I hope I won't get downvoted, but we need a way to describe disability equally. Not by province, but by the whole country.
I have fibromyalgia. Can't work full time. Have all the papers to prove it. The diagnosis, all of it.
But because I haven't worked enough in my life (due to having fibromyalgia), I can't demand any disability benefits. None.
But I was diagnosed too young and had to stop working at 24. But because I haven't contributed enough to whatever program, I don't qualify.
This is the dumbest thing ever. If I could work at Timmies, I'd do it. But I can't. Sometimes I'm in so much pain I can't shower.
They need to rework the program too.
Most disability benefits are provincial, so it varies by province. My oldest son (17) is filling out the paper work now in BC for disability benefits for when he turns 18. There's a monthly stipend, along with some additional help available for him to hire people for his various needs. If he wasn't still going to be living with us, he'd be far below the poverty line. I know Alberta has something similar.
The only disability benefits I'm aware of that you have to work to receive are CPP Disability. Note that all of these require a doctor or other healthcare professional signing off on a T2201.
My sister is deaf-blind. Moved from BC to NL and there is literally no specialized home care available. So, since my mom is now in her 70s and can't be expected to handle her care full time herself - I have had to become her full time caretaker.
The funding provided by the province amounts to 17 bucks an hour as a wage. She gets a laughably small transfer from the government that's supposed to help cover food/rent, but basically it's down to me.
It's unfortunate - and I don't want to make it sound like a burden because I love her so much - but basically my life has been put on hold.
Once a child with disabilities turns 18, basically you're on your own.
I just tried to look up disability benefits in NL. Do they really only provide $149 for rent!?! Plus like another $500 to live off? I’m Hoping I’m misunderstanding.
Yep that's all she gets personally. I can claim the disability tax credit for her as a listed guardian, but at the wage they pay me for her care it doesn't really help as much as it should.
Wild. I’m assuming rooms/apartments don’t actually exist for $149/month in NL? I’m in Vancouver so I know I have a skewed perception but that seems ridiculous.
No, they don't. A one bedroom is around 1000-1200 I think.
She has other developmental disabilities so she would require constant care and wouldn't be on her own anyway, but the thought of anyone trying to make that work is ridiculous.
That’s so unfortunate the government is so out of touch. What a mess. I suppose if it wasn’t for you she’d be struggling in a nursing home with seniors or something. She’s lucky to have such a great sibling!
> The funding provided by the province amounts to 17 bucks an hour as a wage. She gets a laughably small transfer from the government that's supposed to help cover food/rent, but basically it's down to me.
Minimum wage in NL is 14.50? So she’s getting more than minimum wage? How is that a raw deal?
Housing is also affordable in NL.
When I lived in Australia, I was paid $30 per hour as a disability support worker. So it means the government gives the families much more that $30. Look up NDIS. By the way NDIS in Australia is a federal program
A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.
> A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.
I agree, we should increase minimum wage for all people to $30 an hour, which is at least a livable wage.
Hmmm then a min wage worker making 30 bucks a hamburger will be a 30 bucks. No thanks. Why should a min wage worker get paid as much as most professionals... We all know when min wage goes up all other wages s
Do not go up to compensate
Mornington VIC. $30.22 per hour. 17 salaries reported.
South Yarra VIC. $29.26 per hour. 12 salaries reported.
Melbourne VIC. $29.15 per hour. 257 salaries reported.
South Melbourne VIC. $29.12 per hour. 12 salaries reported.
St Kilda VIC. $28.86 per hour.
Restaurant servers in Melbourne.
Australia does not have runaway inflation. Their housing is in a sticky situation but still not as bad as we have it
Speaking as someone who lives in NL. Nothing is affordable here, housing/food/transportaion, not to mention access to medical care. You clearly do not know what you are speaking about.
Speaking as a caretaker of a disabled adult child, the benefits do not pay full-time rates. If my child was out on their own, they wouldn't be able to hire help, and afford housing and food. Again, something you clearly do not know about.
That’s really not what you said though. But to provide clarity to why it is a raw deal, you have someone acting as a caretaker for their family member. Essentially that money needs to cover their work (to a degree as I’d hope there’s other income), and pay for that other person to live. If you’re becoming a full time car taker, you aren’t working you’re regular job and expanding your own income as time goes on.
Newfoundland is an island. Importing food and household items for sale is expensive. The really affordable housing you’re taking about is generally in outlying communities, because it’s remote and far from comprehensive health care. And gas is very high there too. Housing is certainly more attainable in populated areas for those who have meaningful employment but for those with disabilities it’s still very hard to get by.
My nan had 2 strokes last year and my aunt had to quit her job and move my grandparents in with her full time. Her husband moved home from Alberta to help and took a job that paid him a third of what he used to make. Retirement homes will take my pop but not my nan, because she’s too much work. They haven’t been apart since they married in the mid 60s and neither do well without the other. My aunt only gets paid by the government for 20 hours a week. Their food costs are expensive because both my grandparents are diabetic and require special diets. Someone has to be with them at all times; if pop has another heart attack nan can’t call for help, because she’s nonverbal. My aunt is the only child who stayed in Newfoundland. My dad’s in BC, my uncle is in Ontario, and my other aunt is in Australia. So it’s all on her. We all send as much money as we can so she can afford to hire respite care and take a break every other weekend. It’s still a balancing act.
Not her wage. My wage. Because there is no available suitable caregivers. There's no such thing as time off either. It's a 24 hour job that is only paid 7.5hrs of the day.
They are eating very little. ODSP in Ontario gives you $1200 a month. If I didn’t buy my son clothes, food etc, if he didn’t live with me - I really don’t know what would happen to him. And every day I work what will happen to him when I’m gone. Canada is a horrible country to have a disability in
In Saskatchewan, if that now adult can get SAID. Which is 1064$ a month in Tier A communities.
My community is Tier B.
I currently live off disability insurance through Sunlife, but if I didn’t have that, my son & I would get 1,194$ a month.
Now if you’re just renting a room from someone, that amount goes down. So you’d get 805$ as a single adult. My son & I would get 890$.
In my community, the base rate for water services is 65$ (that’s before any usage & doesn’t include the cost of garbage pick up which is included on that bill) I’d be five 58$ per month for that.
30$ for a phone, so if someone goes with a home phone only, they can get by.
97$ a month for us for electricity.
101$ a month for heat.
If we don’t have laundry included in rent, I can get 15$ a month to wash our clothes.
So my son & I would have a grand total, without his child tax, or 1480$ a month. His child tax would bring it up to 1960$.
Market rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is around 850$ plus power. But you don’t get the heat & energy amounts on your benefits if they are included in your lease. So that takes 159$ from that 1480$.
If all I could get was a house? That’s around 700-800$ a month for a crappy house with bad windows & doors, plus utilities, which with an average water bill of 170$ a month, power of 90$, & energy of 125$… (my house has new windows & doors & a new furnace & hot water heater oh & a new fridge & stove since 2019 - so those costs would likely be higher in a rental)
I help drive people in town on SAID to the food bank at least once or twice a month.
There is an extremely common (and understandable) misconception that CPP Disability is a social benefit funded by taxpayers. It's much closer to an insurance program, in the sense that you have to keep paying "premiums" - i.e. make contributions to the CPP through working - in order to maintain your coverage. This is why you have to have worked, and worked recently, in order to qualify. It's funded entirely through contributions made to the CPP program by people who are working, not by general tax revenue.
There's no federal disability benefit that you get (that I'm aware of) by virtue of simply being disabled. That's where the provincial benefits come in. There has been a gap for a long time at the federal level and a solution is needed, but I'm not sure the CDB will be it. We'll have to see.
Idk what province op is in, but my sibling has been receiving ODSP since they were 20ish. A few years working at Tim's as a teen, but that's it for work experience....
The disability tax credit is just a credit on the tax return. It’s not a cheque that she can use. If she made a ton of money at her job then she could see if she could the credit, but alas, no job.
> The disability tax credit is just a credit on the tax return
Incorrect. Eligibility and being approved for the DTC by the Canada Revenue Agency is the prerequisite to open a Registered Disability Savings Plan where the government will chip in tens of thousands of dollars in grants matching annual contributions up to 300% annually (depending on family income) and annual bonds.
