We’re pleased to share that the VDRC and Disability Alliance BC (DABC) will be hosting a virtual All Candidates Forum, during which you will have the opportunity to hear from candidates who are running in the upcoming provincial election in the Capital Regional District.
The forum will focus on issues that have a significant impact on people with disabilities, including PWD disability assistance rates, accessible and affordable housing, and access to health care. Candidates will be asked questions on these topics and given an opportunity to share what they and their parties would do to address them.
Thursday, October 15, 2026 5:00–7:00 p.m PT Via Zoom
For many Canadians with disabilities, applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) can be an important first step toward accessing financial supports and programs. However, there are often barriers to easy access, including financial barriers.
The Canada Revenue Agency confirms that applicants are responsible for any fees their medical practitioner charges to complete a DTC application. While those fees may be claimable as a medical expense on a tax return, that does not help those who need to pay the bill today. For someone living with a disability, that upfront cost can be enough to make an already complicated process even harder.
In 2026, the federal government introduced a new $150 supplemental Canada Disability Benefit payment intended to help offset the cost of obtaining the DTC. This is an important step toward recognizing that the cost of obtaining medical certification can be a barrier. However, the payment is not available for everyone who applies for or receives the DTC. The $150 supplemental payment is only available for people approved for the DTC who also qualify for the Canada Disability Benefit monthly payment.
There are Canadians who may qualify for the DTC but not the Canada Disability Benefit because of the CDB’s eligibility requirements. For those people, the cost of having a medical practitioner complete the application remains an out-of-pocket expense. This is the gap we at Disability Alliance BC are aiming to address.
We’re relaunching our DTC Medical Fees Fund to help reduce one of the financial barriers that stand between a person and the support they may be entitled to access. No one should need to abandon the DTC application process because they can’t afford the medical practitioner fee. Our DTC Medical Fees Fund is designed to help address this gap.
We’re asking our community, supporters, organizations, professionals, and donors to help us build this fund. Every contribution helps remove the financial barrier from someone trying to access the DTC, and your donation can help someone take that next step.
$25 can help us begin building a fund that is there when someone needs it.
$50 can help offset part of a medical practitioner’s fee.
$100 can make a meaningful contribution toward helping someone complete their DTC application.
$250 or more can help us support multiple applicants.
You can also help us spread the word about this fund to your friends, families, and networks. Together we can help remove the financial barriers that stand between Canadians and the supports available to them.
Disability Alliance BC (DABC) unequivocally condemns the public comments made by MLA Tara Armstrong on July 13th, 2026, regarding people receiving Disability Assistance (known as PWD). MLA Armstrong stated that “the government’s welfare law hands out disability payments to drug addicts simply because they use drugs.” This statement is false, misleading, and deeply harmful.
People do not qualify for PWD designation simply because they use substances. Eligibility for PWD is determined through a rigorous and extensive application process that assesses whether an individual has a severe and prolonged disability that significantly restricts their ability to carry out daily living activities.[1] Suggesting otherwise misrepresents the PWD system and fuels harmful myths about people with disabilities.
MLA Armstrong’s comments are dehumanizing towards people living with addiction or substance use and those with co-occurring disabilities. Substance use does not exist in a vacuum; it is often intertwined with mental health, poverty, homelessness, discrimination and systemic barriers in accessing healthcare and other living supports. Many people with disabilities who may also live with addiction experience these realities simultaneously. To reduce their lived experience to a dismissive stereotype is not only inaccurate, it is profoundly offensive.
As the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition states, substance use exists on a spectrum and cannot be understood separately from the social, economic, health, and policy conditions that shape people’s lives.[2] Compassionate, evidence-based approaches recognize the inherent dignity of every person and reject narratives that shame individuals with complex health and social issues.
Through her actions, MLA Armstrong has perpetuated misinformation and stigma towards people with disabilities, which further reinforces an ableist system designed to restrict people with disabilities from accessing employment, housing, healthcare, education, and community participation. Her words embolden others to discriminate against some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in our province and undermine years of work to build a more accessible and inclusive BC.
Equally concerning is MLA Armstrong’s characterization of disability assistance as ‘welfare.’ PWD exists because many people with disabilities face barriers to employment and incur significant disability-related costs to living that others do not. PWD is an essential income support program, not a moral judgment about an individual’s worth or contribution to society. Referring to PWD as ‘welfare’ perpetuates outdated stereotypes that people with disabilities are dependent, undeserving, or somehow less valuable members of our community.
People who experience substance use deserve dignity, respect, and evidence-based public policy, not sensationalist and harmful rhetoric that pits communities against one another for political gain. People with disabilities are not punch lines.
MLA Armstrong’s comments are particularly shocking given her past involvement with her family’s franchise business, Driving Miss Daisy (which is still in operation but has since been sold). The company specializes in providing accompaniment and transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities.
British Columbians expect more from our MLAs. MLAs have a responsibility to engage in public debate honestly, accurately, and respectfully. They should help reduce discrimination, not amplify it. They should rely on evidence, not misinformation. They should use their office to build community, not deepen divisions.
For these reasons, Disability Alliance BC calls on Tara Armstrong to:
Publicly retract her misleading statements;
Issue a sincere apology to people with disabilities and those affected by substance use; and
Resign from the Legislative Assembly if she is unwilling or unable to uphold the standards of respect, and dignity expected of her role.
Update: DABC Executive Director Helaine Boyd was interviewed by CTV News about our response to MLA Armstrong’s comments. Watch the video and read the article.
Error validating access token: The session has been invalidated because the user changed their password or Facebook has changed the session for security reasons.
