INTERESTING NEWS Canada’s Oldest First Nations Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product Vol. 48 - No. 19—October 7, 2021 haas^i>sa Sales Agreement No. 40047776
Photo by Melissa Renwick
Residential school survivor Alice George holds up a sign while marching through the streets of Tofino to honour the survivors and victims of the residential school system on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, on Sept. 30. Stories on pages 8 and 9.
Seniors see their pensions cut back due to CERB An MP expects to see more homeless seniors, as last year’s pandemic benefits are cu"ing into their 2021 income By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter It seemed like a glimmer of hope in the dark days of pandemic – the federal government offered free money in the form of CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) to help Canadians who lost income. The application process was easy and many people across the country received the benefit in 2020, including some pensioners. Those eligible could have received $500 every seven days for up to 28 weeks. But what they may not have known is the CERB is taxable income and, if it was later determined that the recipient was not eligible for the CERB, it would have to be repaid. When the CERB expired in 2020, the CRB (Canada Recover Benefit) was in-
troduced. That, too, is taxable income and is expiring in late 2021. What some of the lowest income pensioners may not have known is that their CERB benefits in 2020 could affect their pensions in 2021 as the federal government ‘clawed back’ the benefits by reducing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) portion of their pension. The GIS is a monthly benefit available to low-income seniors. The amount of the benefit is based on your annual income and is adjusted when your taxes are filed. Following the latest tax season, some Nuu-chah-nulth seniors began reporting that their pensions were coming in short by several hundreds of dollars beginning July or August. “I had $500 taken off of my pension last month,” said Ahousaht elder Beatrice Sam. Disabled, Sam lives in an inde-
Inside this issue... Ahousaht closed to visitors.........................................Page 2 New name for A.W. Neill school................................Page 5 The power of Indian medicine....................................Page 7 Video game teaches children Ditidaht language......Page 10 Hod rod paddles........................................................Page 15
pendent living apartment at Tsawaayuus Rainbow Gardens in Port Alberni. Many of those seniors are afraid, wondering how long the reduced pension benefits will be in place and why it is happening. More importantly, they are wondering how they will make ends meet until next summer. Some worry they will become homeless without enough money to pay rent. “This is scary for elders,” said Sam. “We don’t get much to begin with.” NDP MP Daniel Blaikie was re-elected in his riding of Transcona, Winnipeg. He has served as the Critic for Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. He began raising the issue with Liberal Cabinet members as the snap election was called earlier this summer. Blaikie noted that people were not warned about this claw back.
“Nobody told them to hang onto this money because it would be needed the following year…it should have been written in bold type on their letters,” said Blaikie. The federal government explained in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa that any earnings considered to be net income under the Income Tax Act is used to determine the amount of GIS. The GIS is a benefit used to top up the pensions of very lowincome seniors. “Pandemic-related benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and the Canada Recovery Benefit, are considered taxable income. These benefits are therefore considered income for GIS purposes,” wrote Saskia Rodenburg, Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, in an email. Continued on Page 3
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