PEI·NewPrince Edward Island’s Green Party says income thresholds that haven’t kept up with the cost of living are causing some Islanders to unfairly lose access to provincial government supports.P.E.I.’s finance minister says province has begun work to review program eligibilityMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Nov 26, 2025 6:19 PM EST | Last Updated: 11 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Green Party MLA Karla Bernard says she’s hearing from Island seniors who are losing hundreds of dollars in provincial government program funding because of modest income increases. ‘It’s slight raises and then significant losses in the programs that they are eligible for,’ she says. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)Prince Edward Island’s Green Party says income thresholds that haven’t kept up with the cost of living are causing Islanders to unfairly lose access to provincial government supports. Green MLA Karla Bernard raised concerns during question period in the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday, specifically about seniors programs.She said seniors received a modest increase in their Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security payments last year, bumping them into a higher income bracket. Bernard said that made them ineligible for some provincial programs like the Seniors Independence Initiative, and support for glucose sensors and long-term care. “Question to the minister of finance: will you commit to conducting a full government-wide review of income thresholds so Islanders aren’t punished for very modest increases in their income?” Bernard asked Jill Burridge. WATCH | Politicians agree that some P.E.I. seniors are unfairly pushed out of provincial supports:Politicians agree that some P.E.I. seniors are unfairly pushed out of provincial supportsP.E.I.’s Green Party says some Islanders are being shut out of provincial government support because income cutoffs aren’t keeping pace with the cost of living. Provincial officials say they’d like to see more flexibility in the thresholds. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau has more.In response, Burridge committed to “taking a further look” at income thresholds, noting that it is work that has already begun.“We know that we have programs across government with different thresholds,” the finance minister said. “We’ve been trying to, one, raise thresholds a little bit as [the consumer price index] goes up, but secondly, try to make them a bit more standardized across government.”A need for flexibilitySpeaking to reporters after question period, Burridge said a more holistic and flexible approach is needed across government programs.“It’s unfortunate, sometimes someone might be over [the threshold] by $300,” she said. “So I think we have to find ways to address that because it is a difficult place when people are trying to access a program that they need….“Could we have flexibility when someone is within a certain tolerance of the threshold? Could there be a little bit of flexibility within the department?”WATCH | How a slight increase to her pension income lost this 105-year-old her housing subsidy:Daughter of 105-year-old P.E.I. woman frustrated after mom loses long-term care subsidyThe daughter of a 105-year-old P.E.I. woman living in long-term care is speaking out after her mother stopped qualifying for provincial financial support. She will now have to pay thousands of dollars more a month to stay in her nursing home. Sheehan Desjardins reports.Bernard agreed, telling reporters that there needs to be an emphasis on increased flexibility. “There’s no flexibility in the system whatsoever,” she said. “There are numbers that they go by, [and] if you go above that number by one cent, that’s going to impact what you’re eligible for…. There’s no understanding that, you know, the cost of living is going up.”Income thresholds for government programs are currently adjusted after a formal review, and are not automatically adjusted to keep pace with rising costs of living.“It seems to me that this is something that government has recognized as a problem. I’d like to see them move quicker,” Bernard said. “I don’t think that that’s fair or equitable to look at a program or two. I think this needs to be looked at across the board.”While Burridge didn’t commit to a timeline for an increase to the thresholds, she said situations like this are an example of how P.E.I.’s small size can be an advantage.“We can have a number of ministers sit around a table along with their deputies and figure this out,” she said. “That’s our strength. That’s where we can be agile.”ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Wayne Thibodeau
Outdated income thresholds shutting some Islanders out of supports, Green Party says
