B.C. woman continues to be paid for a federal government job she has never worked

Vanita Lindsay has been paid $8,816.20 for a job she has never worked.

Vanita Lindsay has been paid $8,816.20 for a job she has never worked.

About a year ago, the stay-at-home mom from Shawnigan Lake, B.C., decided to apply for a federal government job that would allow her to work from home.

She was added to a hiring pool and then asked to take a few online tests. In July, she got an interview and was offered a clerk position at a call centre for the Canada Pension Plan.

After spending 20 years out of the workforce and living with a chronic illness, Lindsay began to get second thoughts just days before starting her new job.

"I emailed the next morning and said, 'I'm sorry, it's nothing to do with you guys or anything like that, but I just can't do the job.' So, I thought that was that,” said Lindsay. “Then you go on and enjoy your summer."

Fast forward to Aug. 14, when she checked her online banking.

"I'm like, 'Oh my God, they paid me,'” said Lindsay.