Canada Disability News

Canadian Disability Health News

Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits

There is no common definition of "disability" in Canada. If you qualify for disability benefits from other government programs, or private insurers, this is not a guarantee that you'll qualify for a CPP disability benefit.

The Canada Pension Plan disability benefit is a monthly payment and is available to people who contributed recently to the Canada Pension Plan while they worked, and then became unable to work at any job on a regular basis because of a disability. Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Benefits provide a monthly taxable benefit to contributors who are disabled and to their dependent children. This service is operated by Service Canada on behalf of Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). A CPP disability benefit is not approved on the basis of which disability or disease you have, but on how the medical condition and its treatment affect your ability to work at any job on a regular basis.

To be eligible for a CPP disability benefit, you must have made enough CPP contributions in at least four of the last six years, or you must have have made valid CPP contributions for at least 25 years, including three of the last six years, prior to becoming disabled.

Canadian Seniors - After age 65, the CPP retirement pension amount is less than the CPP disability benefit, but you are also eligible for the Old Age Security and possibly also the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

In Canada, labor laws do not specify a retirement age for employees and in most of Canada, mandatory retirement has been abolished. British Columbia became the latest province to enact legislation to amend its human rights code and end compulsory retirement at aged 65. As of that date, workers in B.C. are no longer forced to quit when they turn 65. In Quebec, forcing an employee to retire because of age is considered to be discriminatory under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. And in the Canadian Providences of Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, the practice of mandatory retirement in enterprises under provincial/territorial jurisdiction is discriminatory under the human rights legislation.

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Further Information Regarding Canada Disability News

Ratification of United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today invited Canadians to provide their views on the ratification and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Ontario Government Adopting Protection Strategy Against Meningococcal Meningitis
The Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada (MRFC) applauds the government of Ontario's decision, announced yesterday, to introduce a routine immunization program that will provide broad protection against all four of the vaccine-preventable strains of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). Beginning in September, all grade 7 students in Ontario will be offered a vaccine called Menactra(R).

Brain Train Ride Across Canada Kicks off Brain Injury Awareness Month
Ian Young cannot run, walk or ride across Canada. So Ian will ride Canada's national railroad. Ian's journey began when he won a cross-country rail trip for two. This motivated him to broaden the experience by using it to support a cause he believes in.

Government of Canada Helps Manitobans With Disabilities Prepare for Jobs
Manitobans with disabilities are set to benefit from the Government of Canada's support for a local employment project. Mr. Merv Tweed, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development made the announcement today.

Increased Anxiety in the Canadian Workplace
According to the first results of the Desjardins Financial Security National Health Survey released today for National Mental Health Week (May 4-10), during which Canadians are encouraged to "Invest in yourself", a significant number of workers in Canada feel they have lost control of their lives as the economic recession grinds on, unemployment numbers rise and financial security appears to be evaporating.

Stroke Recovery Canada Program of March of Dimes
Stroke Recovery Canada(R), a program of March of Dimes Canada, helps stroke survivors across the country to more easily re-engage in their communities, and affirm that there is meaningful and quality life after a stroke. With May designated as Stroke Recovery Awareness Month, Stroke Recovery Canada(R) has increased its efforts to educate the public about stroke recovery.

Healthy Schools Awareness Events
Recent peer-reviewed, published reports have found that healthy indoor environments can reduce asthma and upper respiratory infections among school children, as well as promote personnel health, safety and productivity, and improve achievement. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness and a leading occupational disease of custodians and teachers.

Red Cross Workers in St. Thomas will Strike Today
The Canadian Red Cross is under contract to provide home support services to approximately 40,000 Ontarians who are experiencing vulnerable times in their lives, whether through illness, disability, or other circumstances. 3,000 women and men are employed by Red Cross as personal support workers in communities across the province. They've been in a legal strike position since May.

When Money gets Tight Prescriptions Don't get Filled
Dr. Carolyn Dewa, head of the Work and Well-being Research and Evaluation Program at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and her team explored whether the amount of money spent on medication before a disability episode impacts medication use among workers on depression-related disability.

Government of Canada Supports Projects for Women and Youth in Manitoba
The federal government is pleased to support two projects being provided by local organizations based in Manitoba. The first project will address the sexual exploitation of youth, specifically the trafficking of Aboriginal women and children, and the second will provide support to women caring for children with disabilities.

Historic End of Institutionalization in Ontario Canada
More than 160 years after the first of these institutions was built in Ontario, these closures mark the end of an era of segregation and painful memories for tens of thousands of people and their families in this province.

24 Years Ago Rick Hansen Man in Motion World Tour Began
On March 21st 1985, international medal-winning athlete and Olympian Rick Hansen, and his team, left Oak Ridge Mall in Vancouver to raise awareness of the potential of people with disabilities, and to fulfill his dream of an accessible and inclusive world. Two years later, against all odds, he arrived home, after pushing his wheelchair through 34 countries across four continents.

KIA Offers Customers Certainty in Uncertain Times
The KIA Integrity Advantage Program is offered free of charge and allows customers to return their financed or leased vehicles within the first year of ownership in the event of certain unforeseen life circumstances. The Program will cancel up to $7,500 in vehicle-related debt; specifically the difference owed between the financial institution and the depreciated value of the car.

Stun Guns May Cause Seizures
Until now, most reports of taser-related adverse events have understandably concentrated on cardiac complications associated with shots to the chest," write the authors. Our report shows that a taser shot to the head may result in brain-specific complications.

Canada's First Occupational Cancer Research Centre Launched
Today health and workplace safety organizations, businesses, and labour groups joined forces with a common goal of reducing workplace cancer, and officially launched Canada's first centre dedicated solely to research in occupational cancers.

Vaccination Associated with Decreased Canadian Cases of Meningitis Strain
Universal childhood vaccination against meningococcal C appears to reduce Canadian incidence of the most deadly strain of bacterial meningitis, reports new research published in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The Men C vaccine was introduced as part of universal immunization programs for children in Quebec and Alberta in 2002 and in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island in 2003.

Canada Opens Door to Learning Disorder Drug
Canadian scientists have connected a crucial brain protein with the power to learn, raising the possibility that learning disabilities could be corrected with a drug. A Toronto research team discovered that this single protein, which helps brain cells talk to one another, results in learning impairments when it is missing or malfunctions. And in a remarkable one-two punch, the scientists have also found that a medication, now being tested in Alzheimer's patients, may fix the problem.

Government of Canada Calls for Proposals That Remove Barriers for People With Disabilities
The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced a multi-year Call for Proposals (2009-2012) focusing on projects that will improve services or accessibility for people with disabilities to fully participate in society.