Health providers say people who receive Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) are calling them in a panic over a letter from the province that threatens to cut their benefits if they don't meet a September deadline. The providers tasked with filling out the forms for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and Canada Disability Benefits (CDB) say they are overwhelmed by the calls and confusion over the deadline set by the province. A copy of the letter obtained by CBC News states that AISH clients are "required to access all sources of income they may be eligible for, including federal programs." The letter tells clients to update their local AISH office about the status of their DTC and CDB applications prior to Sept. 5, 2025. "Clients who have not communicated the status of their CDB application to their AISH office prior to September 5, 2025, may see an equivalent amount to the CDB benefit, $200, deducted from their monthly AISH benefits, beginning with the October 2025 period of assistance," reads the letter. The province plans to keep AISH payments at the same amount but take back the $200 monthly amount for the federal benefit. The Alberta government has said it has the highest payments in Canada and exceeds the minimum set by the federal government. Why AISH recipients won't get extra money from a new federal disability benefit 4 months ago The federal government is rolling out a new Canada Disability Benefit this summer, but qualified recipients in Alberta won't see the extra money if they already receive payments under AISH. As Travis McEwan reports, it's frustrating some Albertans. AISH recipients, who receive $1,901 a month from the province, say they are being forced to pay upfront for the medical evaluations in order to apply for the benefits. Ivy Hays, from Coronation, has received AISH benefits for nearly 20 years due to a number of permanent health issues that resulted from a massive heart attack in her late 30s. Hays said her physician is charging $400 to fill out the medical form for the DTC application. She said she asked to pay the clinic in instalments but the office insisted she had to pay the entire cost upfront. "My heart hit the floor," Hays said. "I have no living family. I have no way to come up with that $400." Her AISH caseworker arranged for a loan that she could pay back over a series of months, but Hays said she has learned the form will still take at least two months for the physician to fill out, taking her past the Sept. 5 deadline. At an unrelated news conference on Thursday, Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said his government isn't expecting AISH recipients to complete the federal application process by September 5. Nixon said they are required to check in with their caseworker by that date and update them on where they're at with their application. "We will not be cutting off AISH benefits in September if people are still working through their process with the federal government," he said. 'Very sad' Patty Wilson, a nurse practitioner in Calgary, said her clinic is getting deluged with calls from patients with disabilities worried they will miss the September deadline. Others are concerned they received the letter because they did something wrong. "I'm sad, very sad, for my patients, as well, that this is another hurdle that they have to jump through, another added stressor they have to go through," Wilson said in an interview. Wilson estimates each form takes her about two to three hours to fill out. There are so many people in the queue, Wilson said she'd be lucky to get all them done by September 2026 She already has a one-year wait list for people needing medical forms to get AISH. Dr. Ginetta Silvalaggio, a family physician in Edmonton, said the forms have contributed to her working more hours. While she is managing to keep up at the moment, she worries what will happen by the end of August as the deadline creeps closer. Silvalaggio said she can't understand why the province is taking this action when it ended the last fiscal year with an $8.3 billion surplus. "Why target the disabled community in particular in the name of saving a buck?" she asked. "There's a lot of distress because the time frames are so tight." Research A new brief from the Disability Policy Research Program at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy compiled reaction to the changes from 241 AISH recipients who were allowed to stay anonymous so they could speak freely. If they could keep the Canada Disability Benefit, respondents said they would use that $200 to buy more and healthier groceries, pay for prescriptions not covered by health benefits, and cover rent increases in market housing. Others spoke about the ability to set aside $5 or $10 a month for a small emergency fund or even have the ability to leave their apartment. "I'm housebound because transportation is too expensive," a respondent from Edmonton wrote. "I feel trapped and being able to get out once in a while would be life-changing." Another respondent said the extra money would allow them to live with more independence and dignity "For someone relying on AISH, $200 isn't just money; it represents hope, stability, and a chance to live with real choices." Senior research associate Brittany Finley was involved in the report, which was an initiative of the Disability Policy Research Program and eight organizations across the province, including Inclusion Alberta, Disability Action Hall, Alberta Ability Network and Inclusion Grande Prairie. Finley said the responses showed that people on AISH believe the government is leaving them behind. "You don't feel that you're being valued as a citizen in the province where you were born and where you live," she said. "And I think that just makes people feel like they've lost hope."
