Ombudsperson looks into failure to get assistance cheques out

By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

Following the revelation that thousands of November social assistance cheques were not delivered to BC residents during the ongoing Canada Post strike, the BC Ombudsperson says it is investigating the provincial ministry responsible.

The BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction is responsible for the distribution, a process that has been disrupted by labour action by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. The ministry advised last week that thousands of clients – an estimated 40 per cent – had not received their Nov. cheques.

“The ministry’s clients are some of the province’s most vulnerable people and, given the upcoming holiday season, I am concerned that many people will be left without funds for food and shelter,” said Jay Chalke, BC Ombudsperson. 

“Despite the ministry’s efforts to encourage direct deposit, hard copy cheques need to be mailed every month, for example to recipients who do not have bank accounts and thus are not eligible for direct deposit.”

Chalke noted that the ministry had taken some steps to distribute hard-copy cheques during the strike but those efforts were either too little, too late, or both. The result is thousands of families waiting to receive the assistance they rely on to meet basic needs.

“Given the widely reported risk of a strike at Canada Post, the ministry needed to have an effective plan for the distribution of these hard copy cheques to people in need. Our investigation will assess the adequacy of that plan,” said Chalke.

The investigation will assess the ministry’s contingency planning before the strike was announced, as well as steps taken during the strike to distribute hard copy cheques to the approximately 15 per cent of income and disability assistance recipients not on direct deposit.

“The next social assistance payment date is December 18. The end of December is when many ministry employees intend to be on vacation, which could present operational challenges,” said Chalke. “I am calling on the government to demonstrate it has a plan in place to achieve better and faster results for December’s cheques in the event the strike continues.”