"AISH and the tory leadership race"

AISH and the Tory leadership race

Written by SHANE FLUG

Wednesday, 31 August 2011 10:28

At least one candidate for next premier promising a raise in payments Progressive Conservative (PC) candidates who want to be the next Alberta premier are sparring over how best to take care of the 43,000 Albertans who are living on AISH. Alison Redford, PC leadership candidate, vows to raise AISH payments if elected. The MLA for Calgary-Elbow announced in early August that if she becomes premier she will raise the monthly payment by $400, bringing it to a total of  $1,588. “I’ve seen the fact that we’ve had leadership before that hasn’t taken (AISH) seriously,” Redford said. “We can’t presume that any program or any people are disposable and we need to ensure that we’re treating all Albertans with respect.” Bridget Pastoor, Liberal critic for the Seniors and Community Supports department — which manages the AISH program — gave “kudos” to Redford’s campaign promise. “She’s the only one that’s even recognized that AISH is a problem,” she said. In addition, Redford said she would also double recipients’ allowed monthly income from $400 to $800 per month. Currently, if recipients earn more than what is allowed, the government claws back their benefits. Pastoor said that there are some people on AISH who can work a part-time job but “there is no way” that they could work full time. “And (working) is what keeps people as a part of the human race,” Pastoor explained. “It gives them dignity.” Redford isn’t the only candidate who has touched on AISH while campaigning. Candidate Doug Griffiths said a payment increase “might be necessary,” but mentioned that AISH recipients he has met have told him they would rather be able to take better care of themselves by working than receive higher payments from the government. The problem, Griffiths said, is recipients potentially not being able to work as much as they can because of potential government clawbacks. “What’s the point (for an AISH recipient) in going to work if (the government) is just going to deduct it?” Griffiths said that if he becomes premier, AISH administration costs will be reduced, allowing more dollars to be put in recipients’ pockets. He also said he will ensure that everybody who needs to be on the program will be on the program. “I think we need to find any way we can to raise the payments somewhat,” he said, but wouldn’t go as far as to say what a proper amount would be to ensure a good standard of living for AISH recipients. He explained that the cost of living in different towns and cities vary across the province, and the current monthly allowance may be sufficient for living in small, rural communities but in other places, “It won’t even cover the rent.” “I don’t know that I know what the right amount would be,” he said.  “But I think for many people in many circumstances, it’s not adequate. For other people in other circumstances, it would be adequate.” “We can’t presume that any program or any people are disposable and we need to ensure that we’re treating all Albertans with respect.” — Alison Redford PC leeadership candidate Candidate Gary Mar also said there should be less spending on administration and more investments on benefits “that actually help the person that we’re trying to help.” For example, from 2009 to 2010 the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program spent $31 in administration costs for every $100 spent on services for recipients of that program, according to a report released last year. Mar said that he feels the same way about managing the administrative costs within AISH, but didn’t provide specifics about what he would do with AISH if he became premier. Griffiths shared similar thoughts. “AISH is not meant to be a gravy train,” he said. “But you could substantially increase the amount of resources going to people on AISH (with a reduction in administration spending).” What Should the Next Premier Do? Joe Ceci, former alderman and provincial poverty reduction co-ordinator for the Alberta Inter-City Forum on Social Policy, said there needs to be “less of a bureaucratic run-around” for AISH recipients, as well as an increase in their financial support. “It needs to cover their living needs,” he said. Pastoor said the new PC leader should index AISH payments in the same way MLAs’ salaries are indexed to Alberta’s cost of living. Pastoor did note that the program still has strong health benefits. “It needs to be increased substantially,” said Marc Power, a New Democrat who will run in Calgary Klein in the next provincial election. “AISH is one small step in taking care of the severely handicapped and mentally ill but it’s obviously not the only step that needs to be taken,” he said. For example, he mentioned making affordable housing a priority for those that have physical and mental disabilities and are living on the streets. Life on AISH Rhonda Rowan, AISH recipient, has difficulty maintaining her balance while walking. She has lived off of AISH since 1984, when her monthly allowance was $624. She said the current monthly allowance of AISH is still “well below the poverty level.” She can’t afford to pay for home repairs, and it can be a challenge to pay for the $200 shoes her doctor recommended to help keep her body’s sense of alignment straight. According to a rental-market report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the average rental cost in April for a bachelor suite was $687 per month, leaving a recipient $501 left over to support themselves. Rowan said she dreams one day of being able to go on a trip. The religious, middle-aged woman who lives “very, very quietly,” shared her wish to see the history of Jesus Christ in Israel, get in touch with “family roots” in Norway, and see the United States. But Rowan, who had a stroke when she was three weeks old and has had cysts removed from her brain, said that it would take “winning the lottery” to make any of those trips possible. “There’s no money to go anywhere.” Bonnie Lemna, another AISH recipient, challenged politicians to walk in an AISH recipient’s shoes. “How would they like to live on our income? They wouldn’t be able to live month by month,” she said.

AISH and the Tory leadership race
http://www.calgaryjournalonline.ca/september-print-issue/2013-aish-and-the-tory-leadership-race