On March 3, 2025, the federal government announced that the regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) are complete—a long-awaited measure aimed at reducing poverty among Canadians living with disabilities. The regulations, which detail eligibility criteria and benefit calculations, will come into force on May 15, 2025, with the first payments expected in July, 2025. Applications for the benefit will open in June 2025, with more details on the process to be shared in the coming months.
Through our Fund the Benefit coalition of more than 40 partners, Daily Bread Food Bank has been a leading voice in advocating for the CDB alongside disability rights organizations and networks across Canada. Since the passage of the 2023 Canada Disability Benefit Act, the coalition has worked tirelessly, advocating for a fully funded benefit that is adequate, accessible, and free from clawbacks. Through meetings with elected officials, consultations, media appearances, and mobilizing thousands of Canadians—who sent nearly 150,000 letters to MPs, Ministers, and party leaders—we successfully pushed the government to act.
At Daily Bread Food Bank, we witness firsthand the challenges people with disabilities face in meeting their basic needs. In Toronto, 1 in 4 food bank clients has a disability, and 1 in 10 relies solely on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) to survive. The majority of social assistance recipients, including 69% of those on ODSP, live in private market rentals. With rates failing to keep up with housing costs, homelessness among recipients has doubled in the past two years. Our Who’s Hungry 2024 report highlights a staggering 420% increase in food bank clients experiencing homelessness.
Of the 1.5 million Canadians with disabilities living in poverty, only 600,000 will qualify for the CDB, and just 25,000 will be lifted out of poverty by 2028—far fewer than originally promised. The finalization of CDB regulations is a significant step forward in reducing food insecurity and poverty among adults with disabilities in Canada, but in its current form, it falls short of providing the meaningful change needed.
The Daily Bread Food Bank continues to call on government to:
The proposed $200/month per person is far too low—leaving recipients in Ontario more than $800 below the poverty line. The benefit must be increased to bring people with disabilities above the poverty line and ensure incremental increases in future budgets to account for the full cost of living with a disability.
Expand the eligibility criteria to align with the Accessible Canada Act’s definition of disability and streamline the application process — particularly for those receiving existing provincial/territorial and federal disability benefits.
To prevent claw backs on other income-tested benefits, establish the CDB as a refundable credit rather than a tax-reportable benefit. As part of our advocacy efforts, this policy change was introduced in the Fall Economic Statement but was not legislated.
Raise the income threshold to at least the poverty line and ensure eligibility is based on the individual applicant’s income, not household income, to protect against financial dependence or abuse.
We need to keep the pressure on! Use our online tool to support the and demand a Canada Disability Benefit that truly lifts people out of poverty and ensures people with disabilities can live a life of dignity.
