iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Read the Substack post to learn more and give it a follow to receive the next 3 blog posts in the series!

Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

5. Most temporary residents in Alberta are here on work permits (60%). 6. Most of those work permits in Alberta are from the International Mobility program - a program that does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

3. What did change suddenly is the number of temporary residents living in Alberta - the number more than tripled over the last 5 years. 4. Even so, temporary residents make up a small share of the AB population, smaller than the share nationally, and their numbers have been declining since 2025.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

My take-aways from the data: 1. Alberta's share of immigrants - people who have the right to permanently live in Canada - is about the same as the national share. AB is not exceptional. 2. The number of immigrants to AB has grown steadily over the last 20 years, not suddenly.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Recently I've teamed up with the The Muttart Foundation to examine the economic contributions of immigrants and temporary residents in Alberta. Check out the first in my series of blog posts: gillianpetit.substack.com/p/immigrants...

gillianpetit.substack.com

Immigrants and Non-Permanent Residents: Who is actually in Alberta?

In this series of blog posts, I will examine the economic contributions of immigrants and NPRs in Alberta. In this post, I start by defining the terms and looking at who is actually in Alberta.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Upping this article after a new claim yesterday by Danielle Smith that "For every $1 of taxes a guest worker generates, taxpayers are covering $10 in services. ". Alberta's Premier Claims Immigrants Are a Burden. Where's the Proof? via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

thetyee.ca

Alberta’s Premier Claims Immigrants Are a Burden. Where’s the Proof? | The Tyee

Danielle Smith’s referendum pitch ignores tax revenues and reliance on temporary foreign workers.

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Single adult AISH clients with no employment income are currently $525/month below the poverty line. When ADAP launches July 2026, they will be $725/month below the poverty line. This will put persons with disabilities deeper into poverty. #ABpoli #ADAP #AISH open.substack.com/pub/gillianp...

open.substack.com

ADAP and AISH: Benefit Levels for Single Adults

Starting in July 2026, most Albertans receiving Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) will move to a new program called the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

open.substack.com

ADAP and AISH: Benefit Levels for Single Adults

Starting in July 2026, most Albertans receiving Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) will move to a new program called the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP).

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Danidollars are not an affordability measure. Affordability measures are targeted to those who are least able to afford rising costs. There's no targeting here except on high income. As the article suggests those with a "quarter million" will not get DaniDollars. That's high income. #abpoli

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Danidollars provides financial support to all including those who need it the least without asking about their employment choices. This is a tradeoff: it takes money away (permanently!) from those who need it most and distributes it widely regardless of need. calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

calgaryherald.com

Bell: Dani Dollars — Danielle Smith set to dole out dough to Albertans

Albertans to get Dani Dollars, a direct payment of cash instead of a fuel tax cut. Albertans 18 and over get cash whether they drive or not.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

The contradictions in the @albertaucp.bsky.social is fascinating. On the one hand, they are cutting disability assistance to "encourage those on disability supports to find employment, and provides less financial support" while doling out Danidollars to everyone. calgary.citynews.ca/2026/06/15/f...

calgary.citynews.ca

Fear and anxiety in Alberta’s disability community over ADAP

As the province’s Alberta Disability Assistance Program comes into effect in July, many in the disability community are anxious and worried.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

All while getting set to move AISH clients over to ADAP and cut their benefit by a further $200/month as of July 2nd. She's trading aid to those who need it most for a poorly targeted political gimmick.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

In a country as prosperous as Canada, I am appalled by this. We're walking back recognition that First Nations have a right to clean drinking water after years of boil-water advisories. First Nations have waited long enough. This bill should recognize the right, not erase it.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The new program places a greater financial burden on clients to make up the difference through employment in a labour market that already presents significant barriers for persons with disabilities.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The poverty line context matters here. Even at maximum benefit and with no employment income, neither AISH nor ADAP clients are above the poverty line. That is not new. Current AISH has always left recipients below the MBM threshold, but the gap widens under ADAP.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

To be no worse off than under current AISH, an ADAP client must earn roughly $2,136 per month in employment income — the equivalent of approximately 39 hours a week at minimum wage after taxes and deductions.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

For the majority of clients who move to ADAP, the max benefit falls by $200/month relative to current AISH. The earnings exemption is also lower, and the clawback formula means clients must earn meaningfully more before their total income rises above today's levels.

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If you are going to be at the CRDCN Evolving the Data Landscape Conference later this week in Lethbridge, be sure to catch @gillianpetit.bsky.social presenting our work on Property tax regressivity in Alberta. She is presenting on Thursday May 21 at 2:30. crdcn.ca/crdcn-2026-c...

crdcn.ca

Conference Program - Canadian Research Data Centre Network

[...]Read More...

