She says Service Canada made an error on her Old Age benefit application — the delay almost got her evicted

Talia Ricci · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

A Toronto elder is speaking retired aft she was near without her Old Age Security payment for months because of a elemental mistake by Service Canada that left her successful a dire situation: the incorrect year was allegedly entered into its system.

Debbie Westfall says she applied for OAS successful January, well before she turned 65 successful March, due to the fact that she knew she would beryllium relying connected it to get by. 

But galore months and telephone calls later, she was inactive without her benefit.

Now, aft CBC Toronto reached retired to the agency, Westfall's hold is over and she says her wealth was deposited Friday. 

Still, Westfall and her lawsuit manager are speaking retired due to the fact that they accidental for idiosyncratic similar her, a hold successful getting the benefit could beryllium the quality betwixt keeping a extortion implicit her caput and losing it.

"I was truthful overwhelmed, I could ne'er person done this connected my own. I americium truthful relieved to person wealth for rent and food," her lawsuit manager astatine the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre told CBC News Westfall said.

Getting a clasp of idiosyncratic astatine Service Canada to lick the occupation wasn't easy, she says.

"We phoned and phoned, and I was crying each day," she said.

Service Canada says determination are a fig of measures successful spot to guarantee that seniors person enactment done the process, but 1 researcher who's studied issues with OAS says the strategy tin often beryllium hard to navigate.

More than a twelve telephone calls and hours connected hold

Max Kelly, an intensive lawsuit manager astatine Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, worked with Westfall done the process. He says helium made much than a twelve telephone calls to scope Service Canada and spent hours connected hold.

As Westfall neared the anticipation of eviction, Kelly says helium managed to entree an exigency bridging programme with the state of Ontario. But he's extremely frustrated astir however overmuch clip and effort it took to lick the problem.

"It seems to item a basal problem-solving contented within the national government," helium said.

During 1 of his calls, Kelly says, 1 cause told him idiosyncratic astatine Service Canada had entered the twelvemonth 2035 alternatively of 2025.

And portion galore of the agents were sympathetic and said the concern was marked arsenic urgent, Kelly says it wasn't rectified urgently enough. 

Service Canada responds 

After CBC News reached retired to Service Canada, Kelly said helium received his archetypal telephone from the authorities agency.
He says helium was told Westfall's money would beryllium enactment successful her relationship wrong 10 concern days.

Westfall confirmed she received the payments she's been warring for connected Friday.

Service Canada confirmed to CBC News that her exertion was processed connected a high-priority basis. It did not respond to questions astir the error Kelly was told was made connected the agency's extremity oregon astir the lengthy clasp times they experienced successful the process.

It besides said it's committed to ensuring that each seniors person the benefits to which they are entitled, and a fig of measures are successful spot to place and assistance clients successful accessing them.

"These measures see automatic enrolment to OAS for immoderate clients, a dedicated Pensions Call Centre, nonstop outreach initiatives done partnerships with assorted assemblage enactment organizations, a fig of promotion and consciousness initiatives including mail-out campaigns, and enactment successful obtaining accusation oregon to use for benefits astatine implicit 300 Service Canada Centres located crossed Canada," the bureau said successful a statement.

John Stapleton with the National Institute connected Aging has researched issues with OAS and says Westfall's lawsuit points to a larger problem.

"The Old Age Security benefits are highly complicated," helium said. Stapleton says helium has advocated for astir 100 radical who conflict with the system by reaching retired to their members of Parliament oregon advising them to bash so.

He says radical primitively from different countries sometimes conflict with missing acceptable documentation, particularly if a state has breached infrastructure. People tin have difficulty engaging with the strategy due to the fact that they conflict with exertion arsenic older adults.

"This is simply a programme that's had galore Band-Aids enactment connected it implicit the years. It's mostly a precise generous program, and it's a programme that is looked up to by a batch of Canadians, but astatine the aforesaid clip it has complexities that person been added connected implicit the years," helium said.

Kelly is relieved to cognize that Westfall volition get her benefits soon, but hopes highlighting this contented provokes change.

"What's astatine involvement is someone's well-being, wellness and dignity. It couldn't beryllium much important."