‘It really makes it impossible:’ Advocates say SIS, SAID increases nowhere near enough

Among the few groups to directly get a bump in the provincial budget Wednesday were income assistance clients, but advocates say rates are still too low.

As part of the budget, Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) clients will see a $30-a-month increase each to the adult basic benefit, the shelter benefit and the alternate heating benefit.

The Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program will see a $30 increase per month in living income benefits for clients.

“There needed to be real relief now and I would say this doesn’t provide that relief,” said Peter Gilmer with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry.

When it comes to SAID, Gilmer said there hasn’t been an increase to rates since 2015.

“It is good to see a benefit increase,” said Gilmer. “Unfortunately it’s a lot smaller than we would have liked given that the cost of living has risen so much over the course of eight years.”

Gilmer said people on SAID are worse off now than they were in 2015.

“(That’s) both because of the lack of benefit increases to date but also because of cuts to rental coverage supports and special needs over the course of those eight years,” he explained.

Depending on where a person lives, the living income benefit on SAID for one adult before the budget was either $1,064, $1,009, $968 or $931. This budget adds $30 a month to each of those, for about a three per cent increase.

SIS also saw increases, but Gilmer said that program is inadequate in and of itself. He said it continues to require clients to pay their utilities out of their shelter benefit. Gilmer said previously utilities were paid separately and suggested the program should go back to that.

“People who don’t have enough to pay their rent with their shelter benefit are forced to pay all of their extra utilities out of that as well,” said Gilmer. “It really makes it impossible for households to meet their most basic of needs on the SIS program.”

Before the budget, the SIS adult basic benefit was $315, the shelter benefit was $600 in Saskatchewan and Regina, and the alternate heating benefit was $130 a month — and the budget adds $30 a month to each of those. A single adult on SIS can earn $325 a month before their benefits are affected.

Gilmer said an increase of $300 on both SAID and SIS would have brought them more in line with actual costs of living.

Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said he’s heard people’s concerns and he appreciates those comments, but he defends the programs and the increases, saying they’re among the most generous when compared across the country.

“We’re doing what we can. We want to make sure that any increase is sustainable and affordable going into the future,” said Makowsky.

When asked how the ministry arrived at a $30 increase for each program being the right number, Makowsky couldn’t give an answer, saying he wasn’t going to go into the whole budget process, but did say those sorts of increases help keep clients up with inflation.

As for the concerns about utilities on SIS, which has been brought up many times before, Makowsky said SIS is a fairly new program and the government has made other changes like allowing some people who need more help to have direct payments to landlords again, and increasing money for trusteeship in this budget.

“The SIS program is more of a temporary program,” Makowsky said. “We want to help people to be more independent and to do more things and, hopefully in time, move them off.

“Part of that is the ability to learn how to pay bills and be a little more self-sufficient if they’re able. If they’re not, we have supports there as well, including trusteeship.”

The NDP’s social services critic, Meara Conway, was also upset with the increase, saying the party’s MLAs are often hearing from people who have to choose between heating and eating and they’re not able to make their utility bills on time.

“I feel like there’s a growing disconnect between what we’re hearing from this government in (the Assembly) and what folks on the ground are saying,” said Conway. “(With) $30 a month, we all know, what does that get you in this economy?”