NANAIMO — Those receiving disability assistance in B.C. will soon no longer have to worry about an intimate relationship impacting how much support they receive.
If a married couple both receive disability assistance, they will now get the same amount as if they were two individual people, announced the B.C. government during a news conference in Nanaimo on Thursday, Nov. 13.
The policy shift is significant for people like Julie Black, who receives assistance but put off marrying her long-time partner, also on disability, because the amount they would receive each month would be reduced.
“People have been pushing for this for years, and people with diversabilities, they can’t live together with a partner because of this clawback… especially for people that are in abusive relationships, now they can feel they can be in a relationship that’s actually comfortable for them.”
The new rules come into effect on Dec. 1, but the provincial government said the over 6,500 families on disability assistance should notice the difference when they receive their benefits next week.
The province said B.C. is now the first province in Canada to make such changes.
Also, starting on Jan 1, 2026, the annual earning exemptions will increase, allowing couples where one partner has the designation of being a person with disabilities to keep more of their money, said to affect more than 4,300 families.
Julie Black and her husband James Chapman are both on disability assistance while also working, with Black saying this change will allow them to live life “like a normal person.” (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)Black has been married to her husband for four years now, and both were at the Nanaimo Association for Community Living (NACL) building in downtown Nanaimo for the announcement.
Black said she and other advocates have been pushing for this change for years, and she personally knows of people with disabilities who would avoid relationships completely so their benefits wouldn’t be affected.
“We don’t have to hide anymore,” an emboldened Black said. “Before, we felt that we had to hide the relationship, like any other relationship with diversabilities. A lot of people feel they had to hide their relationship because the Ministry would pull that money back, and now we don’t have to worry about that.”
Graham Morry, NACL executive director, said this is an important development for many of their clients.
“As a non-profit agency, our primary mandate is to provide services for people with disabilities. This is a critical piece that we are well-aware of the struggles that people have financially, and the fact that once they were married, they lost benefits and money, was a very critical thing for them.”
There were tears of enjoyment on Thursday, with Malcolmson (centre, green) making the announcement. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)Also present was Green Party MLA for Saanich North and the Islands Rob Botterell and parliamentary secretary for gender equity and MLA for Coquitlam-Millardville, Jennifer Blatherwick.
Blatherwick said this shift allows disability recipients to retain some independence and not feel like they are trapped in a harmful situation due to financial barriers.
“They become stuck with partners who are abusive to them, and the terrible calculus of economics keeps them in those situations. Changes like this, mean that people are more likely to be able to leave dangerous situations and become free and live their lives as they choose.”
The government said in a news release this commitment is part of the NDP’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord between the provincial NDP and BC Green Party caucuses, signed late last year.
In a news release, the BC Green Party said currently, people with disabilities in B.C. can get a maximum of $1,535 per month, while the poverty level in Canada, meaning the amount needed to adequately meet their basic needs, is over $2,000 a month.
According to the province, the assistance rate for a single person is up to $450 per month, a 74 per cent increase since 2017, with $1.6 billion invested in budget 2025 over three years to support the more than 250,000 people receiving assistance.
More information on services for people with disabilities can be found here.
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