AISH recipients call foul over regulations and red tape
By Lethbridge Herald on July 25, 2025.
Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A trio of AISH recipients in the city are saying new requirements by the province are inhumane and will end up costing the government in the long run.
People who receive Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped have a requirement to apply for any and all supports which they may be eligible for, but with the implementation of the federal Canada Disability Benefit (CDP), that process is causing some worry about how it will impact their income.
The Government of Alberta sent out an unsigned document stating that not only were AISH recipients required to apply for the federal benefit, but it would be considered non-exempt income, meaning it would be taken dollar for dollar from their AISH cheque.
The letter also gave a deadline of Sept. 5 to update their case worker on the status of their application with a penalty of the $200 being taken off their October paystub, even though they are not receiving the benefit.
AISH recipients receive a maximum of $1,901 every month; the poverty level for a single person in Alberta is pegged at $2,412. While the individuals are allowed to work, the maximum they can make with AISH and other income per month is $3,414. But the majority of AISH recipients are unable to work due to their disabilities.
Chris Rowley, Ryan Gerstenbuhler and another AISH recipient, who requested to stay anonymous due to fear of facing backlash from the government for speaking out, all say that this treatment is inhumane and will end up costing the government more in the long run.
Gerstenbuhler, who is wheelchair bound, says the application is an additional burden at an incredibly financially difficult time.
“It feels like this is an additional burden placed on AISH recipients, their caregivers, their families and their guardians, when it shouldn’t even be there.”
A caregiver for one of the AISH recipients said it took her about two hours to fill out the form, which included invasive questions of how the individual’s body handled daily functions, so much so she felt embarrassed answering them.
Rowley says the questions put him off from even wanting to fill out the form.
“For me it’s dehumanizing when I’m just a number on a paper and they say, “well you don’t qualify.”
On top of a rigorous application form, recipients are also required to get an additional form filled out by a physician, many of whom are already pushed to the limits of their time.Â
Gerstenbuhler says making a visit to a doctor to fill out another form will take away an appointment from someone who needs it.
“When you think about the chain that’s being dragged along, it’s not just people who are on AISH problem-it’s everybody’s problem,” he says. “Somebody is not going to see the doctor that day because I’m there.”
Rowley is part of a research group who is researching Canada-wide disability programs and how accessible they are to navigate. He says there is a lot of miscommunication and misinformation regarding the CDB and how it will affect people receiving provincial programs win Alberta.
He says after calling the government line to begin applying, the person on the other end said they were still in training and weren’t sure how this would affect those on AISH.
While it’s true that Alberta is one of the highest-paid programs for those with disabilities, recipients are often required to pay for housing out of their AISH income, unless they live in an institution.
It’s also important to note that once someone on AISH moves out of province, they are no longer eligible to receive an income and must apply for the disability benefit in their new province – something many AISH recipients say is an infringement on moving freely within Canada.
The third person the Herald spoke with speculated that Premier Danielle Smith is wedging people on AISH into an argument between Alberta and the federal government.
“She’s doing it because it’s an argument between the federal government and the provincial government. She can wedge people with disabilities in the middle, which is going to piss a lot of people off.”
Rene Plaizer, executive director for Inclusion Lethbridge, says families are concerned for loved ones, many of whom are not in a position to financially assist if the security net of AISH is somehow dissolved.
“Families and parents of people that require support and are on AISH are very, very concerned for them, that’s part of the safety net that’s supposed to be part of our society and when that is getting eroded time after time, it puts a layer of responsibility on the family that they may not be able to assist with either.
With a new Alberta Disability Assistant Program (ADAP) on the horizon, there is speculation that the CDP will be used as the deciding factor of who receives full AISH and who is transferred to ADAP.
With many decisions being made, people with disabilities are begging to have a seat at the table and have their voices heard.
26-25
classic neo-con thuggery. what a system we we keep legitimising with our “democratic” illiterate “x”. we either support neo-cons, or neo-libs…either way, we get more of the new world order that is gutting human rights, either by legislation or by simply looking away from environmental/human issues. speaking of which, nice to have leadership that either directly supports war crimes and human rights crimes by israel – hello, usa – or, simply talks the the talk, as in hello canada and so much of the “free” world.