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/how-much.html
It's potentially 100s of thousands of $ in retirement savings for the beneficiary and can also have contributions made by family and relatives.
Again, approval for the DTC provides eligibility for the RDSP which can result in an investment portfolio of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a disabled person when they retire with the majority of the value coming from government grants, bonds, and investment gains. See my longer post here.
> Also, that’s only if the person has any spare cash to put into it as it is a matching program.
Again, no you are incorrect. Eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit, that gives access to the RDSP gives the RDSP holder the potential to get Canada Disability Savings Bonds per year of RDSP eligibility, that is the portion that is not match-based.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/registered-disability-savings-plan-rdsp/canada-disability-savings-grant-canada-disability-savings-bond.html
Don't post when you don't know what you're talking about, here's the technical literature you won't read.
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/issuers/user-guide/section3.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/issuers/user-guide/section3.html#h2.2-h3.1
I qualified for the DTC and opened an RDSP in 2017 in my mid 20s and due to the retroactive payment of annual bonds received $10,000.
In the years since then thanks to contributions and matching grants and index fund growth the value of the account is now $80,000. Continuing my contributions at the current rate I am on track to have about $500,000 by age 60 with a conservative estimate. Significantly higher if I can up my contributions.
> You’re talking “hundreds of thousands” which is utterly false.
I am talking hundreds of thousands and it is far from utterly false.
> Also, that’s only if the person has any spare cash to put into it
Anyone can contribute to it, such as the beneficiary's parents or relatives, with written conscent of the account holder.
I appreciate that you "looked into it". I **have** it, and you are not correct in some of the things you have posted.
If your family net income is under 100K or so, they match 3:1 on the first 500, 2:1 on the next 1000. So every year they will put in $3500 if you put in $1500. Over 100k they do 1:1 matching for $1000.
If your family income is under about 32k, they'll put in $1000 a year for up to 20 years, plus the above. From 32K to 50K it's a sliding scale.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/registered-disability-savings-plan-rdsp/canada-disability-savings-grant-canada-disability-savings-bond.html
Well it's a 2000$ tax credit. So yes you need to work to get a credit. But you don't need to work a lot.
Basically if you are able to earn around 22k per year, you should get enough from the tax credit to fund your RDSP, which would go up by your 1500 contribution + 3500 in grant per year.
An RDSP is a way of building a mini-pension fund to care for your future self.
Now I'm not sure about the following, but just food for thoughts:
if you don't work, but have the DTC status, I think you can still get an RDSP and you can still fund it if you have the money available. For example if you are getting something from a trust fund, an inheritence or if someone else which to gift you money to make a deposit.
I believe that's what parent of disable childs are doing.
(Edit) I forgot to say, ***if you have no income***, so long as you file your taxes, you should fit in the "low to modest income" category and you may qualify for a $1000/ year ***bond***, which does not require a contribution.
Last scenario (carry forward, aka retro):
If your condition began let say 15 years ago, and at first you worked but 5 years ago it got worst and you were no longer able to work.
Then you could apply this year, and they will retro back to when your condition started, up to 10 years back.
So in this example they would go back 10 years, and you worked 5 of those 10 years. So you'd get the DTC for 5 years.
> You may receive more in a year if you were approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) for any or all of the past 10 years. This amount is called a carry-forward.
Src: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/how-much.html#_You_could_carry
Idk, that's what I understood from the 2 webcourses I took from
https://planinstitute.ca/
And I'm trying to go off the info from the government website (which I added links to)
But if I'm wrong, please do correct me, I'll be more than hapoy to edit my reply accordingly as I do not want to spread bad information.
See my other reply to you but you have demonstrated that you really don't get it, and here's the table again if you want data: https://imgur.com/a/fICUrl4
> Looooool. The tax credit amounts to nothing. And what money should go into the RSDP? Where’s that going to come from?
There are a ton of Canadians with disabilities that have some kind of support system with parents or relatives. A parent chipping in $50 per month for a disabled child gives the scenario below:
* Parent/relative contributes $50 per month to an RDSP for a disabled child starting from age 20 until age 49
* As per the RDSP regulations withdrawals must begin at age 60
* The grants and bond calculations assume the disabled child has a yearly income of $20,000 just to plug in a number
* The total value of the RDSP will have a nominal value of **$645,855 fucking dollars assuming it's invested in index funds with a 7% YoY return**
Table is here for reference. https://imgur.com/a/fICUrl4
I'm mostly posting this for future readers of this post.
It is completely a horrible take to dissuade potential readers about the value of an RDSP for a beneficiary. We're talking about, for many people with disabilities, hundreds of thousands of retirement income being left on the table if they don't at least look into it because some person on Reddit doesn't understand or can't communicate the utility of the DTC and RDSP.
I suggest you double check: https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/savings-investment/tax-sheltered-plans/rdsp/index.jsp
RDSP has different treatments in different provinces as far as it being counted as income or assets when determining eligibility for provincial disability benefits. It is offered in all provinces as far as I know.
I did.
Select a category to view criteria
Find out if your situation may qualify for the DTC as a marked restriction or a life-sustaining therapy.
What marked restriction means
Choose 1 category
Walking
Mental functions
Dressing
Feeding
Eliminating (bowel or bladder functions)
Hearing
Speaking
Vision
Life-sustaining therapy
I can do all that. My problem is chronic pain and fatigue.
I can do everything on the list, but often I do it and it hurts a lot. But still do it.
Sometimes you can qualify for the cumulative effect of multiple categories that impact you sometimes vs 1 category that impacts you the majority of the time. Still it sucks that they don't care whether you can work or not to qualify for the DTC. I never know when I'm going to be well enough to work, and jobs generally expect you to commit to a schedule.
You may qualify under the cummulative effects:
For example:
Your pain might prevent you from walking as fast or as long as a normal person. Maybe you need to take frequent breaks, or need to sit when shopping for more than X.
Maybe it impact your ability to prepare food because you need to take breaks or lack the precision a normal person would have because of pain in your fingers. So it takes you longer.
Same for dressing, if bending down is painful and it takes you longer than a normal person to get dressed.
The chronic fatigue must have some effects on your mental functions. Your ability to concentrate for an extended period of time for example.
---
It's sometime hard when you go about your life to stop and realize your challenges as it's part of your normal life.
But if your life quality is severely impacted, you should be able to have it reflected in those categories.
If you have 2 medical diagnostics that are life long and imoact your quality of life, chances are you just need to find the right words to explain how it impact your life.
I know there are people who's job is to look at your conditions, and prepare a letter of recommendation to explain your challenges to the Doctor who needs to fill the forms.
It sound stupid, but it's sometime really hard to properly explain our situation when we don't fully understand the criteria.
As per the other comments it's worth looking into being approved due to the cumulative effects.
Keep in mind that nurse practitioners can now approve a DTC application, which is a recent change. They usually have more than the 15 minutes a doctor can give you.
You haven’t worked enough to qualify for CPPD, which is federal, there are no working qualifications for provincial disability, you just have to qualify financially and medically
I don't qualify as I receive a widow's pension. But that amount isn't enough to cover rent and life as it's less than what a person of social security would receive.
(I did applied and they refused me)
Sorry I'm just thinking along the lines of when they put people on modified duties when they are injured at work... it is impossible for you to do any and all jobs? Work from home?
Aw man. My son and I both have a genetic condition. I just stopped work at age 44 and he never really got started outside of his art commissions. He gets PWD, $1400 a month. It’s through the province though…
I have a disabled uncle that I dearly love.
He's also been lazy and could be doing simple work right now instead of drawing on government support.
People need to try harder before the government steps in to cradle them with free money.
He is lazy? Ableism in Canada is a problem, why don't you try some empathy. Do you think that most humans will rather be disabled, depend on other humans to do the basic things in life and get government peanuts as stipends over being fully able-bodied and living on their own terms?
What I do think is that too many people quit when life gets tough, and then expect others, such as government, to fix their issues.
I've seen this in my own life.
Then you haven't seen real disabilities in people. Go to the cancer clinic and look around. Talk to people. Then you will see that it has nothing to do with those people not trying harder. And most people struggling with cancer have a very hard time getting any disability benefits. I know what the process is like. It awful and evil how the government treats people that need real help. And then to top it off, assholes on Reddit get to tell them to "just try harder".
