Alberta Supports Office Building (Operated by the Mental Health and Addictions Ministry and headed by UCP Minister Rick Wilson)
The Green Party of Alberta (GPA) opposes the Alberta Government’s changes to Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and the introduction of the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).
We in the GPA have family, friends, and neighbours that rely upon AISH to survive in Alberta, and we as a Party recognize how these changes will rob them of their livelihoods and will further place pressure on their already concerning health conditions. The GPA believes that care for the disabled is the sign of a compassionate and inclusive society, and that it serves as a critical preventative measure to alleviate pressures on our already strained healthcare system.
$200 AISH to ADAP Loss
The average monthly cost of living for Albertans sometimes sits up to $2,473 per month and AISH in 2026 offers only a maximum of $1,940 per month for a single person. This means AISH often fails to meet the current financial needs of disabled Albertans and leaves them with no financial room for additional expenses or unexpected emergencies. Even worse, the Alberta Government is moving AISH recipients to ADAP and making it so that disabled Albertans will now receive $200 less than they would on AISH. This means disabled Albertans will only get $1,740 per month and it will not be nearly enough to cover the average cost of living in our province.
On top of all this, Alberta's inflation is currently at 3.7%, which is significantly higher than the reasonable 2% originally forecasted by our government's 2026 Annual Budget (which was reported only five months ago). While such a drastic rise in inflation affects all Albertans, this increase has an even greater disproportionate effect on persons who are disabled and further restricts how much they can afford.
We at the Green Party of Alberta view such a significant reduction to below the average cost of living as being utterly cruel for Albertans who are medically unable to finance their basic needs through employment.
Changes to Rent Assistance Benefits (RAB) Calculations
Now in addition to the financial losses resulting from transitions to ADAP, the Alberta Government has also changed calculations for the Rent Assistance Benefit (RAB). Where in the past, recipients of the RAB who were also collecting from AISH would have a maximum of $735 exempt (from AISH) in the calculation for income to be received under RAB. However, now the Alberta government has made it where the exemption no longer exists. This means AISH recipients will now begin receiving significantly less under RAB and further restrict their ability to afford the most expensive necessity, a home.
Our Alberta Government has not just taken actions that place our disabled into unlivable financial conditions, but they have also taken the extra step of denying them access to additional income under another benefit. Such actions are a clear demonstration of indifference directed at our disabled. We at the Green Party of Alberta are informed by principles of Respect for Diversity and Social Justice, which is why we care about our disabled Albertans and will work to ensure that you can live a life free of financial suffering below the cost of living.
Canada Disability Benefits (CDB) Deduction
To add insult to injury the Alberta Government has also implemented a $200 deduction on AISH recipients if they are also receiving the Canada Disability Benefits (CDB). This means the Alberta Government is now shamefully punishing disabled Albertans for receiving further disability benefits from the federal government, and is funneling such money into the hands of the provincial government.
Coerced Employment & Impacts on Health
As a consequence of all the financial impacts made by our government’s latest actions, “an analysis by Gillian Petit at the University of Calgary found that someone on ADAP will have to work 39 hours per week at minimum wage to have benefits that are equal to those on AISH”. Such amount of required work is unsustainable and destructive to the lives of disabled Albertans who are commonly physically limited and cannot work such hours without incurring serious pain and health complications.
In addition, because such working hours would cause disabled Albertans further health complications and serious pain, this will also likely place further preventable pressure on Alberta’s already strained health care system.
In alignment with our principle of Sustainability, the Green Party of Alberta believes these latest government actions are dangerous and threaten to further destabilize Albertans health and the systems they rely upon.
A Cover for Cost Cutting
In total, these government actions indicate a singular clear objective, cost cutting. Cost cutting can often be a noble goal to balance the books, but the act of doing so without any serious consideration of those it will harm is egregious and cruel. It is most evident to me that our government presently does not care for our disabled Albertans and they have demonstrated this by making their decisions “without sufficient consultation with patients, physicians, or subject-matter experts”.
We at the Green Party of Alberta recognize the severe financial weight placed upon disabled Albertans. If you or your loved ones are impacted or concerned about our government’s changes, join our Party's quest to preserve the dignity of all disabled Albertans and raise awareness with your family, friends, and acquaintances.
Leader | James Anderson,
Green Party of Alberta
REFERENCES:
“Cost of Living in Alberta” livingcost.org, 21 June 2026, https://livingcost.org/cost/canada/ab.
“Cost of Living in Alberta, Canada in 2026” Living Cost Index, https://livingcostindex.com/regions/alberta-ca/. Accessed: 30 June 2026.
“Alberta Cost of Living [2026]: How Expensive Is Living in Alberta?” Calgary Homes, 08 June 2026, https://calgaryhomes.ca/blog/alberta-cost-of-living-guide.html.
“Pushing back against changes that make life harder for disabled Albertans” Alberta Doctors Digest, 01 December 2025, https://add.albertadoctors.org/issues/november-december-2025/pushing-back-against-changes-make-life-harder-disabled-albertans/.
“Multinational contractors managing Alberta’s new disability employment system: documents” Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), 26 June 2026, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/adap-multinational-contractor-aish-alberta-changes-9.7249421.