As Maclean\’s magazine reported on December 7th, many Canadians with disabilities who decided to save for their future are in limbo at the moment. This comes after changes to Disability Tax Credits (DTC) were introduced in May.  Unfortunately, with the new changes to DTC, many individuals who formally qualified for DTC credits are now finding themselves in a situation where they can\’t access funds from the Registered Disabilities Savings Fund (RDSF) because they don\’t qualify for DTC credits anymore.

Between October 18th and November 29th, Autism Canada heard from 142 families who had run into challenges applying for or renewing their DTC. Meanwhile, Diabetes Canada estimates that 80-90% of applications from people with Type 1 diabetes—many of whom formerly qualified—have had their claims denied since May.

Earlier this week, the public learned the government had in fact changed the language for the DTC application forms, which critics say has contributed to the increase in rejections. On top of that, doctors have complained that the DTC application form, which is the same regardless of condition, doesn’t allow them to effectively illustrate the degree to which someone’s disability creates daily challenges. This is doubly frustrating for applicants and their advocates who see accountants at the CRA overriding a health experts’ diagnoses and advice.

On December 8th, following the initial publication of this article, the CRA announced it will go back to using the terminology on the disability tax credit applications that was used before the number of rejections spiked this past spring. Amid the public backlash, officials also said they will review applications that were rejected since May, 2017, and that, going forward, a new Disability Advisory Committee will inform sound policies and services for people with disabilities.

Being denied the credit itself is often a minor setback for applicants. The major issue is a DTC credit rejection in terms of long-term savings. In 2008, the Conservative party launched a savings program called the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). Loosely speaking, for every dollar a person puts into the fund, the government will match it. The idea is to give a group of people who are overwhelmingly underemployed or unemployed a nest egg—potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars—to help cover their living expenses which tend to be higher than average. When the Harper government rolled out the program, they decided people could start accessing their RDSP funds 10 years after opening it. As a result, the earliest contributors will start accessing their funds on January 1st, 2018.

However, in order to have an RDSP and access it, a person needs to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit. So, if you previously qualified for DTC but don\’t anymore due to the new rules, all of the government contribution will be gone when an individual is able to access it.

According to a CRA spokesperson, people who have had their DTC revoked can keep their RDSP open for a maximum of five years, in case they regain eligibility for the credit. During that five-year window, they can’t add to or take from their savings fund. If after the five years they still do not qualify for the DTC, their RDSP is shut down, and the government withdraws all of its contributions.

As it currently stands, this situation is a sad one for many in our community. As more and more complaints come in, it will be important to monitor if any further changes are made to enable individuals to access funds they so rightly believed they would be receiving.

On Friday, December 8th, it was announced that TransLink has selected a new provider to oversee its HandyDART services. As most of you know, HandyDART is a door-to-door, shared ride service for passengers with physical or cognitive disabilities who are unable to use conventional public transit without assistance. Since 2009, MVT Canadian Bus Inc. has been the HandyDART service provider, who has a central customer service team that is available 18 hours a day and operates over 300 buses.

TransLink has now said that they are changing their provider and TransLink won\’t be taking control of the operation. First Canada has been chosen to be the new service provider. First Canada currently operates HandyDART services for BC Transit in Victoria and the Okanagan. The decision is subject to approval by the TransLink board of directors at its meeting on  December 14th.

The company submitted the lowest bid by a \”fairly significant\” amount, according to TransLink, but CEO Kevin Desmond says that won\’t mean a reduction in quality. He reinforced that he is confident that First Canada can provide an efficient, lower cost service, enabling TransLink to return those savings to improve their overall packages of services for people with disabilities.

However, TransLink\’s decision disappointed the HandyDART Riders Alliance, a group that lobbies for better transit service for passengers with mobility issues. The group was hoping that TransLink would take over its operations. It also wanted contracting out to end, saying such a move would improve service.

Based on the information available, Community Ventures Society (CVS) is concerned about how the change of operators will impact its members and anyone else who relies on HandyDART services to get around Metro Vancouver. It is concerning to hear that TransLink has opted for the lowest bid, that it is placing profit first and we worry what impact this will have on what we see as an already less than optimal service.

If this decision is approved and moves forward, CVS hopes that any concerns voiced to TransLink will be taken seriously when transitioning HandyDART services to First Canada. So many people in our community rely on HandyDART and it is imperative that its service only improves to help meet the needs of the members in our community.

Langley School District staff and students gathered on November 23rd at Walnut Grove Secondary School (WGSS) to celebrate something important to us all – diversity with dignity.

Langley Human Dignity Coalition, promoted the coalition’s mission to promote, protect, and advance the principles of human dignity, equality, and inclusion in the community.

Coalition chair Julie Clayton, said the concept “dignity matters” is a key initiative of the coalition. Additionally, she noted that the Coalition wants \”to push that message out to every part of the community.\”

Among the coalition’s visions are that youth are safe from bullying and discrimination, people with disabilities are given an opportunity to contribute fully to their community, and that individuals, families, and cultural groups are respected.

The objective of events like the one at WGSS is to increase partner groups and get the word out about respect, inclusion, and equality out to children and youth.

At CVS, the message of diversity with dignity is at the core of what we do everyday. We are committed to build inclusive communities where people belong and have opportunities to contribute. We support initiatives like the one at WGSS as it demonstrates that we are all working towards a shared vision of what our inclusive communities can look like in the future.

The New Year is just around the corner. We know that it\’s important for everyone in our community – members, families & staff to have an understanding of when we are open. So, in an effort to help you plan ahead, we\’ve pulled together a list of statutory holidays for the remainder of 2017 and 2018.

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Please note that Community Ventures Society is closed on all statutory holidays as listed above.