Every month we answer questions from readers navigating disability, adaptive equipment, benefits, and daily life in Canada. Have a question? Send it through our contact page.
Q: I just got diagnosed with MS and I have no idea where to start. I feel like I should be doing something but I don’t know what.
A reader in Ontario
Start with two things: get your paperwork and start the Disability Tax Credit application.
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Get the newsletterOn the paperwork front: get copies of your diagnosis documentation, your neurologist’s notes, and any MRI reports. You own these records and you’ll be surprised how many times you need them over the next year, for benefits applications, insurance forms, specialist referrals, and your own records. Put them in a folder and make a digital backup.
On the DTC: you can’t start the clock until you apply, and the wait is real. The CRA publishes its current target processing time online, and the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson reported delays in DTC processing in late 2025. You can apply digitally through your CRA account or by phone, or by mailing the paper form (T2201). Either way, a medical practitioner (your neurologist, family doctor, or a nurse practitioner) completes the medical section certifying the effects of your condition. Once approved, the DTC opens the door to the Registered Disability Savings Plan and several other programs. Apply now, not later.
Everything else, mobility aids, home modifications, therapy, workplace accommodation, can be worked through methodically. The benefits applications have the hardest deadlines, so they come first. Our plain-language DTC guide walks through the whole application, and our DTC self-check can help you see whether you are likely to qualify.
You’re not behind. You just started.
Q: My landlord is refusing to let me install grab bars. He says I need to repair any damage when I leave. Is that legal?
A reader in Saskatchewan
Human rights law across Canada prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of disability, and a grab bar is about as clear a disability-related request as it gets.
In Saskatchewan specifically, The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 makes it against the law to discriminate on the basis of disability in housing, and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission’s guidance for landlords and tenants describes a duty to accommodate tenants with disabilities.
That said: landlords can require that you restore the wall to its original condition when you leave. That is a condition, not a refusal. If your landlord is saying “you can install it but you need to fill the holes when you leave,” you can proceed. If they are saying “no grab bars at all,” that is the kind of refusal worth putting in front of the Commission.
Put the request in writing. Say specifically: “I have a disability that requires grab bars for safe bathroom use. I am asking you to accommodate this. I am willing to restore the wall to its original condition when I leave.” A written request creates a paper trail.
If they still refuse in writing, contact the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. A complaint must normally be made within one year, and the Code counts that year from when you became aware, or should have been aware, of the discrimination, not from a fixed calendar date. If you are already past a year, the Code still allows the Commission to accept a later complaint where the Chief Commissioner considers it appropriate in the circumstances. Saskatchewan no longer runs its own human rights tribunal: cases the Commission refers onward are heard by the Court of King’s Bench, and the Commission’s own page states that “the Commission’s lawyer will present the case in the Court for the complainant free of charge,” though you may hire your own lawyer if you prefer. This column is general information, not legal advice; the Commission itself is the right place to ask how the Code applies to your situation.
One practical note, with a warning attached. Suction-mounted bars such as the TAILI safety bars are sold as a non-permanent alternative that needs no drilling, and they are genuinely useful as a steadying handhold. They are not a substitute for a drilled-in grab bar and should not be treated as one. Two limits decide this. The manufacturer’s own instruction is not to put your full body weight on the bar, so it will not carry a transfer or catch a fall. And a suction bar only holds on a smooth, non-porous, airtight surface: on textured or unfinished tile, painted drywall, wallpaper or a porous wall it can let go without warning. If your bathroom surfaces are anything other than glass, mirror, or large smooth tile, this is not an option at all. Ask an occupational therapist what your bathroom actually needs, and keep pressing the landlord for the permanent bar.
Q: What’s the actual difference between a cane, a walker, and a rollator? My doctor said to “look into a walker” but I don’t know what that means.
A reader in Alberta
These aren’t interchangeable and the difference matters for how much support you get.
A cane provides a light balance assist and a small amount of weight-bearing support on one side. It works for people who have mild balance issues or one-sided weakness but can otherwise walk independently. It doesn’t provide stability for both sides, and it doesn’t help if you need to rest.
A standard walker (no wheels) provides support on both sides and doesn’t move until you lift it. Maximum stability because the frame is fixed, you can fully lean on it. Requires lifting on every step, which is fatiguing. Best for indoor use and short distances. Not suitable for outdoor terrain.
