The agency says it has been informed that thousands of November social assistance cheques were not delivered to B.C. folks in need.
The B.C. ombudsperson is investigating the distribution of social assistance cheques during the Canada Post strike.
Ombudsperson Jay Chalke says B.C.’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has reported that, as of last week, thousands of November social assistance cheques had not been delivered.
“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 Chalke in a statement.
“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 said the ministry has taken some steps to distribute cheques during the strike. However, last week the ministry indicated that 40 per cent of November’s cheques still had not been delivered.
This meant thousands of families had to wait to receive the assistance they rely on to meet their basic needs, and others had yet to receive it at all, he added.
“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 Dec. 18. Chalke is calling on the government to demonstrate it has a plan.
Anyone who has not received their income or disability cheque for November should contact the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction at 1-866-866-0800. People who are dissatisfied with the ministry’s delivery of their assistance cheques should call the Office of the Ombudsperson at 1-800-567-3247.
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers have been off the job since Nov. 15, stopping the delivery of mail and parcels during the busy holiday season.
With a file from Cheryl Chan