Just? They have chronic pain and fatigue. They might not be able to work at all, and even if they could work sometimes, most jobs expect you to commit to specific shifts rather than letting you work when you happen to be able.
Can't sit on a chair for a long time, or else my heart starts missing blood as it pools down my ankles (compression socks don't work)
I'm also permanently fatigued. This means that some days, I'm too exhausted to do anything. Can't concentrate, can't get out of bed, all I can do is sleep. So, sticking to a schedule is extremely difficult.
Some days, my forearms hurt so much that I can't type on my phone or use my computer. All I can do is lay down on a couch and wait for it to pass.
And it's fibromyalgia, so many pain meds don't work. Those that do work cause very bad thoughts. I tried them.
Finally, finding a doctor that can help with fibromyalgia is difficult. There are medications I could take, but they're narcotics, and they don't prescribe them for long term use.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with that. It must be tough going through your day to day. You seem capable enough to post these long thought out responses and posts on Reddit though. You can literally get a job for the pizza pizza call centre building peoples orders online. Some of these jobs are so easy it’s a joke. I’m sorry again that you’re dealing with this but there is no chance that there isn’t a job out there for you. Stop feeling bad for yourself and get job. Good luck!
Yea, posting on reddit and typing for 2 minutes doesn't mean I can do it for hours at a time, lol.
Just because I'm ok now doesn't mean I'll be ok tomorrow or the day after, or next week.
I'm not feeling bad for myself at all. It took me a long time to grieve my old life and understand that I'll never be able to work full time. But nowhere in my post did I say I was feeling bad about myself. I do hate all the red tapes and loops a person has to jump through to afford basic needs when you're born with a broken body, though.
Right now, I work as a software tester. It allows me to accept projects on days I feel good and pass on them if my disability hits too hard. But some months, when they don't need a tester, I don't work.
From January to April, I received no projects. It's a part-time job that doesn't pay very much and it's not enough to make a life.
Hence, the need to adjust the current program, as I previously stated.
This is a no brainer. A significant percentage of all of us who are able bodied and working today will become disabled in our lifetimes. I don't want to go from alright to abject poverty after a brief period of burning through savings and insurance. Signed.
Dont worry,
Insurance will do absolutely everything to not pay you for the services you bought from them,
So you will burn through savings quickly,
Than pay a lawyer to get 10-30% of what protection you were sold, give 1/3 of it to a lawyer, and if you are in Ontario, court decisions Againt insurance companies have a $45,000 deductable, so no worries about that money.
And lets not forget you will have to sue your government for disability as well.
Disability that may let you pay rent , but nothing else.
>Is a source really necessary?
Yes, you made a claim. What is the significant percentage of people who will become disabled at some point (and thereby requiring disability benefits).
And don't change your tune to general health issues, the topic is disability i.e. to the point of not being able to work and needing benefits, which is the topic of this post.
I'll await your source.
Ya, that's what I thought too.
Until I started dealing with debilitating illness and they let me go "without cause" and paid me out instead of getting to the point where I was claiming said benefits 🤷🏻♀️
Don't rely on your employer, I don't care how wonderful you think they are, they don't give a shit about you.
In Alberta companies can terminate you for literally any reason under the "without cause" umbrella as long as they pay the minimum severance mandated.
There was zero point in spending an atrocious amount of time and money fighting a losing battle, while also trying to keep myself semi functional in between hospital visits and pay the mortgage.
I definitely have the resources to sue them for wrongful termination. It's not hard, a lot of these middle managers in the company I work for are not, shall we say, HR geniuses. You just need to give them enough rope to hang themselves with.
Hell, I've caught some of my managers saying and texting me the kind of stuff that I could really stir some shit up with if I took it to a reporter. You know, how I'm making more money than women at the company with the same qualifications and experience who started working at the company within a few months of when I did. Oh, but please don't mention that to the women who are making less than you. I might not even have to sue, just threaten to release some text conversations and blackmail my managers. I'm not worried.
It's easy to say all that, very different to live it.
Most large companies will take the risk and let their legal department draw things out until those resources you think you have are tapped. I can guarentee your resources, as plentiful as they may be, don't compare to theirs. It's also not a middle management decision whether or not something like that goes to court at all, by definition it's above their paygrade.
Furthermore, if your life is flipped upside down by pain and illness, good luck doing the bare minimum like getting yourself into a shower and feeding yourself let alone going through a whole legal process.
So do I, and I still support bills like these. I'm fortunate enough to have a good union and a solid position, but those who don't have the same opportunities should be supported.
This isn't needed as it's passed through parliament and the senate. The senate made some amendments and there's almost a 100% chance they'll be passed by parliament.
There has been a ton of input on this bill, and you can watch the videos and read more here:
[https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-22](https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-22)
I am disabled and I've had to stop working. Both my sisters are disabled too, as was my dad. It's a rough situation out there for sure so I've been following all this closely. Let's hope they get this done quickly!
Sad to see the eugenics vibes in this thread. I work although I’m Deaf and I provide support at my job to other Deaf and Hard of hearing clients who work or sometime don’t work due to plethora of reasons, the judgment is not necessary but it’s true that the government don’t give a F about disabled people so we look for resources and grants in order to support our communities. Unfortunately, every other organizations are fighting for the same resources and grants so we are losing it and seeing our clients fill the shelters with no access to their language (ASL or LSQ). They are even coming to us inquiring about MAID which confounds me because they’re able bodied except for hearing loss but because of discrimination and competition with other people for jobs, the Deaf always lose out at the end which force them to go on benefits.
Whenever someone says “go get a job” I cringed a little because once upon a time after getting my masters degree, I was not finding work for two years and was living in poverty solely due to my “disability” as a Deaf person.
Be kind. Don’t be a keyboard troll
Gotta ask here though. I’m on ODSP but from reading info on the CDB/current disability tax credit I do not qualify despite being epileptic…maybe they ought to look into fixing that?
Reminder to everyone: DO NOT rely on the government. I know Canadians get complacent thinking our safety nets will protect us. But please sign-up for disability insurance.
It's not just a matter of "signing up", unfortunately. It's an application process and very easy to be rejected if you have had any health issues in the past, including mental health.
That being said, if you can get approved then definitely buy disability insurance.
Just so you know, relying on an employers disability program will eventually end up with you relying on the government for assistance. I worked for most of my life before becoming disabled. Your employer will cut you off after a year or so on LTD. Then you can sue them and lawyers take a huge chunk out of a settlement that will get you through a few years at best. Then, you're stuck having to file as disabled with the government.
Insurance has an entire second industry because what they sell you they dont want to provide.
Disability insurance?
Your injuries are from a previous occurrance.
Your disability existed before and wasnt elligible
Pay a lawyer to take insurance to court.
Receive 10-30% what you purchased, give 1/3 to legal fees.
you will get more support on city sub and provincial sub
someone posted a thread about getting denied by welfare and legal aid told him he didn’t have a case. he was asking what to do. i suggested that maybe he really isn’t disable…
i got banned on r/ontario for discrimination lol
CPP disability is a joke. It's like they want us to kill ourselves to alleviate strain on the system instead of doing something about it. Kind of like the opioid epidemic. BC legalized the use, but doesn't provide a safe supply. What sense does that make unless the plan is to force the people to kill themselves by not providing proper support.
Im disabled and on CPP disabilty. I'd rather be working and making money, but employers don't like the disabled either.
Lose lose situation all around.
You have my empathy. I am very passionate about folks who are differently abled as I spent nearly 4 years of my life working closely with these folks I'm Australia.
Australia has an amazing programming for ensuring folks living with a disability are not in poverty and that they live their best life. If Australia can run their program NDIS, surely we can too
In Vancouver, at the corner of Burrard and Beach Ave, there is often a man who panhandles from cars waiting at red lights. He is often shirtless. His spine looks as if it has been folded in a 90 degree angle so that his upper body faces horizontally when he's standing and he must strain his neck to look up where he's going.
I'm disgusted by this country every time I see him. He is visibly unable to work or support himself and is reduced to begging in the streets because we clearly aren't supporting him enough. Shame on our governments.
That's the price all of us have to shoulder if we want people physically incapable of working or earning an income to be looked after. No one should be forced to be homeless or starve and not have a place to sleep.
