It's time to send the application for getting $600 CAD
In Alberta, the government promises to pay everyone in need, but it is very difficult to apply.
Categories of citizens aged 65 and older who do not receive the benefit and families with children whose annual income is below $180,000 CAD can apply for the benefit. The $600 CAD will be paid in six-month increments of $100 CAD for each child.
The benefit should help low-income and needy citizens cope with inflation.
Inflation has hit the elderly and people with disabilities hard. $600 CAD is not a lot of money, but it will help people buy more food for the table and become more confident about the future.
Applications are being submitted online. Starts on January 18, 2023. Ends on June 30, 2023.
To apply, you must have an Alberta.ca account. It is created for free with a valid Canadian driver's license or ID card. You must also provide your social security number and bank account information. The government says the data is safe and confidential.
But some categories of citizens may not fill out the application form, the funds are accrued to them automatically. These are people with severe disabilities, with developmental disabilities, previously registered in the system. If these categories have children under the age of 18, they need to apply separately for children. Foster parents do not need to apply. Their payments will go automatically.
Contact phone numbers: 1-844-643-2789; 1-844-644-9955.
By the evening of Jan. 18, 92,000 requests had been sent to the portal. Approximately 160,000 people, including 120,000 children, were receiving benefits. Some users had difficulty accessing the site and getting information:
- could not log in to their account;
- the site was very slow to load information;
- automatic rejection of applications due to system failures;
- overloaded telephone lines of operator-consultants.
But there are also those who did not encounter problems.
Calgary retiree Cliff Kinsel said: "It took me 15 to 20 minutes to apply online for payments for myself and my wife, and the process went relatively smoothly."
It is estimated that more than 2 million residents of Alberta will receive benefits that will cost the provincial government about $900 million CAD.