A rollator is a four-wheeled walker with brakes and a seat. It rolls smoothly, has hand brakes you squeeze to stop, and the seat lets you rest without finding somewhere to sit. It’s more versatile than a standard walker, works indoors and on moderate outdoor surfaces, but requires some hand strength to use the brakes reliably, and it can roll away from you if not braked on slopes.
When your doctor says “look into a walker,” they often mean a rollator. But the right choice depends on your specific balance issues, grip strength, and how far you’re walking.
Ask your doctor for a referral to an occupational therapist. An OT will assess your functional needs and recommend the specific type and model that fits your situation. An OT assessment is often available through your provincial home care program; ask when you are referred. A properly fitted rollator is much safer than a self-selected one from a pharmacy.
Q: Are there any financial supports for home modifications? My bathroom needs major changes and I can’t afford them.
A reader in British Columbia
Several programs exist in Canada for exactly this, you may not need to cover the full cost yourself.
Federal, Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC): A non-refundable tax credit on up to $20,000 in eligible renovation expenses per year. Renovations that let you access, move around, or function within your home, or that reduce the risk of harm, can qualify; grab bars, ramps, widened doorways, and bathroom modifications are the classic examples. Claim it on line 31285 of your tax return.
British Columbia, BC Rebate for Accessible Home Adaptations (BC RAHA): BC Housing’s rebate program for low- and moderate-income households where someone has a permanent disability or loss of ability. Read the numbers carefully, because two of them are easy to misread. The $20,000 is a lifetime maximum per household, not a per-project or per-year figure, so any rebate you have had before counts against it. And each individual adaptation has its own cap and quantity limit set out in BC Housing’s Maximum Rebate Schedule, so a bathroom is not funded to $20,000 simply because the lifetime ceiling is $20,000. Homeowners can apply, and so can tenants who apply jointly with their landlords. Some adaptations need a home assessment from an occupational therapist or physical therapist. BC Housing covers that assessment up to $300 per household per year, but it is a reimbursement, not an upfront payment: BC Housing’s own answer is that the assessment fee is paid “when all the adaptations are complete and the final rebate is paid.” You pay the therapist first. If that is not affordable, BC Housing asks you to phone the program at 604-433-2218 in the Lower Mainland or 1-800-257-7756 elsewhere in the province rather than simply going without. Applications are first-come, first-served; intake closes on 31 March each year or sooner if the funding runs out, and reopens on 1 April.
The part that costs people money: BC Housing states that adaptations completed before you have written approval from the program are not eligible for a rebate. If your bathroom needs major work, do not start it, and do not let a contractor start it, until the approval letter is in your hands. Properties owned or subsidized by government at any level are also outside the program. Three more things BC Housing states that are easy to miss: you are responsible for any cost above the maximum rebate for that adaptation or above the lifetime maximum, so get the schedule figure before you accept a quote; duplicate or replacement adaptations are not funded, so a second set of grab bars in a later home is not covered; and the approval letter sets out the next steps and a window to finish the work, with extensions handled by phoning the program rather than assuming the deadline will move.
Municipal programs: Many BC municipalities have accessibility improvement grants of their own. Ask your city hall’s housing or social services department specifically about home modification grants for people with disabilities.
Veterans Affairs Canada: If you qualify for the Veterans Independence Program, its covered services include home adaptations, a contribution toward modifications to your principal residence that are necessary for you to carry out everyday activities.
Start with a call to your regional health authority’s home care program and ask specifically about home modification funding. They can direct you to the right programs for your income level and tenure (renting vs. owning makes a difference in which programs apply).
Have a question for next month? Send it through our contact page, we read every submission.
Sources
- Canada Revenue Agency, How to apply: Disability tax credit (DTC)
- Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, news release on DTC processing delays, December 2025
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Registered Disability Savings Plan
- Canada Revenue Agency, Home accessibility expenses (line 31285)
- BC Housing, BC Rebate for Accessible Home Adaptations (BC RAHA), Program Overview
- BC Housing, BC RAHA Frequently Asked Questions (lifetime maximum, approval before work, assessment fee, intake dates)
- BC Housing, BC RAHA Maximum Rebate Schedule
- Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Landlords, Tenants, and Housing Discrimination
- Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Filing a Complaint
- The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018, section 29 (one-year limit, and the Chief Commissioner’s discretion to accept a later complaint)
- Veterans Affairs Canada, Veterans Independence Program
- Taili Group, safety grab bars