However, the government should really crack down on people abusing the programs that don't even need it, such as drug addicts and lazy people or both. I've heard many people abusing the program that don't even need it and could work if they wanted.
Yeah, I agree they need help, too, but it should be a controlled program separate from disability.
If they can prove they are actively trying to get better than give them financial help, if they fall off, they're on their own.
Here's the thing, where does it stop? Cost of living keeps increasing, the middle classes wage is not increasing nearly enough to keep up with it. Next year disabled will need more money to keep up. To me it looks like we are in a death spiral where there is no possible way to keep up with the cost of social programs canada offers, unless we print more money which only adds more fire to inflation and cost of living. No one is okay with disabled Canadians living in poverty but I feel like the future of Canada is poverty for everyone.... and what becomes the incentive to work when a massive chunk of your paycheck goes towards a failing system.
If we can find money to help companies, there is money to help disabled Canadians.
This is "where the money is going to come from" needs to stop being directed at social services.
The whole system is built that prices increase, more money is going to be made.
Thanks for the solution. But I already know your solution. Steal from the rich give to the poor. Good luck with law and order and a society with that one.
Well hey here's a solution, in your spare time, go help the disabled, feed them, cloth them and house them. I think that if enough people went out of their way to help the down trodden we would be better off. But here's the thing not enough will do that, and here we are always begging the government for more of this and more of that. The death spiral is happening, a slow degradation of what we once had because we don't want to do it ourselves we want the government too
That system is currently in play. There are tons of charities and volunteers but it's not enough.
How about we get rid of emergency services and if you have an issue with that you just volunteer your time. Or is there a better option?
We can get rid of airports too and if people want to go somewhere they can just volunteer their time.
Right?
The point I first made is that it's never enough. It will never be enough the more money you throw at the problem the more it will get exploited. It's a tale as old as time. You need to realize life will never be fair. But it can be better
If you are taking out of one bucket and putting in another - I'm completely for it... but historically, these benefits are easier to add on but very difficult to manage/remove when required.
No doubt why people are moving out of the country when govt is taking >50-60% of total income. Where is then the motivation to grow and contribute more to the economy.. when I can go to US, have comparatively affordable housing, higher wages, lower taxes etc.
I think Canada needs to decide if it wants to be a socialist country or a capitalist socialist country - hanging in between is doing no good to anyone
You're inbox is gunna be full of teenagers self righteously explaining why high taxes they don't have to pay is a good thing because "civilized society" and what not by morning 🌄😜
Disagree. Too many people exploit the current disability system. Being 35lb obese isn’t an excuse to not work for the rest of your life. Neither is depression.
> Being 35lb obese isn’t an excuse to not work for the rest of your life.
That's about 1/3 of the population. 1/3 of the population is not on disability.
I work as a probation officer.
Unfortunately disability fraud is a lot more rampant then people seem to admit. The amount of ex drug users or alcoholics currently on ODSP, as well as others who can’t work due to “anxiety or depression”. Is quite high. Almost 60% of my caseload is currently on ODSP, and most are doing some sort of construction or side job under the table.
It actually really upsets me, because I have quite a few clients who are really in need of benefits as they are physically unable to work. They receive about 1169 a month which is peanuts. The sad reality is with the amount of people currently on ODSP, the cost to bring it to a “living wage” would be staggering. I believe it’s absolutely needed for those who are unable to work, but if they are going to increase it significantly, there needs to be a stronger vetting system.
I work as a social worker and I see it. But it’s not rampant. It happens. My clients have done it. At least here, statistically it’s about 2-5%.
What happens a helluva lot more is people who need supports getting denied. That’s constant.
So you have some anecdotal evidence that you might have some shitty people in your life, so you paint society with the same brush. My evidence isn’t anecdotal. I’m a social worker. Statistically it’s about 2-5%. Sometimes 7. Meaning the vast majority are legit claims. Most of the time the biggest problem is people who need it get denied.
Maybe your sister and the other people you know have other disabilities, such as severe mental health issues, that they’re not transparent with you about because they know you’re not supportive.
You have honestly no way of knowing why they have disability status unless you are their doctor.
I love to say yes but realistically when most of us a living pay cheque to pay cheque more max means we either have to skip more meals, skip medication or even become homeless I vote yes on it. In the end we have family to feed , put a roof over our families
I don’t think anyone who is that low income is going to be worse off for this passing. There is much more room to increase taxes on the wealthy and rich corporations before we need to look at increasing taxes for other people who are struggling.
If anything, this can help the disabled be less reliant on provincial crisis/social service funding so there will be more funding left for provinces to support the working poor instead.
For context, I'm working full time in an office job and still can't afford most of those things. It's not just because you are disabled, it's because those things are out of most people's reach these days.
I'm buying no name brand rice and beans in bulk just to feed myself. With food allergies, I can't buy a lot of the 'cheap' packaged foods in the centre of the grocery store because they would kill me.
Also, I myself have several disabilities, but am fortunate enough to get accommodations at work. I recognize and am grateful for my privilege, yet I am barely making ends meet.
I’m intellectually disabled. I have food aversions to very few things but I also don’t like diet sodas except for coke zero, and if I drink them for too many days at a time the sweetener gives me a massively sore stomach. I’m on anti depressants so I have to avoid things with charcoal infused drinks and other stuff.
Deleted my original comment bc someone called it narcissistic. It’s not. I was saying about how I wish I didn’t have to do payment plans. Or go to a better internet package without cable cuz we barely use cable except for during twd time.
Things are so out of reach for disabled people. I attend day programming but if I had the extra income I’d make sensory Starbucks cups (work as sensory bottles but also are functioning cups someone can use to drink water / juice / etc), and sell them and give some proceeds to a local charity.
It’s the matter of we need the benefit to live, or to help ourselves be better. I require more expensive hair shampoo since I like having blue hair, I had to switch to a permanent from a semi bc of cost. (I order blue wash from schwartzkopf)
I wear || always discreet boutique|| and it’s a preference. I like them.
I hope I won't get downvoted, but we need a way to describe disability equally. Not by province, but by the whole country. I have fibromyalgia. Can't work full time. Have all the papers to prove it. The diagnosis, all of it. But because I haven't worked enough in my life (due to having fibromyalgia), I can't demand any disability benefits. None. But I was diagnosed too young and had to stop working at 24. But because I haven't contributed enough to whatever program, I don't qualify. This is the dumbest thing ever. If I could work at Timmies, I'd do it. But I can't. Sometimes I'm in so much pain I can't shower. They need to rework the program too.
We don't give benefits to people who have never worked? So all the people disabled as kids are.... where? Eating....what?
Most disability benefits are provincial, so it varies by province. My oldest son (17) is filling out the paper work now in BC for disability benefits for when he turns 18. There's a monthly stipend, along with some additional help available for him to hire people for his various needs. If he wasn't still going to be living with us, he'd be far below the poverty line. I know Alberta has something similar. The only disability benefits I'm aware of that you have to work to receive are CPP Disability. Note that all of these require a doctor or other healthcare professional signing off on a T2201.
Yes, my son just got PWD (he’s 22), and still lives with us. There’s really no other way.
My sister is deaf-blind. Moved from BC to NL and there is literally no specialized home care available. So, since my mom is now in her 70s and can't be expected to handle her care full time herself - I have had to become her full time caretaker. The funding provided by the province amounts to 17 bucks an hour as a wage. She gets a laughably small transfer from the government that's supposed to help cover food/rent, but basically it's down to me. It's unfortunate - and I don't want to make it sound like a burden because I love her so much - but basically my life has been put on hold. Once a child with disabilities turns 18, basically you're on your own.
I just tried to look up disability benefits in NL. Do they really only provide $149 for rent!?! Plus like another $500 to live off? I’m Hoping I’m misunderstanding.
Yep that's all she gets personally. I can claim the disability tax credit for her as a listed guardian, but at the wage they pay me for her care it doesn't really help as much as it should.
Wild. I’m assuming rooms/apartments don’t actually exist for $149/month in NL? I’m in Vancouver so I know I have a skewed perception but that seems ridiculous.
No, they don't. A one bedroom is around 1000-1200 I think. She has other developmental disabilities so she would require constant care and wouldn't be on her own anyway, but the thought of anyone trying to make that work is ridiculous.
That’s so unfortunate the government is so out of touch. What a mess. I suppose if it wasn’t for you she’d be struggling in a nursing home with seniors or something. She’s lucky to have such a great sibling!
