• About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home Disabilities

Social assistance rates in New Brunswick are below poverty line, disability advocate tells province [video]

NB Common Front for Social Justice and the NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities call for social assistance reform

by Arun Budhathoki
December 14, 2022
Reading Time: 3min read
Social assistance rates in New Brunswick are below poverty line, disability advocate tells province [video]

Shelley Petit is the Chairperson of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities. Photo: NB Media Co-op archives

The NB Common Front for Social Justice and the NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities held a virtual press conference on Monday, calling on the government to reform social assistance and to increase social assistance rates.

In 2021, a “single person considered employable” received just $7,499 annually, according to a statement from the group. A single person with a disability received about $10,300 per year. A single parent with one child received about $21,600. 

Rates in New Brunswick were lower than other Atlantic provinces in practically every category.

A 112 per cent increase would be required just to bring a single person with a disability above the poverty line, according to figures from the social justice groups citing Statistics Canada. 

“We need to increase the rates to a livable amount,” said Shelley Petit, chairman of the NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, in an interview with the NB Media Co-op.

Table showing the social assistance rates in New Brunswick and other Atlantic provinces.

Check out the interview here: 

Petit said she is not optimistic that the current government will come on board.

In an email statement to the NB Media Co-op, the Department of Social Development said that “the provincial government announced the indexation of all social assistance rates to inflation in 2021. This means that on April 1 of each year, social assistance rates will increase by the percentage change in the New Brunswick Consumer Price Index.”

“Over the past few years, the government has been focused on social assistance reform. These changes have helped New Brunswickers keep more income and has brought changes like an increase to the wage exemption of up to $500, the elimination of shelter deductions for all households, and increased income exemptions.”

The spokesperson also said that “there is a budget process for 2023-24 is underway where the government may consider other funding initiatives.”

Demands include updated definition of disability

The two social justice groups said the social definition of disability needs to be updated and that anyone should be able to appeal if the application is denied.

The groups also want the abolition of the Household Income Policy – a policy that determines who can qualify for receiving social assistance, with two married people or partners in common law unable to receive social assistance at the same time – which they called “unjustifiable and discriminatory.”

“With New Brunswick in a housing affordability and supply crisis, with historic levels of inflation, why deprive persons of the ability to live together to share expenses, thereby reducing the number of housing units for those in need?” asked Robert MacKay, Community Co-chair of the Common Front, in an email to the NB Media Co-op.

“This is an inhumane, government-imposed social isolation strategy that harms people.”

The demands also include making government websites more friendly to persons with low vision, by revamping the colours and increasing the size of fonts.

The groups also say that the province should provide American Sign Language or Quebec Sign Language services and improve home-care.

Arun Budhathoki is a video-journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).

Tags: Arun BudhathokiNB Common Front for Social JusticeNew Brunswick Coalition of Persons with DisabilitiespovertyShelley Petitsocial assistance
TweetSend

Related Posts

‘Panic attacks’ as retail workers forced to deal with surge in shoplifting [video]
Labour

‘Panic attacks’ as retail workers forced to deal with surge in shoplifting [video]

April 9, 2025

On her last day as an employee at NB Liquor in Fredericton’s Northside, Jessica Clark confronted a regular customer after...

New Brunswick’s unchecked timber industries have left our forests in ruin and our people without land
Housing

Homelessness adds to health care costs. A strong welfare state is a healthier one

March 17, 2025

Inadequate access to safe and affordable housing is an expensive health care bill, and all Canadians are paying the cost....

No timeline yet on pay equity bill promised during election campaign [video]
Economy

No timeline yet on pay equity bill promised during election campaign [video]

March 13, 2025

On International Women’s Day, a crowd marched through the streets of downtown Moncton. Their message: the time is now for...

Fredericton Council votes no to housing homeless
Poverty

New Brunswick poverty reduction plan stops short of universal income support [video]

March 10, 2025

Emergency income support programs caused poverty rates to "plummet" in New Brunswick, but those gains vanished after the programs ended. ...

Load More

Recommended

Updated: Interprovincial free trade a ‘Trojan Horse for deregulation’: labour leaders

Updated: Interprovincial free trade a ‘Trojan Horse for deregulation’: labour leaders

4 days ago
Lorneville residents speak out against industrial park expansion at marathon public hearing [video]

Lorneville residents speak out against industrial park expansion at marathon public hearing [video]

1 day ago
A beacon of light: Hidden 2sLGBTQ+ histories in Saint John’s The Lighthouse

A beacon of light: Hidden 2sLGBTQ+ histories in Saint John’s The Lighthouse

1 day ago
Nakba Day: We will never forget the ongoing catastrophe in Palestine

Nakba Day: We will never forget the ongoing catastrophe in Palestine

2 days ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

X
Did you like this article? Support the NB Media Co-op! Vous avez aimé cet article ? Soutenez la Coop Média NB !
Join/Donate