Alberta Budget 2024 should improve income supports to reduce poverty

Maytree’s written submission to the Alberta government’s Budget 2024 consultations calls for increasing and improving welfare incomes. This will reduce the depth of poverty and ensure all Albertans can live a life of dignity.
In the past three years, Albertans have experienced high inflation, a steep increase in housing costs, and decreasing standards of living. The Government of Alberta took a positive step in 2023 by indexing its social assistance programs to inflation.
However, Maytree’s Welfare in Canada and Social Assistance Summaries reports show the state of poverty in Alberta is getting worse. Nearly 80,000 Albertans live in deep poverty and welfare incomes are well below the poverty line. More action is needed to realize the right to an adequate standard living for all Albertans.
Maytree recommends that the Alberta government:
- Increase benefit amounts for people receiving Alberta Supports and Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).
- Increase the base earned income exemption for social assistance recipients.
- Establish an unearned income exemption for social assistance recipients in line with other jurisdictions.
- Commit to fully exempting the forthcoming Canada Disability Benefit for all social assistance recipients.
- Augment part of the Canada Workers Benefit into the proposed Canada Working-Age Supplement.