Seeking participants: Focus group for our updated Disability Tax Credit tool

June 26, 2024 by DABC

A graphic of three people, all wearing yellow and blue clothing. They are carrying "thumbs-up" emojis. Speech bubbles above them say "We want your feedback."

Disability Alliance BC is updating our Disability Tax Credit (DTC) tool to make the application process easier for everyone, and we would like to hear from you! We’re still seeking participants for our focus group – we invite you to test out our new updated DTC tool and give us feedback on how to make the tool useful and accessible to you.

The DTC is an important benefit that reduces taxes and provides access to important tax related benefits like the Child Disability Benefit, Canada Worker’s Benefit Disability Supplement, and financial programs like the Registered Disability Savings Plan, Canada Dental Care Plan (June 2024), and Canada Disability Benefit (2025).

Honoraria provided in the form of gift cards.

Email rdsp@dabc.ca to find out more information and express your interest in joining.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 20, 2024 by DABC

Image with 3 illustrations: an eagle representing First Nations, a narwhal representing Inuit, and a violin representing Métis. These illustrations are placed around the date "June 21" and surrounded by multicoloured smoke that represents Indigenous traditions, spirituality, inclusion and diversity. Text: National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21 #NIPD2024
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day (#NIPD), which celebrates the culture, heritage, societal contributions and resilience of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across the country.

Indigenous Tourism BC has compiled a list of some key NIPD events in BC, which you can find here. Many are free. We encourage you to check out these or other events where you live.

We’d also like to highlight the work of two of our community partners:

  • Our Access RDSP partner Indigenous Disability Canada / British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (IDC/BCANDS) celebrates their 33rd year of successfully delivering Indigenous disability programs and services across Canada this year! Learn about their work here: https://www.bcands.bc.ca/.
  • Our Tax AID partner Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is hosting an NIPD celebration tomorrow in Kelowna. Details here. They are also celebrating an anniversary this year: their 50th! Learn about their work here: http://www.kfs.bc.ca/.

Bill C-403 Could Increase Access to Disability Benefits

June 14, 2024 by DABC

On June 13th, 2024, Members of Parliament, Bonita Zarrillo and Laurel Collins, introduced a new federal bill (Bill C-403), which proposes that people receiving the Persons with Disabilities Benefit (PWD) receive automatic approval for federal benefits, including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), Canada Pension Plan-Disability (CPP-D), and Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).  

A recording of the news conference can be found here and you can read the proposed bill here.  

DABC is in full support of Bill C-403; if adopted it will bring forward a change that we have advocated for over many years. Last year, in our submission to BC’s poverty reduction strategy, we advocated that “the level of stress and pressure placed on individuals to “prove” their disability can be mitigated against through finding ways to streamline the process” and that “individuals who have already gone through an application process for a different disability benefit should not need to go through the same validation process again.” If passed, Bill C-403 could reduce such stress and increase greater access to these benefits for countless people with disabilities in BC and across Canada.