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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Late income support cheques from the territorial government are causing recipients in Yellowknife to fall behind on their rent and bills, according to claimants.

Yellowknifer spoke to two recipients who both said they have received late cheques during the past three months, despite having all of their paperwork filed on time.

"It's my income, it's everything. Without it, I can't live," said one recipient who asked not to be named. The man said he is a lifelong Yellowknifer and cannot work because of a permanent disability.

He said on one occasion, after contacting a worker at the income support office to inquire why his monthly payment was late, he was told he should feel lucky to get any money at all.

"(It made me feel) lower than scum," he said. "It makes it sound like it's charity. It's not, it's a government obligation to help the poor."

George Lessard told Yellowknifer his October cheque came two weeks late.

Income support cheques are normally issued at midnight on the last day of a calendar month. In order to qualify for that month's cheque, recipients must submit a number of documents, including bank statements, utility bills and rent receipts. They must also declare any income received that month.

If any of the paperwork is received by the income support division after the deadline, cheques are issued late or sometimes not at all, said Lessard. However, in October he said no one at the office provided him with any assistance when his cheque came late.

"I had to choose between rent and groceries. It was tough," he said.

The office did face staff shortages that affected October income support cheques, said Janet Grinsted, assistant deputy minister for advanced education and income security. These staffing shortages were due to staff turnover as positions were being filled, she said. These positions are now staffed, which should prevent cheques from being sent out late in the future. All November cheques were issued on time, she said.

Grinsted could not confirm how many cheques were issued late but said it did not affect all clients' payments.

"We are aware that there were late cheques," she said. "We do take it seriously and the officers try to ensure that their processes are working well and make changes accordingly. As we can see in this case, it has certainly improved."

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro brought the issue up in the legislative assembly on Nov. 2.

"It seems that the income support division at Education, Culture and Employment in late September and early October had a staff shortage, computer problems - who knows what other problems - and they got more than a little behind in the processing of income support payments," she said.

Bisaro asked Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty if there was any way for an income support client to ask the department to reimburse them penalties on late bills and rent incurred by clients with late cheques. Lafferty replied that he did not believe the department covered late fees, regardless of why the cheques were sent out late.

Lafferty agreed that income support workers should have better communication with clients. He said these officers will participate in a new training program beginning at the end of November or early December.

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