CTV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Premier criticizes report that says Alberta hindered efforts to fight Jasper fire
Burnt buses and cars in Jasper, Alta., on July 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is disheartened by a report into last summer's Jasper wildfire that she says unfairly criticizes and minimizes the contributions of her government. Smith, in a statement on social media, says the report and media coverage of it are 'politically motivated,' but doesn't elaborate. The report, based on surveys of firefighters and others, says Smith's government complicated the response to the fire, which destroyed a third of the Jasper townsite. It says the province regularly requested information and attempted to make decisions despite not being jurisdictionally responsible, given that it's a national park. It adds government interference disrupted the focus of fire leaders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of responding to the fire. Smith says the report overlooks or ignores Alberta's contributions, such as providing firefighters, equipment and financial resources. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Premier criticizes report that says Alberta hindered efforts to fight Jasper wildfire
Social Sharing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is criticizing a report into last summer's devastating Jasper wildfire that says her government hindered efforts to fight the blaze that destroyed a third of the townsite and sent 25,000 people fleeing. "It is disheartening to see a report and the media response to that report that so clearly overlooks the substantial, co-ordinated efforts undertaken by the Alberta government during the Jasper wildfire," Smith wrote Friday on social media. "Alberta's swift deployment of crews, emergency funding and operational support played a critical role in protecting lives and infrastructure, and these contributions are either minimized or ignored entirely." Smith also called the report and media coverage of it "politically motivated." WATCH | Through the lens: A week since the start of the Jasper wildfire: Through the lens: A week since the start of the Jasper wildfire 12 months ago In the week since Jasper National Park's residents and visitors were ordered to flee as wildfires approached, hours of video footage have emerged chronicling the evacuation, the firefight and the first glimpses of the ravaged town, where about 30 per cent of the structures were destroyed. This compilation brings together videos gathered by our crews or verified by our journalists. In a joint statement issued later Friday, Smith along with Mike Ellis, Alberta's safety minister, Todd Loewen, Alberta's forestry minister and Jason Nixon, minister of social services, further criticized the report and media reports on those findings. "The report and the media response not only appear politically motivated, they are also misguided, given their selective framing and failure to acknowledge the tireless work of provincial emergency personnel and leadership," the statement reads. "Notably, local officials raised no concerns when provincial wildfire firefighting teams arrived rapidly with personnel and equipment, nor when Alberta stepped up to fill gaps in funding, logistics and accommodations." In the statement, provincial government officials maintain that Alberta Wildfire provided crews, equipment and expertise from the first day of the fire response, assisted in evacuation efforts and worked to save structures all night when the fire breached the townsite. The province said Alberta's emergency management cabinet committee demonstrated strong leadership throughout the crisis. "This support reinforced the importance of unified command and interagency co-ordination, something the report itself seems to misunderstand or downplay," Smith said in the joint statement. "Incident reports help us learn to improve and we hope all jurisdictions take a closer look at their own deficiencies rather than blame others." The report, released Thursday, was commissioned by the town of Jasper and based on surveys of more than 200 firefighters and others. It said Smith's government complicated the response by regularly requesting information and by attempting to make decisions despite not being jurisdictionally responsible, given that it's a national park. It adds government interference disrupted the focus of fire leaders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of responding to the fire. Smith said the report either overlooks or ignores Alberta's contributions, such as providing firefighters, equipment and financial resources. "The report also fails to seriously address the broader and ongoing issue of forest management practices within national parks, an area of exclusive federal responsibility," Smith wrote on social media.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Report says Alberta government created command challenges fighting Jasper wildfire
A worker walks in a devastated neighbourhood in west Jasper, Alberta on Monday, Aug.19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken JASPER, ALTA. — A report into a wildfire that devastated the Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper last summer says crews did their best but command and control was hampered by the Alberta government. The report was commissioned by the town and surveyed participants and firefighters who battled the wind-whipped blaze that destroyed a third of buildings in the community located in Jasper National Park. While the report says it wasn't meant to assign blame, it notes that town and Parks Canada officials trained together and had an integrated command structure, but things became challenging when the province got involved. It says the Alberta government, while not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the crisis, made things more difficult with regular requests for information and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority. The report says the interference disrupted the focus of incident commanders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of fighting the fire and leading the re-entry of residents. 'The response to the Jasper Wildfire Complex demonstrated the effectiveness of the strong Unified Command established by the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada,' said the report, issued Thursday. 'Provincial involvement added complexity to the response as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,' stated the report. 'While Alberta Wildfire actively supported firefighting operations and participated in the (incident management team), jurisdictional overlap with the province created political challenges that disrupted the focus of incident commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and re-entry.' A spokesman for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said they were working on a response. Jasper officials said they were not able to comment on the report but could do so Friday. The fire entered the town last July 24, with 25,000 residents and visitors forced out days earlier. The residents were out for three weeks. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Alberta government complicated Jasper fire response, report says
A report into a wildfire that devastated the Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper last summer says crews did their best but command and control was hampered by the Alberta government. The report was commissioned by the town and surveyed participants and firefighters who battled the wind-whipped blaze that destroyed a third of buildings in the community located in Jasper National Park. While the report says it wasn't meant to assign blame, it notes that town and Parks Canada officials trained together and had an integrated command structure, but things became challenging when the province got involved. It says the Alberta government, while not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the crisis, made things more difficult with regular requests for information and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority. The report says the interference disrupted the focus of incident commanders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of fighting the fire and leading the re-entry of residents. 'The response to the Jasper Wildfire Complex demonstrated the effectiveness of the strong Unified Command established by the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada,' said the report, issued Thursday. 'Provincial involvement added complexity to the response as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,' stated the report. 'While Alberta Wildfire actively supported firefighting operations and participated in the [incident management team], jurisdictional overlap with the province created political challenges that disrupted the focus of incident commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and re-entry.' A spokesman for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said they were working on a response. Jasper officials said they were not able to comment on the report but could do so Friday. The fire entered the town last July 24, with 25,000 residents and visitors forced out days earlier. The residents were out for three weeks.
