People with Disabilities Must Be Intentionally Included
Inclusion BC was in Victoria for the release of the BC Budget and the government’s stated commitments to protect critical services and grow the economy. These priorities are deeply important to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, who continue to feel the disproportionate effects of rising costs, limited supports, and persistent service gaps.
We have identified many of these gaps and, through a rights-based and evidence-informed approach, set out clear calls to action in our Position Statements. In this response, you will see our analysis of Budget 2026 against our position statements and systemic advocacy priorities.
Supports and Services for Children and Youth with Disabilities
Shift towards a Needs-Based Model
Inclusion BC has long advocated for a system in which children and youth have access to the supports and services they need to reach their full potential and live well in their communities. In a true needs-based model, services must be available when they are needed, equitable, easy to access, culturally safe, responsive to each child’s individual strengths and circumstances, and reflective of all aspects of their well-being.
On February 10, the provincial government announced a new framework to support children and youth with disabilities and their families, alongside a three-year funding commitment reaffirmed in BC Budget 2026.
Budget 2026: allocates an additional $475 million over three years, including a 40% expansion in community-based services, the introduction of a new BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit, and a new BC Children and Youth Disability Supplement for low to middle-income families.
For this budget announcement, it is important to respond to each element individually.
Expanding community-based services: An additional $80-million investment over the next three years will grow these community-based services by more than 40%.
We have long asked the government to provide responsive and flexible funding to strengthen the network of existing community-based organizations. This investment will help community-based organizations to better meet the unique needs of children and youth with disabilities at the local level and support the creation of meaningful opportunities to enhance connection and belonging.
BC Children and Youth Disability Supplement: Families can receive an additional annual amount of up to $6,000 per eligible dependent. Eligibility will be determined based on entitlement to the federal disability tax credit and income tested against the 2026 tax filing.
It’s important to emphasize this is a tax measure designed to address disability poverty. Public narrative about the supplement has blurred this distinction, with some interpreting it as a form of individualized funding.
In our position statement, Income Security for Families Raising Children and Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, we called for a 25% increase to the BC Family Benefit. This supplement appears intended to help fill that gap for families most impacted by disability-related poverty. It will be important to clarify whether the province or the federal government sets the income threshold, so we can determine whether it can be raised to support more middle-income families.
As with other benefits linked to the Canada Disability Tax Credit (DTC), such as the Registered Disability Savings Plan and the Canada Disability Benefit, there are structural barriers that limit access. These include the cost of applying and challenges in accessing medical professionals with disability confidence to complete the required documentation. We will work with our government partners to ensure all efforts are made to support families in applying, easing the burden of this process.
Inclusion BC will continue working alongside our Inclusion Canada federation partners to advocate for the modernization of the DTC so it can function as a more equitable and effective poverty-reduction tool.
BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit: The new benefit will provide direct funding to children and youth from birth to age 19 who have a long-term disability resulting in significant and complex developmental support needs.
- The base tier is: $6,500 per year
- The higher tier is: $17,000 per year, set through support planning with relevant professionals.
We recognize that this represents a significant financial commitment by the government and an important shift towards a needs-based approach to supports and services. At the same time, without greater clarity about the tools/process that will guide the needs-based assessment, it is difficult to determine whether this approach fully aligns with our position.
For many years, we have advocated for a needs-based model because we believe it is essential to promoting equity within systems of support. We also know that transitions can be stressful and unsettling for families. Clear information and thoughtful planning will be critical during this transitional period.
We are particularly interested in understanding how families will move from the At Home Program and Autism Funding into the new disability benefit structure, and what safeguards will be in place to ensure that no child or family experiences a loss of needed supports and services during this transition.
For our full position, please read our position statement on Access to Supports and Services for Children and Youth with Disabilities.
Supports and Services for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Meaningful CLBC Investment Is Essential
Community Living BC (CLBC) supports are foundational to inclusion, safety, and quality of life. Inclusion BC advocated for sustained, sufficient CLBC investment to address growing waitlists, workforce pressures, and unmet needs, ensuring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live and participate fully in their communities.
BC Budget 2026: provides additional funding of $252 million over three years to support growth in demand for clients served by Community Living BC.
This investment was linked to increased demand for CLBC-funded services, with nearly 32,000 people referenced. Although this caseload increase is welcome, it is very likely that there will continue to be wait times and wait lists for supports and services funded by CLBC. We will monitor this closely and advocate accordingly.
Income Security
Disability Assistance Must Reflect Real Costs
BC Budget 2026: invests $52 million to remove barriers for couples receiving disability supports.
This comes after December’s announcement, allowing couples where both people receive Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefits to receive the same support allowance amount as they would as individuals. However, this does not apply to the shelter allowance. The changes also include increased earning exemptions for couples in which one person receives PWD. Couples in BC are still being penalized, receiving less support than they would as individuals.
The remaining investment is attached to increase demand and does not represent a change in funding benefit or supplement levels. This means that people with disabilities will continue to receive benefits at rates that fall 35% below the poverty line.
People with disabilities remain disproportionately affected by poverty. Income and disability assistance rates are not keeping pace with the true cost of living. Income security is a prerequisite for health, dignity, and community participation, including housing, food, transportation, and disability-related expenses.
Health Care, Including Mental Health Care
A Critical Opportunity to Strengthen Health Care
This investment must translate into real, measurable improvements in access, quality, and equity. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve a healthcare system that understands their needs, removes barriers, and supports them to live well in their communities.
Budget 2026: includes $2.3 billion in new funding over three years to expand health system capacity and respond to growing demand across the full continuum of care.
This is a significant investment, and it presents a critical opportunity to ensure people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not left behind.
To achieve maximum impact, we are advocating for the development and full funding of a comprehensive healthcare strategy that responds to the specific health needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our advocacy includes dedicated annual funding for recruitment and retention in health, strengthening the Health Services for Community Living program to ensure equitable access to community nursing supports and to respond to population growth. We will continue advocating for a provincial oversight structure to provide leadership and accountability in implementing the healthcare strategy and related services. Regional health strategies that address the unique realities of rural and remote communities across BC are also essential.
Let’s ensure this funding delivers lasting change.
Inclusive Education and Child Care
Belonging From the Start
Inclusive education and child care are foundational to positive lifelong outcomes. Children with disabilities must be supported to learn and grow alongside their peers, with adequate funding, staffing, and training to ensure inclusion is meaningful in practice, not merely aspirational.
The budget maintains the current K–12 funding model. Increased investments are tied to growth in the number of students with designations, which is expected to bring additional education assistants and psychologists into schools.
Budget 2026: investing $330 million over three years to stabilize the ChildCareBC program.
For Inclusion BC, this stabilization period must also be a time to strengthen the foundation of the system, ensuring it is built on inclusion from the start.
We will use this opportunity to advance two key advocacy priorities:
- Issue a Ministerial Order to require that all child care programs created by school districts be inclusive and aligned with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Amend the Early Learning and Child Care Act — or issue a Ministerial Order — to require that all child care programs across the province operate on an inclusive basis, consistent with the Convention.
We have been assured that Supported Child Development will continue to play an important role in advancing inclusive practice across the child care system. We will monitor this closely.
Inclusion Requires Intentional Choices
Inclusive communities do not happen by accident. They are built through intentional policy decisions, adequate funding, and meaningful partnerships with people with lived experience and community-based organizations. Inclusion BC looks forward to continued dialogue with the provincial government to ensure people with disabilities are not an afterthought, but a priority in budget implementation.
BC Budget here.
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