Technical issue impacts Alberta’s disability support payments
Posted July 29, 2026 6:53 pm.
Imagine not getting your paycheck on time and missing out on bills and expenses. That’s what happened this month to some Albertans living with disabilities who rely on government supports.
“I feel like the government needs to take more responsibility for how they’re handling updates to their system,” said William Keller, an ADAP recipient.
Keller has relied on provincial supports since 2012 because of a mental disability that impacts his ability to work, but this month the payment didn’t come in time for his rent.
“My rent gets paid via automatic bill payment, so my bank account actually went into NSF fees, and I had to borrow money from a family member, which not everybody has the option to,” said Keller.
The government is aware of the technical issues in the August disability income assistance payment.
Minister Nathan Neudorf says in a social media post that they are working to identify impacted clients and to immediately correct any payment issues in full. But the opposition NDP believes this is a part of a bigger problem.
This month, Alberta officially overhauled the program, transitioning people like Keller to the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).
“They don’t realize they’ve made mistakes until there’s an outcry and people are harmed, and then they hear from us, they hear from them, and then they say ‘Oh well. You know, it was this, it was that.’ This program was so poorly designed at the beginning and is so poorly rolled out that this is just the beginning of the harm,” said Marie Renaud, the shadow minister for community and social services.
Wednesday, Keller did receive his payment from the government, a day late, and after missing bills. His trust in the program is now shaken.
“I think people are going to be afraid that it’s going to keep happening, and they’re not going to be sure if they’re going to be getting their money or not, and there’s no way, as it stands with the issues going on, for anybody to tell when they are getting their money,” said Keller.
