His dad's old age pension suddenly stopped coming, leaving couple at 'desperation time'

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 8:36 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A London mates accidental they've been deed with a steep and unexpected monthly expense, aft the national authorities stopped an elder household member's aged property information payments without mentation — payments which went toward expensive nursing location costs.

Francisco Moraga hasn't seen a monthly outgo deposited into the slope relationship of his 88-year-old father, Hector, since Feb. 26. The amount, $1,881, a operation of Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), helped offset the $2,315 monthly measure charged by the octogenarian's semipermanent attraction installation successful London.

He and his woman Meaghin Moraga say they've had to retreat savings to marque up the difference, and are no person to learning wherefore the payments stopped.

The uncertainty has brought accent for the couple, who person 2 big children and their ain bills to pay. Unable to travel up with a outgo connected time, the mates precocious incurred a precocious complaint with the nursing home, which indispensable be paid with currency oregon wealth order, they said.

"We're taking each the accent because, my Dad ... I don't privation to notation immoderate of this to him, to interest him astatine his property and (with) his wellness problems," Francisco said. Born successful Nicaragua, Francisco came to Canada with his Dad arsenic a young teen.

Hector has lived successful semipermanent attraction since November 2023, and is wheelchair-bound and successful mediocre health. For 8 to 10 months prior, helium lived with the couple, but they couldn't provide him the attraction helium needed.

"I ever wanted to repay him for what he's done for us, truthful I made definite I looked aft his stuff, until I tally into this problem," Francisco said.

"We're astatine desperation time. We don't cognize what to bash anymore."

OAS provides a monthly pension to Canadian citizens oregon ineligible residents 65 oregon older who person lived successful Canada for astatine slightest 10 years since property 18. Many seniors trust connected it and GIS for income.

Francisco says helium and his begetter visited Service Canada connected April 2, and filed paperwork truthful helium could talk connected his father's behalf arsenic powerfulness of attorney. The mates were told they would perceive backmost successful a mates of weeks.

"For the archetypal 2 months, they said they hadn't received the record ... About a period ago, helium got confirmation they had received the file, but they inactive had to process the paperwork. This is wherever we've been sitting now," Meaghin said.

"They conscionable support saying to him, 'call backmost successful 2 days.'"

Francisco's telephone shows a twelve calls made to Service Canada since April 2, most precocious connected Tuesday. Most past much than 30 minutes, often connected hold.

With the powerfulness of lawyer papers successful limbo, the authorities can't supply the cause of the cessation. "If it's our fault, we're blessed to supply immoderate accusation is needed," Meaghin said.

Early on, a Service Canada authoritative speculated an code alteration could beryllium the issue, nevertheless Meaghin says a alteration of code was made successful 2023 erstwhile Hector lived with them, and remains the same.

Contacted by CBC News, Employment and Social Development Canada wouldn't remark straight connected the Moraga's lawsuit without their written consent, which has been submitted to the national department. 

'Nightmare bureaucracy'

Shael Eisen, a Toronto-based lawyer who has specialized successful elder instrumentality for 25 years, says specified delays aren't unusual, and thing helium has seen galore times.

The authorities is other cautious astir releasing backstage accusation and adhering to privateness laws, and verifying powerfulness of lawyer tin instrumentality clip arsenic a result.

"It's not bonzer thing similar this could instrumentality 4 oregon 5 months. It's a tragedy. It's conscionable a elephantine bureaucracy, and they conscionable don't cognize however to determination fast," Eisen said. 

"They privation to wage retired the money. It's similar Las Vegas, they privation radical to win, different you'll halt contributing. They're not evil, it's conscionable a nightmare bureaucracy."

Sometimes, the occupation is administrative, similar nonstop deposit wherever "somebody someway keyed successful the incorrect number," helium said. Other times it whitethorn beryllium income tax-related.

Those with nett incomes exceeding definite amounts indispensable repay portion oregon each of their OAS, nevertheless Meaghin says Hector is low-income, and the mates filed his taxes with an accountant and received his announcement of assessment.

The bureaucratic delays tin beryllium boiled down to a deficiency of resources and staff.

"If you're an 80-year-old person, and you paid your taxes your full life, and you did thing wrong, and each of a abrupt there's a glitch, the consequences tin beryllium devastating," Eisen said.

"Unless you get idiosyncratic to talk up for you, oregon spell (to Service Canada) and not permission until it gets sorted out, you've got a large problem."