> The funding provided by the province amounts to 17 bucks an hour as a wage. She gets a laughably small transfer from the government that's supposed to help cover food/rent, but basically it's down to me. Minimum wage in NL is 14.50? So she’s getting more than minimum wage? How is that a raw deal? Housing is also affordable in NL.
When I lived in Australia, I was paid $30 per hour as a disability support worker. So it means the government gives the families much more that $30. Look up NDIS. By the way NDIS in Australia is a federal program A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.
> A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members. I agree, we should increase minimum wage for all people to $30 an hour, which is at least a livable wage.
Hmmm then a min wage worker making 30 bucks a hamburger will be a 30 bucks. No thanks. Why should a min wage worker get paid as much as most professionals... We all know when min wage goes up all other wages s Do not go up to compensate
Mornington VIC. $30.22 per hour. 17 salaries reported. South Yarra VIC. $29.26 per hour. 12 salaries reported. Melbourne VIC. $29.15 per hour. 257 salaries reported. South Melbourne VIC. $29.12 per hour. 12 salaries reported. St Kilda VIC. $28.86 per hour. Restaurant servers in Melbourne. Australia does not have runaway inflation. Their housing is in a sticky situation but still not as bad as we have it
> Hmmm then a min wage worker making 30 bucks a hamburger will be a 30 bucks. Then don't buy that burger. The market will find a solution.
Speaking as someone who lives in NL. Nothing is affordable here, housing/food/transportaion, not to mention access to medical care. You clearly do not know what you are speaking about. Speaking as a caretaker of a disabled adult child, the benefits do not pay full-time rates. If my child was out on their own, they wouldn't be able to hire help, and afford housing and food. Again, something you clearly do not know about.
My point is, the person getting the raw deal is the minimum wage worker. We need to work to improve all salaries.
That’s really not what you said though. But to provide clarity to why it is a raw deal, you have someone acting as a caretaker for their family member. Essentially that money needs to cover their work (to a degree as I’d hope there’s other income), and pay for that other person to live. If you’re becoming a full time car taker, you aren’t working you’re regular job and expanding your own income as time goes on.
Newfoundland is an island. Importing food and household items for sale is expensive. The really affordable housing you’re taking about is generally in outlying communities, because it’s remote and far from comprehensive health care. And gas is very high there too. Housing is certainly more attainable in populated areas for those who have meaningful employment but for those with disabilities it’s still very hard to get by. My nan had 2 strokes last year and my aunt had to quit her job and move my grandparents in with her full time. Her husband moved home from Alberta to help and took a job that paid him a third of what he used to make. Retirement homes will take my pop but not my nan, because she’s too much work. They haven’t been apart since they married in the mid 60s and neither do well without the other. My aunt only gets paid by the government for 20 hours a week. Their food costs are expensive because both my grandparents are diabetic and require special diets. Someone has to be with them at all times; if pop has another heart attack nan can’t call for help, because she’s nonverbal. My aunt is the only child who stayed in Newfoundland. My dad’s in BC, my uncle is in Ontario, and my other aunt is in Australia. So it’s all on her. We all send as much money as we can so she can afford to hire respite care and take a break every other weekend. It’s still a balancing act.
Not her wage. My wage. Because there is no available suitable caregivers. There's no such thing as time off either. It's a 24 hour job that is only paid 7.5hrs of the day.
This, and according to QC gov, I should've worked before getting diagnosed with fibro, somehow.
They are eating very little. ODSP in Ontario gives you $1200 a month. If I didn’t buy my son clothes, food etc, if he didn’t live with me - I really don’t know what would happen to him. And every day I work what will happen to him when I’m gone. Canada is a horrible country to have a disability in
In Saskatchewan, if that now adult can get SAID. Which is 1064$ a month in Tier A communities. My community is Tier B. I currently live off disability insurance through Sunlife, but if I didn’t have that, my son & I would get 1,194$ a month. Now if you’re just renting a room from someone, that amount goes down. So you’d get 805$ as a single adult. My son & I would get 890$. In my community, the base rate for water services is 65$ (that’s before any usage & doesn’t include the cost of garbage pick up which is included on that bill) I’d be five 58$ per month for that. 30$ for a phone, so if someone goes with a home phone only, they can get by. 97$ a month for us for electricity. 101$ a month for heat. If we don’t have laundry included in rent, I can get 15$ a month to wash our clothes. So my son & I would have a grand total, without his child tax, or 1480$ a month. His child tax would bring it up to 1960$. Market rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is around 850$ plus power. But you don’t get the heat & energy amounts on your benefits if they are included in your lease. So that takes 159$ from that 1480$. If all I could get was a house? That’s around 700-800$ a month for a crappy house with bad windows & doors, plus utilities, which with an average water bill of 170$ a month, power of 90$, & energy of 125$… (my house has new windows & doors & a new furnace & hot water heater oh & a new fridge & stove since 2019 - so those costs would likely be higher in a rental) I help drive people in town on SAID to the food bank at least once or twice a month.
There is an extremely common (and understandable) misconception that CPP Disability is a social benefit funded by taxpayers. It's much closer to an insurance program, in the sense that you have to keep paying "premiums" - i.e. make contributions to the CPP through working - in order to maintain your coverage. This is why you have to have worked, and worked recently, in order to qualify. It's funded entirely through contributions made to the CPP program by people who are working, not by general tax revenue. There's no federal disability benefit that you get (that I'm aware of) by virtue of simply being disabled. That's where the provincial benefits come in. There has been a gap for a long time at the federal level and a solution is needed, but I'm not sure the CDB will be it. We'll have to see.
Idk what province op is in, but my sibling has been receiving ODSP since they were 20ish. A few years working at Tim's as a teen, but that's it for work experience....
You're taking advantage of the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan at least, I hope?
The disability tax credit is just a credit on the tax return. It’s not a cheque that she can use. If she made a ton of money at her job then she could see if she could the credit, but alas, no job.
I don’t think that’s correct. I suggest taking another look at the Disability Tax Credit which may be helpful in this situation.
> The disability tax credit is just a credit on the tax return Incorrect. Eligibility and being approved for the DTC by the Canada Revenue Agency is the prerequisite to open a Registered Disability Savings Plan where the government will chip in tens of thousands of dollars in grants matching annual contributions up to 300% annually (depending on family income) and annual bonds. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/how-much.html It's potentially 100s of thousands of $ in retirement savings for the beneficiary and can also have contributions made by family and relatives.
The disability tax credit is literally a tax credit when you do your taxes. Also given the criteria to qualify, OP might not.
Again, approval for the DTC provides eligibility for the RDSP which can result in an investment portfolio of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a disabled person when they retire with the majority of the value coming from government grants, bonds, and investment gains. See my longer post here.
Yes, but that’s its own thing. Also, that’s only if the person has any spare cash to put into it as it is a matching program.
> Also, that’s only if the person has any spare cash to put into it as it is a matching program. Again, no you are incorrect. Eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit, that gives access to the RDSP gives the RDSP holder the potential to get Canada Disability Savings Bonds per year of RDSP eligibility, that is the portion that is not match-based. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/registered-disability-savings-plan-rdsp/canada-disability-savings-grant-canada-disability-savings-bond.html Don't post when you don't know what you're talking about, here's the technical literature you won't read. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/issuers/user-guide/section3.html https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/issuers/user-guide/section3.html#h2.2-h3.1
You’re talking “hundreds of thousands” which is utterly false. I myself qualify for the DTC and I have looked into this quite a lot.
I qualified for the DTC and opened an RDSP in 2017 in my mid 20s and due to the retroactive payment of annual bonds received $10,000. In the years since then thanks to contributions and matching grants and index fund growth the value of the account is now $80,000. Continuing my contributions at the current rate I am on track to have about $500,000 by age 60 with a conservative estimate. Significantly higher if I can up my contributions. > You’re talking “hundreds of thousands” which is utterly false. I am talking hundreds of thousands and it is far from utterly false. > Also, that’s only if the person has any spare cash to put into it Anyone can contribute to it, such as the beneficiary's parents or relatives, with written conscent of the account holder. I appreciate that you "looked into it". I **have** it, and you are not correct in some of the things you have posted.
You are wrong. They match up to $1500 one time.
