Federal Budget 2022

Selfadvocatenet.com Federal Budget Coverage 2022

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland table the Federal Budget 2022 today.

Here you watch the proceeding here

Federal budget 2022 | CBC News special

 

You can as well watch the proceeding cpac coverage of the federal budget for 2022

Here as comes in highlight what is in this federal budget for those with disabilities stay tuned to update this as comes in.

A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable 

PDF Version

Here is some highlight for disabilities  in this budget

Housing

Speeding Up Housing Construction and Repairs for Vulnerable Canadians

Over the last five years, the National Housing Co-Investment Fund has supported the construction and repair of 108,000 housing units for the most vulnerable Canadians. Projects like shelters, homes for seniors and persons with disabilities, and supportive housing account for 75 percent of units committed to so far, with demand for those units exceeding supply. To protect housing affordability tomorrow, the government is accelerating its investments today.

• Budget 2022 proposes to advance $2.9 billion in funding, on a cash basis, under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, so that all remaining funds will be spent by 2025-26. This will accelerate the creation of up to 4,300 new units and the repair of up to 17,800 units for the Canadians who need them most.

Taking lessons from the Rapid Housing Initiative, the National Housing Co-Investment Fund will be made both more flexible and easier to access, including with more generous contributions and faster approvals.

Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit

Many Canadians have traditions of living together in multigenerational homes, with grandparents, parents, and children under one roof. For some families across the country, having different generations living together—an elderly grandparent with their daughter’s family or a son with a disability with their parents—can be an important way for them to care for each other.

• To support these families, Budget 2022 proposes to introduce a Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit, which would provide up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite for a senior or an adult with a disability.

Starting in 2023, this refundable credit would allow families to claim 15 percent of up to $50,000 in eligible renovation and construction costs incurred in order to construct a secondary suite.

Creating Good Middle-Class Jobs

4.4 Connecting Workers to Good Jobs

With record lows in unemployment as Canada emerges from the pandemic, employers across the country—especially in rural Canada—are finding it difficult to hire the workers they need.

Budget 2022 proposes to grow our workforce by addressing barriers faced by mothers, Black and racialized Canadians, newcomers, persons with disabilities, young Canadians, and other people who are underrepresented in Canada’s workforce. This will include improving labour mobility and foreign credential recognition and creating opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The government also intends to engage with experts on the role that a Career Extension Tax Credit could play in boosting the labour force participation of seniors who want to continue to work later in life.

An Employment Strategy for Persons With Disabilities

Persons with disabilities should be fully included in Canada’s economic recovery. However, despite being ready and willing to work, their employment rates are much lower than those of Canadians without disabilities—59 percent versus 80 percent, according to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. The federal government is steadfast in its commitment to an inclusive recovery—and we cannot leave persons with disabilities behind.

• Budget 2022 proposes to provide $272.6 million over five years to Employment and Social Development Canada to support the implementation of an employment strategy for persons with disabilities through the Opportunities Fund. This will help to address labour market shortages through increased participation by persons with disabilities and make workplaces more inclusive and accessible. Of this funding, $20 million will be allocated to the Ready, Willing and Able program to help persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder or intellectual disabilities find employment. 

This measure will also form an important part of the government’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, which will aim to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities and build on more than $1.1 billion in funding that the federal government has committed to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities since 2015. 

Strong Public Health Care

Dental Care for Canadians

Seeing a dentist is important for our health, but can be expensive. A third of Canadians do not have dental insurance, and in 2018, more than one in five Canadians reported avoiding dental care because of the cost.

• Budget 2022 proposes to provide funding of $5.3 billion over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $1.7 billion ongoings, to Health Canada to provide dental care for Canadians. This will start with under 12-year-olds in 2022 and then expand to under 18-year-olds, seniors, and persons living with a disability in 2023, with full implementation by 2025. The program would be restricted to families with an income of less than $90,000 annually, with no co-pays for those under $70,000 annually in income.

6.2 Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being

Mental health challenges—just like physical health challenges—can affect anyone at any time. In any given year, one in five Canadians will experience some type of mental health issue or illness. Those challenges are greater, in particular, among youth, Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, and members of the LGBTQ2 community.

The last two years have had a significant impact on Canadians’ mental health—half of all Canadians have reported that their mental health has worsened during the pandemic.

