UCP change hurting AISH recipients
By Letter to the Editor on February 12, 2020.
The UCP said this policy change was to put AISH on a more dependable and predictable pay structure. We already had a dependable and predictable pay structure and it was the fourth-last business day before the end of the month, the only exception to it being the fourth date was December and January benefits were being issued a week before Christmas so people with children could have a Christmas.
This did create some problems for some people, and the saving grace was the GST would be issued in the beginning of January. So this move by the UCP is very cruel and heartless towards the families of people with disabilities. The dates for issuing the payments four days before the end of the month have been in place since AISH and income support has been in place. And the reason was for people to be able to pay their bills on time.
I will admit there is some abuse by some people but that is more on income support than on AISH. And the people abusing the system is a very small percentage that is not any justification for this move.
This change has nothing to do with AISH and everything to do with Kenney being afraid of another credit downgrade. So the UCP deferred April’s benefit payments to April 1 after the fiscal year that ends at the end of March and it will reduce the deficit for one year.
So once again the UCP has used people with disabilities. And in the world of the UCP, we are not worthy of any consideration or understanding. Once again we are just the little black-eyed peas in another one of their political shell games.
And I’ll end with if either of our local MLAs wants to refute this. I would like to see them offer a real justified and believable reason for creating this mess. Because I am in the world that they messed up with all my bills being three business days before the end of the month. And I set it up like that because we used to have a dependable and predictable pay structure.
This abuse from the UCP towards people with disabilities must stop.
Remember, any government ceases to be civilized when it perverts its authority to abuse the people it is elected to serve.
Lester Landry
Redcliff
12-11
Lester, I commend you for your willingness to share your knowledge about AISH. I know that the change will affect all recipients but the government does not appreciate that. I have had others who do not understand say that it will be a temporary thing but they do not realize that these changes throw off the consistence of people’s lives.
In order to respond to your letter, I have to mark that I am not a robot but the government treat people on AISH as if they are just that, robots with no agenda.