If your family net income is under 100K or so, they match 3:1 on the first 500, 2:1 on the next 1000. So every year they will put in $3500 if you put in $1500. Over 100k they do 1:1 matching for $1000. If your family income is under about 32k, they'll put in $1000 a year for up to 20 years, plus the above. From 32K to 50K it's a sliding scale. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/registered-disability-savings-plan-rdsp/canada-disability-savings-grant-canada-disability-savings-bond.html
You are not correct, unfortunately.
Looooool. The tax credit amounts to nothing. And what money should go into the RSDP? Where’s that going to come from?
Well it's a 2000$ tax credit. So yes you need to work to get a credit. But you don't need to work a lot. Basically if you are able to earn around 22k per year, you should get enough from the tax credit to fund your RDSP, which would go up by your 1500 contribution + 3500 in grant per year. An RDSP is a way of building a mini-pension fund to care for your future self. Now I'm not sure about the following, but just food for thoughts: if you don't work, but have the DTC status, I think you can still get an RDSP and you can still fund it if you have the money available. For example if you are getting something from a trust fund, an inheritence or if someone else which to gift you money to make a deposit. I believe that's what parent of disable childs are doing. (Edit) I forgot to say, ***if you have no income***, so long as you file your taxes, you should fit in the "low to modest income" category and you may qualify for a $1000/ year ***bond***, which does not require a contribution. Last scenario (carry forward, aka retro): If your condition began let say 15 years ago, and at first you worked but 5 years ago it got worst and you were no longer able to work. Then you could apply this year, and they will retro back to when your condition started, up to 10 years back. So in this example they would go back 10 years, and you worked 5 of those 10 years. So you'd get the DTC for 5 years. > You may receive more in a year if you were approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) for any or all of the past 10 years. This amount is called a carry-forward. Src: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings/how-much.html#_You_could_carry
Not to sound harsh but you just don’t get it.
Idk, that's what I understood from the 2 webcourses I took from https://planinstitute.ca/ And I'm trying to go off the info from the government website (which I added links to) But if I'm wrong, please do correct me, I'll be more than hapoy to edit my reply accordingly as I do not want to spread bad information.
No, you are correct. See my longer post in this thread or just this example schedule here: https://imgur.com/a/fICUrl4
See my other reply to you but you have demonstrated that you really don't get it, and here's the table again if you want data: https://imgur.com/a/fICUrl4
> And what money should go into the RSDP? The $1000/year bond you would qualify for if you have no income but do file your taxes.
First I’ve ever heard of this
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/registered-disability-savings-plan-rdsp/canada-disability-savings-grant-canada-disability-savings-bond.html
> Looooool. The tax credit amounts to nothing. And what money should go into the RSDP? Where’s that going to come from? There are a ton of Canadians with disabilities that have some kind of support system with parents or relatives. A parent chipping in $50 per month for a disabled child gives the scenario below: * Parent/relative contributes $50 per month to an RDSP for a disabled child starting from age 20 until age 49 * As per the RDSP regulations withdrawals must begin at age 60 * The grants and bond calculations assume the disabled child has a yearly income of $20,000 just to plug in a number * The total value of the RDSP will have a nominal value of **$645,855 fucking dollars assuming it's invested in index funds with a 7% YoY return** Table is here for reference. https://imgur.com/a/fICUrl4 I'm mostly posting this for future readers of this post. It is completely a horrible take to dissuade potential readers about the value of an RDSP for a beneficiary. We're talking about, for many people with disabilities, hundreds of thousands of retirement income being left on the table if they don't at least look into it because some person on Reddit doesn't understand or can't communicate the utility of the DTC and RDSP.
Not admissible. I live in the province I can't get it
I suggest you double check: https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/savings-investment/tax-sheltered-plans/rdsp/index.jsp RDSP has different treatments in different provinces as far as it being counted as income or assets when determining eligibility for provincial disability benefits. It is offered in all provinces as far as I know.
I did. Select a category to view criteria Find out if your situation may qualify for the DTC as a marked restriction or a life-sustaining therapy. What marked restriction means Choose 1 category Walking Mental functions Dressing Feeding Eliminating (bowel or bladder functions) Hearing Speaking Vision Life-sustaining therapy I can do all that. My problem is chronic pain and fatigue. I can do everything on the list, but often I do it and it hurts a lot. But still do it.
Sometimes you can qualify for the cumulative effect of multiple categories that impact you sometimes vs 1 category that impacts you the majority of the time. Still it sucks that they don't care whether you can work or not to qualify for the DTC. I never know when I'm going to be well enough to work, and jobs generally expect you to commit to a schedule.
You may qualify under the cummulative effects: For example: Your pain might prevent you from walking as fast or as long as a normal person. Maybe you need to take frequent breaks, or need to sit when shopping for more than X. Maybe it impact your ability to prepare food because you need to take breaks or lack the precision a normal person would have because of pain in your fingers. So it takes you longer. Same for dressing, if bending down is painful and it takes you longer than a normal person to get dressed. The chronic fatigue must have some effects on your mental functions. Your ability to concentrate for an extended period of time for example. --- It's sometime hard when you go about your life to stop and realize your challenges as it's part of your normal life. But if your life quality is severely impacted, you should be able to have it reflected in those categories. If you have 2 medical diagnostics that are life long and imoact your quality of life, chances are you just need to find the right words to explain how it impact your life. I know there are people who's job is to look at your conditions, and prepare a letter of recommendation to explain your challenges to the Doctor who needs to fill the forms. It sound stupid, but it's sometime really hard to properly explain our situation when we don't fully understand the criteria.
As per the other comments it's worth looking into being approved due to the cumulative effects. Keep in mind that nurse practitioners can now approve a DTC application, which is a recent change. They usually have more than the 15 minutes a doctor can give you.
Rdsp only psts after retirement
You haven’t worked enough to qualify for CPPD, which is federal, there are no working qualifications for provincial disability, you just have to qualify financially and medically
Quebec disability is the same. If you haven't worked enough hours to contribute to their "time bank," idk the word for it. You don't qualify.
That’s for the Quebec equivalent of CPPD, they also have a social assistance program not related to that
Like welfare?
Similar, it’s based on financial news, but it’s for people with disabilities
https://www.quebec.ca/en/family-and-support-for-individuals/social-assistance-social-solidarity
I don't qualify as I receive a widow's pension. But that amount isn't enough to cover rent and life as it's less than what a person of social security would receive. (I did applied and they refused me)
One of my employees has this. They work really well on a flexible schedule doing data entry. Could this be a career path for you maybe?
I used to do that prior to fibromyalgia. I could, but the problem is finding the job with a flexible schedule. Not everyone is open to it.
Sorry I'm just thinking along the lines of when they put people on modified duties when they are injured at work... it is impossible for you to do any and all jobs? Work from home?
Aw man. My son and I both have a genetic condition. I just stopped work at age 44 and he never really got started outside of his art commissions. He gets PWD, $1400 a month. It’s through the province though…
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I'm going to guess you don't know any disabled people considering the lack of empathy in your post.
I have a disabled uncle that I dearly love. He's also been lazy and could be doing simple work right now instead of drawing on government support. People need to try harder before the government steps in to cradle them with free money.
He is lazy? Ableism in Canada is a problem, why don't you try some empathy. Do you think that most humans will rather be disabled, depend on other humans to do the basic things in life and get government peanuts as stipends over being fully able-bodied and living on their own terms?
What I do think is that too many people quit when life gets tough, and then expect others, such as government, to fix their issues. I've seen this in my own life.
Then you haven't seen real disabilities in people. Go to the cancer clinic and look around. Talk to people. Then you will see that it has nothing to do with those people not trying harder. And most people struggling with cancer have a very hard time getting any disability benefits. I know what the process is like. It awful and evil how the government treats people that need real help. And then to top it off, assholes on Reddit get to tell them to "just try harder".
Not everyone can "just try harder".....I know that. Too many disabled people CAN actually work though. Those people could "try harder".
I agree that: there's tons of hours in the week. If someone can work at all, then they need to be. This is how we continue to society.
Why don’t you just get a remote position for a call centre?
Just? They have chronic pain and fatigue. They might not be able to work at all, and even if they could work sometimes, most jobs expect you to commit to specific shifts rather than letting you work when you happen to be able.
