The province says upcoming changes to the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program will simplify the benefits and reduce duplication.

But advocates say the changes amount to cuts, and the Opposition NDP calls them “cruel,” “short-sighted” and “callous.”

“Our main concern is that really, this looks like a move towards cost savings and cuts towards some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the province,” Peter Gilmer, an advocate with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, said in an interview Tuesday.