Budget 2026 Consultation: DABC Submission

DABC recently submitted our recommendations for Budget 2026 to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. Our submission is below. 

You can also download a copy of our submission here and learn more about the consultation process here: https://consultation-portal.leg.bc.ca/consultations/40.

Please note that we were only able to submit a maximum of three recommendations. We made additional recommendations in our election priorities document, which was sent to each political party in September 2024. You can see our post about this here and download the document here.


Disability Alliance BC (DABC) is a provincial cross-disability non profit organization and registered charity, advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. The focus of our submission will be on ensuring that the BC Government invest in programs which will improve the financial security of low-income people with disabilities across our province, particularly focused on Disability Assistance, Public Transportation, and Affordable, Accessible Housing.

Recommendation 1 (300 characters): Indexing Disability Assistance rates to inflation, and removing clawbacks from employment insurance income and spousal income for people on Disability Assistance.

Explanation (2000 characters):

DABC calls upon the BC government to make good on their commitments to poverty reduction as listed on page 34 of the 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy, specifically: “considering the case for indexing rates to inflation”, and “Considering income exemptions that could stack benefits and help people retain more income – Examples could include changing the rules around spousal income or exempting federal benefits like Employment Insurance from income.”

People on PWD deserve to feel financially secure; they should have reassurance that their PWD income will increase if inflation increases; and they should feel secure in knowing they can access their federal right to Employment Insurance (EI) without having their PWD income clawed back.

EI should be treated as a form of earned income, not unearned income, because workers contribute their employment earnings to EI through a deduction in their pay cheque. Everyone who pays EI premiums can rely on EI benefits being there when they need them, including PWD clients, however the difference is that PWD clients “are required to pursue and accept the other income or means of support,” meaning that they must accept EI if they are eligible, but have no recourse to stop their PWD income from being clawed back. We believe this clawback of EI benefits discriminates against PWD clients, which hinders them from escaping the cycle of poverty.

Lastly, people with disabilities who need to access Disability Assistance should feel financially secure without relying on income from their spouse or partner. Relying on spousal income expects that the non-disabled partner is responsible for the disabled partner’s livelihood and well-being. The current PWD system is actively encouraging people on PWD to remain single or make it very difficult to obtain and sustain a relationship. The spousal cap is in direct opposition with a person’s right to independence and equal opportunity, and therefore discriminates against people with disabilities.

Recommendation 2: Streamlining the provincial bus pass program for people with disabilities to include HandyDART rides.

Explanation:

DABC calls upon the provincial government to make good on a campaign promise within the BC NDP’s action plan that was launched ahead of last year’s election, namely “Improve transit for people with disabilities by bringing BC’s HandyDART service into government, instead of sub contracting the service to a private company.” DABC wishes to see HandyDART brought within government control not only because it will guarantee greater accountability to the public and the disability community on the state of its operations, but will also pave the way for HandyDART to more easily become integrated into the BC bus pass program, which is available to seniors and people on Disability Assistance.

Transport 2050 states that its goal is “a “fairer and more just and inclusive transportation system that truly delivers on the promise of Access for Everyone.” A more inclusive public transportation system would involve bringing HandyDART into the BC bus pass program so that low income people with disabilities who are unable to navigate conventional public transit would be able to access this much-needed service. Currently, people on Disability Assistance have to pay out of pocket for HandyDART, which we believe is a form of financial exclusion.

Recommendation 3: Build more affordable, accessible housing that includes two, three, and four-bedroom units.

Explanation:

While DABC is heartened to hear of the BC Government’s investments being made to combat the housing crisis in our province, people with disabilities in need of accessible, affordable housing are falling through the cracks.

DABC’s Right Fit program is the only program of its kind in Canada that matches wheelchair users to accessible housing. In our experience detailing the inventory of accessible housing in Metro Vancouver, we have observed a strikingly critical gap of multi-bedroom accessible housing. The vast majority of accessible units that have been built over the past few decades are one-bedroom or studio units. This neglect for multi-bedroom accessible units actively excludes families, particularly newcomer families, in need of accessible housing. There are over 70 families on our waitlist that have waited years for a multi-bedroom accessible unit to become available. Instead, they have no choice but to live in in-accessible housing, which by the Canadian definition, are considered homeless; they are the unseen and unserved component of the homeless population.

DABC calls upon the provincial government to make dedicated commitments to building multi-bedroom accessible units, as well as providing targeted financial support through rental subsidies for low income people with disabilities who have been priced out of the rental housing market. Rental subsidies are crucial to reducing the effect of poverty on people with disabilities who depend upon a scarce supply of accessible, affordable housing.

Changes to BC Ferries Accessible Fare Identification Card

BC Ferries recently announced changes to the BC Ferries Accessible Fare Identification (AFI) Card. The card allow eligible BC residents with a permanent disability—and one personal attendant 12 years and older, if required— to receive a 50% discount on passenger fares.

The card now expires and has to be renewed every two years. However, applicants can now show proof of receiving PWD or CPP-D and be approved for the card without providing any additional medical information. People with disabilities who cannot provide PWD or CPP-D documentation must still have their medical practitioner complete Section C of the application form. 

Download the AFI Card application form here.

Have your say on ride-hailing services in BC

The Province of BC is seeking feedback from the public on ride-hailing services (Uber, Lyft etc.) within BC.

Background

  • In 2019, BC put a framework in place to enable ride-hailing.
  • In 2023/24, a Special Committee to Review Passenger Directed Vehicles made recommendations related to items such as vehicle supply, safety, employment, environmental impacts, and service to rural and remote communities. On November 16th, 2023, DABC made a presentation to the Special Committee. DABC’s Cynthia Minh identified numerous issues that people with disabilities often face when accessing passenger directed vehicles, and made seven recommendations that could help address the issues identified. You can find full information here.
  • Additionally, Lower Mainland resident Martin Bauer complained to the BC Human Rights Tribunal that Uber’s lack of wheelchair accessibility was discriminatory under BC’s Human Rights Code. On March 1st, 2024, the Tribunal ordered Uber to pay Mr. Bauer $35,000 and offer accessible rides in the Lower Mainland within the next 12 months.

Consultation Process

The Province’s current consultation process on ride-hailing focuses on understanding policy issues related specifically to legislation and regulation. The Ministry is also working to respond to program-related recommendations of the Special Committee.

The Province is committed to adjusting the current ride-hailing framework and making targeted improvements to optimize the way it functions.

As part of this consultation process, the Province would like your answer to the following questions. If you’d like to help shape the way the ride-hailing framework will look in future, please submit your answers to the questions below to PDVEngagement@gov.bc.ca.

If you would like to submit your answers anonymously, you are welcome to share them to DABC at feedback@dabc.ca, and we will ensure that your answers are shared with the Province without your personal information. If so, please include “ride-hailing services” in the subject line of your email.

Questions

  1. Provision of taxi number
    • Can you help us understand if/how receiving a taxi identification number at time of booking would improve user experience?
  2. Taxi Bill of Rights

    • Are you aware of the Taxi Bill of Rights program and associated complaint mechanisms, and do you have any experience with them?
  3. Funding programs

    • What opportunities do you see where financial support would improve accessibility in the taxi and ride hail sector?
    • Are there other transportation services beyond the taxi and ride hail sector where the province should consider directing accessibility funding?