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

84% of working-age Canadians with disabilities lack Disability Tax Credit certification — meaning most can't access the Canada Disability Benefit or 12 other federal supports the DTC has come to gate. New report by @gillianpetit.bsky.social: inclusiecon.ca/announcement-broken-links.html

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Out in print! Some great articles in here including one by myself and @lindsaytedds.bsky.social on designing cash transfers for inclusion in Canada. #CdnPoli

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

I'm super excited to see this out in the world. #INCLUSIecon --> examining the full system of taxes, transfers, and income supports - how policies/programs, incl. their design, implementation, governance, and institutions shapes who has resources, who doesn't, and why, and what can we do about it

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

@gillianpetit.bsky.social and I have built something we're proud of. INCLUSIECON is our research home — rigorous work on tax and transfer policy, designed from the start to be used. Take a look 👇 inclusiecon.ca

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

IRPP @irpp.org · 11/03/2026

New commentary by @gillianpetit.bsky.social & Selvia Arshad: Canada's new budgeting framework puts most social programs in a fiscal category that makes them easier targets for cuts & harder to justify. This has real consequences for households facing affordability pressures. irpp.org/research-stu...

irpp.org

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP

Affordability pressures in Canada remain elevated. In 2024 — the most recent year for which there is comprehensive data — food insecurity reached record highs, nearly half of Canadians reported diffic...

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Proud of my @gillianpetit.bsky.social and PhD student Selvia Arshad — new @irpp.org piece out today Classifying social spending as an "operating expense" quietly sets it up to be cut. They make the case for evaluating it as investment using MVPF #inclusiecon irpp.org/research-stu...

irpp.org

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

The MVPF reframes public spending from “money out” to “social value in,” allowing policy-makers to compare diverse interventions across affordability domains, placeing them on a common social welfare-based footing that prioritizes outcomes for households with the greatest material insecurity.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

We propose using a social welfare-based metric — the marginal value of public funds (MVPF) — to evaluate social spending not as an operating expense but as a social investment. The MVPF assesses how much social welfare is generated per dollar of government spending.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Evidence shows that many social programs do more than provide immediate, temporary support. They boost labour force participation, reduce inequality, and prevent or lower future costs in areas such as health care, shelters and the justice system.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Affordability pressures in Canada remain high. Yet federal budgeting practices risk narrowing the understanding of the value of social spending. Transfers to individuals & program spending are classified as operating expenditures. This shapes how programs are evaluated & prioritized.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

New piece from myself and Selvia Arshad on why reframing social spending as an investment is important for recognizing the long-term value programs that support people’s well-being, reduce inequality and strengthen the economy. #CDNpoli @irpp.org irpp.org/research-stu...

irpp.org

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP

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Reposted by Gillian Petit

Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

How a program is designed IS what it does. Benefit levels, clawback rates, eligibility rules, appeal rights — not fine print. The policy. Short TLDR video below. Full open access paper with @gillianpetit.bsky.social 👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

The article ends with a case study of the BC Basic Income Expert Panel's work and final report. It concludes the Panel did a good job using an inclusive framework, but it could have been strengthened by conducting & emphasizing qualitative analysis and the perspectives of those with lived experience

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

For those thinking of how to design #BasicIncome - this one was written with you in mind. How do we grapple with designing a cash transfer that adequately addresses heterogeneity of need and accessibility? How do we think about the whole system of income and social supports, including financing?

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Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Thrilled to share my lasted publication with @gillianpetit.bsky.social Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design - Petit - Canadian Public Administration - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design

This article presents a systems-based framework for the inclusive design of cash transfer programs in Canada. Grounded in the goal of enhancing inclusion through an intersectional lens, the framework...

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Look what came in the mail today! I’m excited to dig in! Lots of fabulous contributors including myself, @lindsaytedds.bsky.social and Wenshuang Yu. Special thanks to Christopher Cotton for putting this together. #cdnpoli

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

In a new piece for @irpp.org Policy Options, @shaimaayassin.bsky.social, @rsamson.bsky.social and I examine some of the most persistent myths surrounding income supports in Canada — and what the evidence actually shows. policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/inco...

policyoptions.irpp.org

Slaying myths about income support

Rising food insecurity shows Canada’s affordability crisis is real. Income supports fuel inflation or discourage work.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Looking ahead, the CGEB should be viewed not as the final policy response to food insecurity, but as a foundation. Adjustments to targeting parameters and attention to take-up barriers such as tax non-filing could significantly strengthen its impact.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Our analysis suggests that benefit structures that concentrate support at the bottom of the income distribution can better address affordability issues for those with the lowest incomes and yield larger reductions in poverty

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

However, the CGEB improves affordability primarily for households near the low-income threshold, while offering more limited relief for those facing the most severe material constraints.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The CGEB is a step toward addressing persistent affordability pressures through an existing, well-established transfer mechanism. The federal govt has opted for a tool that can be delivered quickly, reaches a large share of lower-income households & involves relatively low administrative complexity.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

In Q3 2025, very low-income households spent about 115 per cent of their disposable income on shelter, food purchased from stores and transportation. While the CGEB will alleviate some of this pressure, impacts are smaller for those with very low income.

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Gillian Petit @gillianpetit.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The CGEB is expected to reach about 12 million recipients, but the average benefit increase is modest relative to the scale of recent affordability pressures.

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