A new report says hundreds of thousands of Canadians may have missed out on government money intended to help with the rising cost of living because the housing and dental benefits rolled out last year have had"atrocious" take-up.
Macdonald finds only 44 per cent of those who would have likely been eligible for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit actually received it, while just over half have received the Canada Dental Benefit. Macdonald attributes the low numbers to several factors, including a more"invasive" application process when compared to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The housing benefit, for example, asks applicants to submit rent receipts or a letter from their landlord.
In a written statement, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said it and the CRA launched a range of communications and outreach activities to make people aware of the benefit. It also said that estimates of how many people would be eligible, presented when the program was announced, were"an upper range" and that reaching that number would be challenging"given the voluntary nature of the program.