NDP blasts Yukon gov't 'clawback' of funds for low-income seniors

Some Yukon seniors say they were surprised this month to see a drop in the amount of income support money they receive from the territorial government — though the territory characterizes it as a misunderstanding.

"I'm pissed right off. I'm tired of being old and vulnerable and I am mad as hell," said Linda Hilton, a Whitehorse senior who saw her Yukon Seniors Income Supplement cheque drop this month by about $77.

"Excuse me, you know, like who said that that should happen?" Hilton asked. 

She said she wasn't sure she'd be able to pay her propane bill on time.

NDP MLA Annie Blake raised the issue in the legislature Tuesday.

"These seniors were given no prior notice about this change and no explanation as to why they were receiving less support than the month before," Blake said.

According to Tracy-Anne McPhee, the territory's social services minister, the Yukon Seniors Income Supplement is directly tied to federal old age security and the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement program. Yukon's payments to low-income seniors were cut this month because those federal payments were going up, she said.

So while most Yukon Seniors Income Supplement recipients saw a $77 drop this month, they will also see an increase in federal old age security payments of about $118, according to McPhee.

But McPhee acknowledged the need for better communication.

"We're implementing measures to alert recipients when these changes will happen in the future," McPhee said. 

Still, Blake said the territory's "clawback" of funds is hurting vulnerable seniors who are already struggling with inflation and the cost of living.

"This cut was made prior to the increased federal supplement being received. This decision adds an additional hardship for low-income seniors," Blake said.

"We've all seen the cost of living continuously increased and we all know that people on fixed incomes have been hit the hardest."