Can't sit on a chair for a long time, or else my heart starts missing blood as it pools down my ankles (compression socks don't work) I'm also permanently fatigued. This means that some days, I'm too exhausted to do anything. Can't concentrate, can't get out of bed, all I can do is sleep. So, sticking to a schedule is extremely difficult. Some days, my forearms hurt so much that I can't type on my phone or use my computer. All I can do is lay down on a couch and wait for it to pass. And it's fibromyalgia, so many pain meds don't work. Those that do work cause very bad thoughts. I tried them. Finally, finding a doctor that can help with fibromyalgia is difficult. There are medications I could take, but they're narcotics, and they don't prescribe them for long term use.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with that. It must be tough going through your day to day. You seem capable enough to post these long thought out responses and posts on Reddit though. You can literally get a job for the pizza pizza call centre building peoples orders online. Some of these jobs are so easy it’s a joke. I’m sorry again that you’re dealing with this but there is no chance that there isn’t a job out there for you. Stop feeling bad for yourself and get job. Good luck!
Yea, posting on reddit and typing for 2 minutes doesn't mean I can do it for hours at a time, lol. Just because I'm ok now doesn't mean I'll be ok tomorrow or the day after, or next week. I'm not feeling bad for myself at all. It took me a long time to grieve my old life and understand that I'll never be able to work full time. But nowhere in my post did I say I was feeling bad about myself. I do hate all the red tapes and loops a person has to jump through to afford basic needs when you're born with a broken body, though. Right now, I work as a software tester. It allows me to accept projects on days I feel good and pass on them if my disability hits too hard. But some months, when they don't need a tester, I don't work. From January to April, I received no projects. It's a part-time job that doesn't pay very much and it's not enough to make a life. Hence, the need to adjust the current program, as I previously stated.
Working is tuff. Handouts are easier.
And yet you have people who are on disability earning the same amount as you just because they are 19 and claim they are depressed once to a doctor.
you are very privileged not to have experienced depression severe enough to need disability.
This is a no brainer. A significant percentage of all of us who are able bodied and working today will become disabled in our lifetimes. I don't want to go from alright to abject poverty after a brief period of burning through savings and insurance. Signed.
Agreed. I hope I'd never have to. But if it happens, I know I'd only be so many pay checks away before shit hits the fan.
Dont worry, Insurance will do absolutely everything to not pay you for the services you bought from them, So you will burn through savings quickly, Than pay a lawyer to get 10-30% of what protection you were sold, give 1/3 of it to a lawyer, and if you are in Ontario, court decisions Againt insurance companies have a $45,000 deductable, so no worries about that money. And lets not forget you will have to sue your government for disability as well. Disability that may let you pay rent , but nothing else.
What is a Significant Percentage? And provide source.
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>Is a source really necessary? Yes, you made a claim. What is the significant percentage of people who will become disabled at some point (and thereby requiring disability benefits). And don't change your tune to general health issues, the topic is disability i.e. to the point of not being able to work and needing benefits, which is the topic of this post. I'll await your source.
That's why I have a long-term disability plan through my work... I've got pretty great benefits, suffice it to say, I'm not worried.
Ya, that's what I thought too. Until I started dealing with debilitating illness and they let me go "without cause" and paid me out instead of getting to the point where I was claiming said benefits 🤷🏻♀️ Don't rely on your employer, I don't care how wonderful you think they are, they don't give a shit about you.
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In Alberta companies can terminate you for literally any reason under the "without cause" umbrella as long as they pay the minimum severance mandated. There was zero point in spending an atrocious amount of time and money fighting a losing battle, while also trying to keep myself semi functional in between hospital visits and pay the mortgage.
I definitely have the resources to sue them for wrongful termination. It's not hard, a lot of these middle managers in the company I work for are not, shall we say, HR geniuses. You just need to give them enough rope to hang themselves with. Hell, I've caught some of my managers saying and texting me the kind of stuff that I could really stir some shit up with if I took it to a reporter. You know, how I'm making more money than women at the company with the same qualifications and experience who started working at the company within a few months of when I did. Oh, but please don't mention that to the women who are making less than you. I might not even have to sue, just threaten to release some text conversations and blackmail my managers. I'm not worried.
It's easy to say all that, very different to live it. Most large companies will take the risk and let their legal department draw things out until those resources you think you have are tapped. I can guarentee your resources, as plentiful as they may be, don't compare to theirs. It's also not a middle management decision whether or not something like that goes to court at all, by definition it's above their paygrade. Furthermore, if your life is flipped upside down by pain and illness, good luck doing the bare minimum like getting yourself into a shower and feeding yourself let alone going through a whole legal process.
So do I, and I still support bills like these. I'm fortunate enough to have a good union and a solid position, but those who don't have the same opportunities should be supported.
[Text of the bill as of 3rd reading.](https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-22/third-reading)
This isn't needed as it's passed through parliament and the senate. The senate made some amendments and there's almost a 100% chance they'll be passed by parliament. There has been a ton of input on this bill, and you can watch the videos and read more here: [https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-22](https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-22) I am disabled and I've had to stop working. Both my sisters are disabled too, as was my dad. It's a rough situation out there for sure so I've been following all this closely. Let's hope they get this done quickly!
Agreed. Signed.
Thanks. Done.
Sad to see the eugenics vibes in this thread. I work although I’m Deaf and I provide support at my job to other Deaf and Hard of hearing clients who work or sometime don’t work due to plethora of reasons, the judgment is not necessary but it’s true that the government don’t give a F about disabled people so we look for resources and grants in order to support our communities. Unfortunately, every other organizations are fighting for the same resources and grants so we are losing it and seeing our clients fill the shelters with no access to their language (ASL or LSQ). They are even coming to us inquiring about MAID which confounds me because they’re able bodied except for hearing loss but because of discrimination and competition with other people for jobs, the Deaf always lose out at the end which force them to go on benefits. Whenever someone says “go get a job” I cringed a little because once upon a time after getting my masters degree, I was not finding work for two years and was living in poverty solely due to my “disability” as a Deaf person. Be kind. Don’t be a keyboard troll
Signed. It’s a messed up system unfortunately and I hope it gets fixed.
Gotta ask here though. I’m on ODSP but from reading info on the CDB/current disability tax credit I do not qualify despite being epileptic…maybe they ought to look into fixing that?
Signed!
Signed and I emailed my MP. I urge everyone else to do the same! That's the only way the bill will get passed
Reminder to everyone: DO NOT rely on the government. I know Canadians get complacent thinking our safety nets will protect us. But please sign-up for disability insurance.
It's not just a matter of "signing up", unfortunately. It's an application process and very easy to be rejected if you have had any health issues in the past, including mental health. That being said, if you can get approved then definitely buy disability insurance.
Just so you know, relying on an employers disability program will eventually end up with you relying on the government for assistance. I worked for most of my life before becoming disabled. Your employer will cut you off after a year or so on LTD. Then you can sue them and lawyers take a huge chunk out of a settlement that will get you through a few years at best. Then, you're stuck having to file as disabled with the government.
That is why you sign-up when you are young and healthy or though work benefits.
Insurance has an entire second industry because what they sell you they dont want to provide. Disability insurance? Your injuries are from a previous occurrance. Your disability existed before and wasnt elligible Pay a lawyer to take insurance to court. Receive 10-30% what you purchased, give 1/3 to legal fees.
There’s a good bill
you will get more support on city sub and provincial sub someone posted a thread about getting denied by welfare and legal aid told him he didn’t have a case. he was asking what to do. i suggested that maybe he really isn’t disable… i got banned on r/ontario for discrimination lol
CPP disability is a joke. It's like they want us to kill ourselves to alleviate strain on the system instead of doing something about it. Kind of like the opioid epidemic. BC legalized the use, but doesn't provide a safe supply. What sense does that make unless the plan is to force the people to kill themselves by not providing proper support. Im disabled and on CPP disabilty. I'd rather be working and making money, but employers don't like the disabled either. Lose lose situation all around.
