Tanis left the province to flee an abusive relationship. While away, she called the ministry to ensure she would remain eligible for income assistance – she would return as soon as she could. The ministry offered some suggestions that could help her pick up her cheque when she got back.

Despite doing as she was told, when Tanis returned she was told her cheque could not be issued because she did not submit her monthly report on time and would have to come back later.

Tanis got nowhere trying to explain what the other worker told her earlier. Desperate, Tanis asked for a crisis supplement so she could get by. The worker denied this too. Tanis came to us.

After we began investigating, the ministry advised us that it was undertaking a full service quality review on the case. The ministry subsequently confirmed that proper procedures had not been followed. In particular the ministry had not considered mitigating factors when deciding whether Tanis’s cheque could be released, had not offered Tanis the option to speak with a supervisor, and had not provided information about Tanis’s right to request reconsideration of the decision to refuse to provide a crisis supplement.

The ministry contacted Tanis directly to apologize for the error and let her know that her cheque was now available for pick up. The ministry also followed up with staff to ensure the proper process would be followed in the future. Cheque in hand, Tanis set out to get back on her feet.