From: brewnoserii@gmail.com   
      
   . . . . Going back 7 years!  Anyone who has parents or grandparents who were   
   getting the supplement on top of their OAS and CPP, should be notifying them   
   that they may well be owed retroactive payments.   
   _______________________________________   
      
   Calgary Herald - August 17, 2015   
      
   Federal government error may have shortchanged thousands of low-income seniors   
      
   Low-income seniors have been shortchanged by a federal government   
   administrative error in calculating Guaranteed Income Supplement payments   
   going back several years, an Alberta government spokeswoman confirmed Monday.   
      
   Federal officials notified the province of the problem late last week, Human   
   Services spokeswoman Kathy Telfer said.   
      
   "We were just made aware of the situation by the federal government, so we're   
   awaiting for them to finish their file review and that will give us a far   
   better idea of the scope and the impact on Alberta," Telfer said.  "Until we   
   get more information from    
   the feds, it's pretty difficult to evaluate the extent of this."   
      
   That review isn't expected to be completed until October, she said.   
      
   Telfer couldn't say how many Albertans were affected by the mistake, but a   
   source told the Herald the federal government advised the NDP government it is   
   reviewing 150,000 files across Canada, including 23,400 in Alberta.   
      
   The federal government did not provide the province with details about the   
   error but said some low-income Canadians did not receive an increase in their   
   payments when they should have and are now eligible for retroactive payments   
   dating back as far as    
   seven years, the source said.   
      
   Conservative MP Alice Wong, minister of state for seniors, declined to   
   comment, referring questions to media relations officials with Employment and   
   Social Development Canada.   
      
   Ministry spokeswoman Julia Sullivan said she was unable to provide any   
   information Monday about the impact or scope of the error.   
      
   "We are aware of the situation and are working on a case-by-case basis to   
   ensure clients receive the benefits to which they are entitled as quickly as   
   possible," she said in an email Monday night.  "Seniors are encouraged to   
   contact Service Canada if    
   they feel that they are not receiving all the benefits to which they are   
   entitled."   
      
   The Guaranteed Income Supplement provides a monthly non-taxable stipend of   
   between $507 and $765 for Canadians receiving full Old Age Security, depending   
   on their income and circumstances.  It is reviewed annually by the government   
   to reflect increases    
   in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index and to determine   
   whether the criteria for receiving it are being met.   
      
   Former Conservative caucus member Brent Rathgeber, who is now running as an   
   Independent in St. Albert-Edmonton, said the Stephen Harper government doesn't   
   want to talk about the mistake until after the election because it's "an   
   embarrassment and a    
   political liability."   
      
   "Had Parliament been sitting, no doubt there would have been tough questions   
   asked of the minister responsible," he said.  "Sadly, the details are going to   
   have to wait until after the election.  I think that's unfortunate because   
   there will be    
   individual Canadians caught up in the interim who will have a difficult time   
   making ends meet."   
      
   The federal election has been called for Oct. 19.   
      
   Noel Somerville, who chairs the Public Interest Alberta seniors task force,   
   called the error "a pretty big boo-boo."   
      
   "I am sure there are a lot of seniors in dire financial straits who would   
   really require that money, and I think the government should come clean about   
   what happened and what they should do about it," he said.   
      
   Telfer said the mistake won't affect Alberta's provincial budget since the   
   Guaranteed Income Support program is solely funded by the federal government.   
      
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