My son is developmentally disabled, and he is currently at risk of homelessness. Just the other night, he was wandering the cold streets and ended up spending the night on a park bench before finding a couch to surf on later.

He qualifies for ODSP—the disability support program here in Ontario—but what it provides is nowhere near enough to cover rent with today’s prices. If he tried to rent a place, his entire check would be swallowed up by housing costs, leaving nothing for food, transit, or other basic needs. Right now, he’s waiting for an intake appointment to get connected with a men’s shelter, but the harsh reality is that these shelters are full. And without a fixed address, he can’t even receive ODSP in the first place—leaving him trapped in this impossible cycle.

As a mother, watching my son teeter on the edge of homelessness is heartbreaking and infuriating. And it makes me think about how we treat our most vulnerable citizens. Not just my son, but seniors, other disabled individuals, people who were born and raised in this country. We call ourselves a compassionate society, but are we really?

And then I look around and see what is happening with government assistance for immigrants and refugees. I see the reports of asylum seekers getting put up in four-star hotels—like in Niagara Falls, where tourists struggle to afford a night’s stay[1]—with the government covering the cost of hotel stays, meals, and other essentials, with the average daily cost reaching $208 per person[2]. They are having their phones paid for[3], and receiving large sums per month to cover living expenses—more than what ODSP recipients or seniors on fixed incomes get. On top of that, families get additional funds per child[4], to the point that some immigrant families are reportedly receiving six-figure annual support from the government. I’ve read the comments and seen the stories—families driving luxury vehicles, wearing designer clothes, living in comfort, all funded by taxpayer dollars.

Meanwhile, my son, and others like him, are left scrambling just to survive. Seniors who worked their entire lives are getting scraps. Disabled individuals who cannot work are offered barely enough to scrape by. And when things get desperate and they can no longer see a way forward, what is offered to them? MAID—medical assistance in dying. That’s the reality. If you’re vulnerable and suffering in this country, the government will offer you a way out—permanently.

This is not to say that helping those in need, including refugees, is wrong. Compassion should be at the core of who we are. But there is a glaring imbalance. We are failing our own citizens while offering comfort and security to newcomers. Why is it that someone who paid into this system their entire life is left choosing between food and rent, while someone who has just arrived can live in a hotel and drive a brand-new SUV?

Everywhere I turn, there seems to be money—money for refugees, money for international aid, money for programs overseas. But when it comes to our own—our disabled, our seniors, our most vulnerable—the well runs dry.

We need to have this conversation. We need to talk about the way our government prioritizes spending. We need to ask why our disabled citizens are sleeping on park benches, why our seniors are lining up at food banks, and why vulnerable people are being offered death instead of dignity.

This is not about being anti-immigrant. It’s about demanding that our government show the same care for those who built this country and those who cannot fend for themselves. It’s about fairness. It’s about valuing the lives of all Canadians.

We Owe Them More

We need to do better—for my son, for your parents, for our neighbors, and for every vulnerable Canadian citizen who deserves more than the bare minimum. We owe them that much.

[1]: Don Fraser, “Niagara Falls asylum seekers shifted from hotels in advance of eclipse,” Thorold Today, January 22, 2024. Link. ↩︎

[2]: Amanda Connolly, “Canada spent over $100M housing asylum seekers,” Global News, January 23, 2024. Link. ↩︎

[3]: TELUS, “Connecting for Good Programs – Government-Assisted Refugees.” Link. ↩︎

[4]: Government of Canada, “Resettlement Assistance Program – Allowances.” Link. ↩︎