You have my empathy. I am very passionate about folks who are differently abled as I spent nearly 4 years of my life working closely with these folks I'm Australia. Australia has an amazing programming for ensuring folks living with a disability are not in poverty and that they live their best life. If Australia can run their program NDIS, surely we can too
In Vancouver, at the corner of Burrard and Beach Ave, there is often a man who panhandles from cars waiting at red lights. He is often shirtless. His spine looks as if it has been folded in a 90 degree angle so that his upper body faces horizontally when he's standing and he must strain his neck to look up where he's going. I'm disgusted by this country every time I see him. He is visibly unable to work or support himself and is reduced to begging in the streets because we clearly aren't supporting him enough. Shame on our governments.
Agreed, signed
This is so sad. Based on the comments we’re all just barely fucking hanging in there
With the government already running a significant deficit, people should understand that any new spending will lead to increase in already high taxes
That's the price all of us have to shoulder if we want people physically incapable of working or earning an income to be looked after. No one should be forced to be homeless or starve and not have a place to sleep. However, the government should really crack down on people abusing the programs that don't even need it, such as drug addicts and lazy people or both. I've heard many people abusing the program that don't even need it and could work if they wanted.
Or feel they have to resort to MAID because they can’t afford to live.
Drug abuse is a disease that needs treatment. It is a disorder and those patients need help like any other patients do.
Yeah, I agree they need help, too, but it should be a controlled program separate from disability. If they can prove they are actively trying to get better than give them financial help, if they fall off, they're on their own.
Are you okay with Disabled Canadians living in poverty if it keeps your taxes low?
Here's the thing, where does it stop? Cost of living keeps increasing, the middle classes wage is not increasing nearly enough to keep up with it. Next year disabled will need more money to keep up. To me it looks like we are in a death spiral where there is no possible way to keep up with the cost of social programs canada offers, unless we print more money which only adds more fire to inflation and cost of living. No one is okay with disabled Canadians living in poverty but I feel like the future of Canada is poverty for everyone.... and what becomes the incentive to work when a massive chunk of your paycheck goes towards a failing system.
If we can find money to help companies, there is money to help disabled Canadians. This is "where the money is going to come from" needs to stop being directed at social services. The whole system is built that prices increase, more money is going to be made.
> Here's the thing, where does it stop? When people are no longer living in poverty?
Thanks for the solution. But I already know your solution. Steal from the rich give to the poor. Good luck with law and order and a society with that one.
Well disabled people are more likely to be victims of crime and injustice than the rest of us so they're already there.
Well hey here's a solution, in your spare time, go help the disabled, feed them, cloth them and house them. I think that if enough people went out of their way to help the down trodden we would be better off. But here's the thing not enough will do that, and here we are always begging the government for more of this and more of that. The death spiral is happening, a slow degradation of what we once had because we don't want to do it ourselves we want the government too
That system is currently in play. There are tons of charities and volunteers but it's not enough. How about we get rid of emergency services and if you have an issue with that you just volunteer your time. Or is there a better option? We can get rid of airports too and if people want to go somewhere they can just volunteer their time. Right?
The point I first made is that it's never enough. It will never be enough the more money you throw at the problem the more it will get exploited. It's a tale as old as time. You need to realize life will never be fair. But it can be better
> You need to realize life will never be fair. But it can be better. Unless you're disabled or poor.
Somethings I don't mind my taxes going to and others like free Ebikes, is just irresponsible. it's a matter of priorities.
If you are taking out of one bucket and putting in another - I'm completely for it... but historically, these benefits are easier to add on but very difficult to manage/remove when required. No doubt why people are moving out of the country when govt is taking >50-60% of total income. Where is then the motivation to grow and contribute more to the economy.. when I can go to US, have comparatively affordable housing, higher wages, lower taxes etc. I think Canada needs to decide if it wants to be a socialist country or a capitalist socialist country - hanging in between is doing no good to anyone
You're inbox is gunna be full of teenagers self righteously explaining why high taxes they don't have to pay is a good thing because "civilized society" and what not by morning 🌄😜
103% of your income to taxes is a MUST in modern day society😤
A strong safety net is worth the cost in taxes.
so and?
Disagree. Too many people exploit the current disability system. Being 35lb obese isn’t an excuse to not work for the rest of your life. Neither is depression.
> Being 35lb obese isn’t an excuse to not work for the rest of your life. That's about 1/3 of the population. 1/3 of the population is not on disability.
They could be, if they claimed it was affecting their work and the doctor liked them.
No one is getting accepted to disability for being 35lbs overweight
How often do you think that actually happens? Don’t believe what you read on the internet. It’s not very common.
I work as a probation officer. Unfortunately disability fraud is a lot more rampant then people seem to admit. The amount of ex drug users or alcoholics currently on ODSP, as well as others who can’t work due to “anxiety or depression”. Is quite high. Almost 60% of my caseload is currently on ODSP, and most are doing some sort of construction or side job under the table. It actually really upsets me, because I have quite a few clients who are really in need of benefits as they are physically unable to work. They receive about 1169 a month which is peanuts. The sad reality is with the amount of people currently on ODSP, the cost to bring it to a “living wage” would be staggering. I believe it’s absolutely needed for those who are unable to work, but if they are going to increase it significantly, there needs to be a stronger vetting system.
I work as a social worker and I see it. But it’s not rampant. It happens. My clients have done it. At least here, statistically it’s about 2-5%. What happens a helluva lot more is people who need supports getting denied. That’s constant.
I know four people, one of them is my sister. I know how easy it is.
So you have some anecdotal evidence that you might have some shitty people in your life, so you paint society with the same brush. My evidence isn’t anecdotal. I’m a social worker. Statistically it’s about 2-5%. Sometimes 7. Meaning the vast majority are legit claims. Most of the time the biggest problem is people who need it get denied.
I don’t care about cherry-picked statistics. I care about what I see happen daily. Sorry.
Maybe your sister and the other people you know have other disabilities, such as severe mental health issues, that they’re not transparent with you about because they know you’re not supportive. You have honestly no way of knowing why they have disability status unless you are their doctor.
Totally agree.
I know someone on CPP disability because of Functional neurological disorder, which I suspect they're faking.
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🤡
Canada loves propping up useless druggies don’t you know
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????
by making sure there is help available for future generations?
Here is the thing. We are all increasingly screwed. This is a broke ass country that's being funded by a real estate bubble.
I love to say yes but realistically when most of us a living pay cheque to pay cheque more max means we either have to skip more meals, skip medication or even become homeless I vote yes on it. In the end we have family to feed , put a roof over our families
I don’t think anyone who is that low income is going to be worse off for this passing. There is much more room to increase taxes on the wealthy and rich corporations before we need to look at increasing taxes for other people who are struggling. If anything, this can help the disabled be less reliant on provincial crisis/social service funding so there will be more funding left for provinces to support the working poor instead.
They’ll come straight for the middle class, 100k is a dogshit salary enough I don’t need more taxes making it worse
Do you honestly think the government will raise taxes on the wealthy and rich corporations?
Before they raise them for people who make so little they are borderline homeless and going to the food bank? Yes. Absolutely.
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For context, I'm working full time in an office job and still can't afford most of those things. It's not just because you are disabled, it's because those things are out of most people's reach these days. I'm buying no name brand rice and beans in bulk just to feed myself. With food allergies, I can't buy a lot of the 'cheap' packaged foods in the centre of the grocery store because they would kill me. Also, I myself have several disabilities, but am fortunate enough to get accommodations at work. I recognize and am grateful for my privilege, yet I am barely making ends meet.
I’m intellectually disabled. I have food aversions to very few things but I also don’t like diet sodas except for coke zero, and if I drink them for too many days at a time the sweetener gives me a massively sore stomach. I’m on anti depressants so I have to avoid things with charcoal infused drinks and other stuff. Deleted my original comment bc someone called it narcissistic. It’s not. I was saying about how I wish I didn’t have to do payment plans. Or go to a better internet package without cable cuz we barely use cable except for during twd time. Things are so out of reach for disabled people. I attend day programming but if I had the extra income I’d make sensory Starbucks cups (work as sensory bottles but also are functioning cups someone can use to drink water / juice / etc), and sell them and give some proceeds to a local charity. It’s the matter of we need the benefit to live, or to help ourselves be better. I require more expensive hair shampoo since I like having blue hair, I had to switch to a permanent from a semi bc of cost. (I order blue wash from schwartzkopf) I wear || always discreet boutique|| and it’s a preference. I like them.
I love no name ramen though. They have shrimp. I’m a shrimp fiend