To help ensure that everyone can receive the care they need, the federal government will invest in identifying and expanding effective mental health interventions.

The government also intends to engage with provinces and territories to inform the development of a new Canada Mental Health Transfer that will support the expansion and delivery of high-quality and accessible mental health services across Canada.

These investments will continue to build on the foundation laid in Budget 2021 to expand the delivery of high-quality and accessible mental health services for Canadians across the country.

Supporting Special Olympics Canada

Special Olympics is a global movement that provides programs and competition opportunities to enrich the lives of millions of people with intellectual disabilities around the world through sport—including in communities across Canada.

• Budget 2022 proposes to provide $1.8 million in ongoing funding, starting in 2022-23, as an extension to the $16 million investment in Special Olympics Canada through Budget 2018. This funding will support more than 45,000 children, youth, and adults through its strong network of 21,000 volunteers.

Doubling the Home Accessibility Tax Credit

Seniors and persons with disabilities deserve the opportunity to live and age at home, but renovations and upgrades that make homes safe and accessible can be costly. The Home Accessibility Tax Credit provides support to offset some of these costs. But with the increased costs of home renovations, many seniors and persons with disabilities are often finding it hard to afford the home improvements that would allow them to continue living safely at home.

• Budget 2022 proposes to double the qualifying expense limit of the Home Accessibility Tax Credit to $20,000 for the 2022 and subsequent tax years. This will mean a tax credit of up to $3,000—an increase from the previous tax credit of up to $1,500—for important accessibility renovations or alterations.

Doubling the credit’s annual limit will help make more significant alterations and renovations more affordable, including:

• The purchase and installation of wheelchair ramps, walk-in bathtubs, and wheel-in showers;
• Widening doorways and hallways to allow for the passage of a wheelchair or walker;
• Building a bedroom or a bathroom to permit first-floor occupancy; and
• Installing non-slip flooring to help avoid falls.

This is from the Inclusion Canada  headline on the federal budget

PRESS RELEASE: CREATING INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES BENEFITS EVERYBODY – FEDERAL BUDGET EXPANDS READY, WILLING AND ABLE ACROSS CANADA

For Immediate Release
April 8, 2022

OTTAWA, ON – Federal Budget 2022 commits a $20 million investment to the Ready, Willing, and Able program (RWA). RWA is a national employment program jointly sponsored by Inclusion Canada and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance (CASDA) for persons with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum. This 3-year investment by the Government of Canada will enable RWA to expand its work with employers and community agencies to generate employment opportunities for people with an intellectual disability or autism.

Jonathan Lai, Executive Director, CASDA, said, “We are thrilled that Budget 2022 has allocated funding for RWA. Over the last 2 years, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the lives of Autistic Canadians. Now is the time to invest in inclusive employment as we recover and build back. This funding will contribute to the economic inclusion of our community.” 

People with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum only have a 20% employment rate in Canada. Ready Willing and Able is an international award-winning employment program that is turning that statistic around by working with employers to identify their labour market needs and matching those needs with qualified candidates with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum who are looking for work. Since its inception, RWA has delivered well over three thousand jobs without the use of wage subsidies in competitively paid employment. Real work for real pay.

Ready, Willing, and Able works with employers in a cross-industry cross-sector approach. It’s transforming companies and cultures that benefit everyone. RWA operates currently in twenty primary communities with outreach to one hundred and fifty communities. Today’s budget investment will allow us to undertake a much-needed expansion.

Krista Carr, Executive Vice-President of Inclusion Canada, said, “Together with the Federal Government, we are working to build a more inclusive workforce. Even with the pandemic, the rate of employment through RWA has increased. The work of changing culture and building capacity for inclusion is paying off, and we’re so excited to be given the opportunity to keep going.”

RWA has empowered thousands of job seekers with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum who previously were unable to enter or remain in the competitive labour force while providing employers with a source of talent that was previously overlooked. Recognizing the government’s strong commitment to supporting persons with disabilities, the funding announced in Budget 2022 for RWA will ensure this critical initiative continues to contribute to an inclusive and accessible Canada. We look forward to continued conversations with the government to expand and grow RWA. 

Please visit http://readywillingable.ca/ to learn more about the Ready, Willing, and Able initiative and keep up-to-date as the next phase is implemented across the country.

This is on Inclusion Canada Website go to the link here