A Red Deer, Alberta city councillor is calling on the provincial government to pause its plan to change how disability benefits are handled across the province. Coun. Cassandra Curtis is introducing a notice of motion on March 24, 2026, asking the city to join other Alberta municipalities in seeking a delay to the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), which is currently set to launch on July 1, 2026.
The motion asks the province to conduct further consultations and report on the social and economic impacts of the changes before they move forward. The new program was created by a provincial law known as Bill 12 (the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2)), which will move about 80,000 people from the current Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program into the new system.
According to Inclusion Alberta, people moved to the new program will see their monthly benefits drop by $200, from $1,940 down to $1,740. While the provincial government recently increased the proposed employment income exemption to $700 per month, advocates note this remains a significant cut from the current AISH exemption of $1,072 per month.
Advocates told the CBC that the new system removes yearly cost-of-living increases and does not allow people to appeal being moved to the new program. Red Deer is the latest city to consider such a move, following similar motions passed by councils in Lethbridge, Edmonton, and Claresholm earlier this year.
The provincial government has defended the changes, stating the new program will help people with disabilities find and keep jobs. Officials say the system will allow participants to earn more than $45,000 a year from employment while still receiving some level of financial support.
