REGINA — Changes are coming to the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities (SAID) benefit structure and it is already receiving pushback from opponents.
The Ministry of Social Services said in a statement Monday that it is simplifying the benefit structure to make the program easier to navigate and simpler to understand.
“Through conversations with clients and community partners, we have heard that SAID is too complicated,” Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said in a statement. “This complexity makes it difficult for clients to know what they are eligible for, and limits ministry flexibility to adapt to individual circumstances that also slows down support for clients.”
The ministry said in a news release that the changes, which come into effect April 1, include combining highly specific policies and benefits into broader categories; adding flat-rate benefits to replace some actual-cost benefits and reduce client reporting requirements; removing benefits that are outdated, not currently being used by clients or being provided in other programs; and raising the amount of money individuals can have in the bank to apply for the program from $1,500 to $2,000 per household member.
It was these changes that came under fire from New Democrats at a news conference at the legislature Tuesday. Opposition Leader Carla Beck said the changes to SAID were cuts and demanded they be reversed.
Beck accused Premier Scott Moe of having now “set his sights on some of the most vulnerable people in this province” and targeted them for cuts to “make up for his own mismanagement and waste.”
She also said the feedback she has heard about the changes has been negative.
“Now we’ve heard from many people already about this decision, that it’s cruel, it’s callous. I want to say this: when times get tough, this is not who we are in Saskatchewan. We don’t punch down on the most vulnerable people.”
Beck said the changes to SAID came through an order in council dated Jan. 23. Among the changes that have been made, she said, was the addition of language stating that instead of a program to allow for dignity for people living with disabilities, it is now “a program of last resort.”
“Let’s be clear, when the Sask. Party started this program in 2009 to much fanfare, it was not intended to be a program of last resort.”
Beck also said the changes would allow the minister to add debt to those who are unable to pay their utility bills and shelter costs, and also “reduce the benefits of the recipient who’s receiving benefits from another program that the minister deems meets the objectives of SAID.”
She said the government has also repealed maternity and infant clothing benefits, child access supports, and ended funding for respite care.
“Despite what they say, he’s done this without consultation, he’s done this without warning. It’s cruel, it’s short-sighted, and as I said, the primary reason is to cover up the financial train wreck that he and his government have made of the provincial finances.”
NDP critic for disabilities and community-based organizations Brittney Senger added that the cuts to SAID “came just days before Moe proceeded with a $136 million annual increase to power rates for families, farms and small businesses.”
“Rent in Saskatchewan has increased for 42 straight months, and the Sask. Party continues to pile on tens of millions of dollars in taxes on groceries and clothes. All of this hammers people with disabilities that much harder.”
When asked about the government’s contention that the changes are about making the program simpler and easier to understand, Beck said if they were “really proud” of the changes, they would not have implemented them through an order in council on a Friday.
“If they were really proud of this, if this was really good news for people in this province who are already struggling to pay their bills, you don’t slide this in and hope that no one notices, which is what they’ve done,” Beck said.
Beck also rejected the government’s claim that some of the changes were about avoiding duplication.
“When this government starts talking about avoiding duplication, when this government starts talking about streamlining, we know what they’re talking about. If they actually think that people are going to believe that people are going to be better off after these changes, after April 1, they really, really have lost touch with where people are at in this province, and frankly have very much underestimated the intelligence of the people of this province, and certainly those advocates who fought so hard to get this program in place in the first place.”
Province says no cuts to benefits are happening
In a statement in response to the NDP news conference, the province said there are “no cuts to SAID benefits as a result of these changes.”
“No current SAID clients will see a reduction in their benefits, and in the small number of cases (about 100 clients) where the updated regulations could otherwise result in a lower amount, individuals will be grandfathered at their current benefit level,” they stated.
The government also reiterated they are “simplifying the benefit framework to increase flexibility and reduce unnecessary complexity, including combining 30 niche benefits into five broader categories. The changes also improve access to SAID by increasing the allowable amount of savings when applying by $500, from $1,500 to $2,000 per household individual.”
The statement also reads: “As with all Saskatchewan income assistance programs, SAID remains a last‑resort income support program for individuals with significant and enduring disabilities. To support the unique needs of individuals with disabilities, SAID includes over 20 different income and asset exemptions to reflect the complex and diverse circumstances of clients.”
