I’m wheelchair-bound with cerebral palsy..For someone with an active interest in his community and politics, this led me to do a lot of volunteer work within the disability community. I am incredibly proud of the vast majority of this. I have no problem advocating for better and more consistent home care, home health equipment, accessible transportation, or improvements to our built environment. In short, I want to help other people like me contribute to society as much as possible, wherever possible. This led me to an awkward position however, when it came to universal or guaranteed basic income (UBI)..UBI is essentially a government program where you receive a cheque simply for being a citizen regardless of gender, age, ability, or ambition for that matter. The idea behind the concept is this funding allows everyone to pursue their interests, contribute to the economy, and raise themselves out of poverty. As with most social programs, this is clearly a laudable goal and in all fairness, the disability community in Alberta and many other provinces has a related program. Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is the name of the program in Alberta. The program offers $1,685 a month and provides rudimentary insurance. This is tied to the individual’s ability to find full-time work. AISH is an important social program that makes it easier for Albertans with severe disabilities to live fuller lives, and it has certainly helped me. Let’s be clear though, the program is designed as a support for those who cannot work and, in that sense, has a clear and important purpose..It is the opinion of the majority of disability nonprofits I’ve worked with that UBI would be an additional boon to the disabled community, lifting many out of poverty. This is true to an extent. The extra income would in fact be a blessing to many who, regardless of the improvements in various areas of accessibility, are unlikely to find employment. What my well-meaning friends and colleagues don’t seem to see are the unintended side-effects this will likely have..A recent report by the Parliamentary budget office said that a UBI program would likely cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $85 billion. Firstly, that money has to come from somewhere and this would doubtless be reflected in your taxes. Secondly, and more importantly, for people with disabilities this would likely leave governments less willing to fund needed improvements in our built environment to make cities and towns more universally accessible. This is not new. It’s been a decades-long fight to make Calgary as accessible as it is today. With that said, it’s incredibly hard for a disabled Calgarian like myself and many of my friends to find a career. Even with a university education. Even in a good economy. Which this is not..In a society where it’s at least been virtue signaled to all our goal is the inclusion of as many people as possible, I have had to miss job interviews because the office building the interview was to take place in was not accessible to me. The same goes for restaurants, bars, recreation facilities, and the whole spectrum of public buildings. Not to mention what a chore crossing the street can be at the best of times with the state of our roads and sidewalks, let alone when the snow comes, as it always will in Canada..The problem is this: If we throw money at the problem and implement an $85 billion program, these other problems don’t go away. You lift people out of poverty, but don’t provide them with any meaningful opportunity. I don’t want another government cheque every month. I want a job and a purpose. UBI may lift me over the poverty line but it leaves me and others like me potentially with an empty calorie existence. It increases spending power but without fulfillment, this could lead to another strain on mental health and physical well-being silently spreading because there’s more money in the pockets of that person in a wheelchair, but still many physical barriers keeping them on the sidelines..If your goal is inclusion, remove the barriers to opportunity. If we have to spend that $85 billion, let’s spend it on improvements to infrastructure, let’s give a fair deal to provinces and cities so they can clear snow properly and remove other physical barriers..If you want to empower citizens, empower them — don’t give them a cheque and wash your hands of the real problems..Jacob McGregor is a community advocate and host of the Your Neck of the Woods podcast
I’m wheelchair-bound with cerebral palsy..For someone with an active interest in his community and politics, this led me to do a lot of volunteer work within the disability community. I am incredibly proud of the vast majority of this. I have no problem advocating for better and more consistent home care, home health equipment, accessible transportation, or improvements to our built environment. In short, I want to help other people like me contribute to society as much as possible, wherever possible. This led me to an awkward position however, when it came to universal or guaranteed basic income (UBI)..UBI is essentially a government program where you receive a cheque simply for being a citizen regardless of gender, age, ability, or ambition for that matter. The idea behind the concept is this funding allows everyone to pursue their interests, contribute to the economy, and raise themselves out of poverty. As with most social programs, this is clearly a laudable goal and in all fairness, the disability community in Alberta and many other provinces has a related program. Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is the name of the program in Alberta. The program offers $1,685 a month and provides rudimentary insurance. This is tied to the individual’s ability to find full-time work. AISH is an important social program that makes it easier for Albertans with severe disabilities to live fuller lives, and it has certainly helped me. Let’s be clear though, the program is designed as a support for those who cannot work and, in that sense, has a clear and important purpose..It is the opinion of the majority of disability nonprofits I’ve worked with that UBI would be an additional boon to the disabled community, lifting many out of poverty. This is true to an extent. The extra income would in fact be a blessing to many who, regardless of the improvements in various areas of accessibility, are unlikely to find employment. What my well-meaning friends and colleagues don’t seem to see are the unintended side-effects this will likely have..A recent report by the Parliamentary budget office said that a UBI program would likely cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $85 billion. Firstly, that money has to come from somewhere and this would doubtless be reflected in your taxes. Secondly, and more importantly, for people with disabilities this would likely leave governments less willing to fund needed improvements in our built environment to make cities and towns more universally accessible. This is not new. It’s been a decades-long fight to make Calgary as accessible as it is today. With that said, it’s incredibly hard for a disabled Calgarian like myself and many of my friends to find a career. Even with a university education. Even in a good economy. Which this is not..In a society where it’s at least been virtue signaled to all our goal is the inclusion of as many people as possible, I have had to miss job interviews because the office building the interview was to take place in was not accessible to me. The same goes for restaurants, bars, recreation facilities, and the whole spectrum of public buildings. Not to mention what a chore crossing the street can be at the best of times with the state of our roads and sidewalks, let alone when the snow comes, as it always will in Canada..The problem is this: If we throw money at the problem and implement an $85 billion program, these other problems don’t go away. You lift people out of poverty, but don’t provide them with any meaningful opportunity. I don’t want another government cheque every month. I want a job and a purpose. UBI may lift me over the poverty line but it leaves me and others like me potentially with an empty calorie existence. It increases spending power but without fulfillment, this could lead to another strain on mental health and physical well-being silently spreading because there’s more money in the pockets of that person in a wheelchair, but still many physical barriers keeping them on the sidelines..If your goal is inclusion, remove the barriers to opportunity. If we have to spend that $85 billion, let’s spend it on improvements to infrastructure, let’s give a fair deal to provinces and cities so they can clear snow properly and remove other physical barriers..If you want to empower citizens, empower them — don’t give them a cheque and wash your hands of the real problems..Jacob McGregor is a community advocate and host of the Your Neck of the Woods podcast
