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CB Government and Public Services Review of Service Canada EI
Service Canada EI

Service Canada EI review: Punished if you report training 6

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Author of the review
2:04 pm EDT
Review updated:
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

If you state that you are taking training on your bi-weekly employment insurance (formerly called unemployment insurance) statements, your benefits WILL BE SUSPENDED until you can prove that your training is not interfering with your job hunting. It takes weeks to for the government to get around to looking at your case and deciding whether they will allow this training. If they don't allow it, you will be forced to either quit your training or stop getting benefits.

In case it's been awhile since you've been unemployed, note that the benefits are all but useless now. I'm getting 1/3 of what I used to get and now I'm getting nothing because I'm being punished for upgrading my skills.

The government has no problem cutting off a single mother like me while they hold a dumb-### G20 summit in Toronto that costs a billion dollars.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

6 comments
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Mona Silver
, US
Aug 12, 2022 6:22 am EDT

I too am so frustrated with E.I. My claim is on hold waiting review. I took a part-time job which I found to physically demanding. I am 63 and I have always done an office job. I explained this to the agent when I called. I was told I would have a decision by August 6. Of course, nothing. I called on August 9 and I explained everything again and furthermore I know have another part time job. I was told it would be expediated and I would receive a call from E.I. the next day. Of course, that did not happen. I told them I have no money to pay bills or food. How is this even legal? What a frustrating totally irresponsible government organization. Such a lack of compassion and continues lies to their clients. Why do you pay into E.I. all your life and then when you need it, they do everything to block your path. I am disgusted with Employment Canada. I think we have become a third world country.

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S. Pattingale
Owen Sound, CA
May 30, 2014 9:44 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My husband applied for ei april 11/14. The last day worked was March 28. We waited to apply as he received one weeks severence pay when laid off. We have been nine weeks now since receiving money. Rent due tomorrow and utilities will be shut off any day now. That doesn't even touch on food and the gas required to go out and look for employment. Not understanding how we are to live. When utilities are cut off, can't even get responses to resumes sent out, and almost impossible to get a job now days with doing the leg work online. Where can a person find out re the rights of the citizens this is happening to? Apparently no decision has been made, have sat for hours on hold. Did talk to a representative twice upped our status? They promised a call back both times. Never happened.

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Todd curtis
Englee, CA
Nov 27, 2012 4:13 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Service canada received my application for EI on nov 2 and I have not received a thing in the mail yet about my EI.It is going on 4 weeks now since i applied for benefits, so that means 4 weeks without any income.I have 2 kids and a common law wife that don't work so that means its only my income in the house.I don't know why I haven't got a benefit statement in the mail let alone a decision on my claim.

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cjdimpul
, CA
Dec 07, 2011 12:00 pm EST

I am currently waiting for Service Canada to make a decision to see if I am approved to receive the money, that I was already approved to receive 3 weeks prior of this year.
I was recently let go from a job I worked for 2 1/2 weeks after being laid off from my previous job 3 weeks prior. I was NOT let go due to poor attendance or because I had a poor work ethic. I was hired as a Lead Hand Supervisor occupational health and safety to lead and have the workers follow HACCP/SOP. rules.
There is 6 owners (Mother & Father) (Daughter & Husband) (Son & Wife) "Never met the (Mother & Father) " they are all family and they are all on 2 different pages, as to what they want me to do.
2 owners ("Daughter & Husband") Who don't care about cross contamination or safety and there is so much of it going on there, But the other 2 owners (Son & Wife) do care but don't have any say. (that's what it seems like),
It was like this 2 barrels of ranch dip has been in the fridge for a long time (I was told) and the oil in the dip was at the top of the barrel i ask the manger what to do with it he told me to take it to the batch mixers and mix it in with the new one that is being made .
I told him that this ranch is bad and ask how can you do that HE JUST LOOKED AT ME
So what I also seen was that they make a Peanut BBQ sauce and it is chunky when they make it, It goes all over the place and the contamination is everywhere and no one does anything about it this is a Major Food Allergen, Next when they are done they wash the machine down with just hot water and not sanitizing it then make a juice that's for a daycare.
So I told the owners about it and also complained about my hours I had to work 191 hours in 2 1/2 weeks I told the plaint supervisor also that I can't work on sat no-more, The next day I was told that I am are being dismissed there was no Misconduct on my part in anyway was never given a warning or written up for anything and was told by (Son & Wife) that I have been doing a Great job.
I am just a honest person that took the wrong job.
all I tried to do was my job also in the 2 1/2 weeks I was there the production manager dismissed 3 other people and 1 was there for 5 years so I know the storeys they can make up about people leaving.
It so hard to work for a company that has family problems

I didn't expect a huge wait because I was told by Service Canada that my old claim would just be re-open it's now 3 weeks and 2 day I was told that I would NOT be waiting a 2 week wait time because i just did on my last claim that was only 2 1/2 weeks ago so they told me it will just be re-open. I had rent due on December 1st with no way to pay it and like the rest of us I live paycheck to pay paycheck in the last 3 weeks I had NO MONEY and I am now going on 4.
The 28 day thing is a sham because if you have not herd a response within 3 weeks start calling because if you don't it will take longer then 28 days it will talk 2 more weeks to get a hold of a person in the upper management to talk to and fix it

I received an ROE from this last employer that i gave to Service Canada . After all, I am just hoping to get money from an old claim, not to create a new claim. So, now it's 7:00am and I've been up all night thinking and cant sleep. I have to go see what the problem is. If they say it's not going to be done by December 15st for one reason or another, then I will default on my lease because I can't possibly pay my rent on TOP of that It's almost Christmas and this is really hard on me right now like very bad.
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I have called Service Canada 100 times and only got a hold of them 5 times and was told something different every time I am now at the Escalation Stage
Complain about Service Canada to help you speed things up
Office for Client Satisfaction (OCS) when you have a complaint about Service Canada that cannot be resolved at the local level
Number Is [protected] (toll-free line) & the site is http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ocs/contactus.shtml
No one will tell you about this number
I hope help is on there way

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Sylvia G.
Brampton, CA
Dec 03, 2011 2:48 pm EST

I've been waiting for over two months for my benefits, even though I've been phoning and visiting Service Canada, and my MP. I can not believe how bad the system has become since the olden days of Manpower, when counsellors actually had some authority to work your case and help you find a job. Now it just seems like so many administratum grunts who, even if they can problem-solve, have no authority with which to do it.

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Dissatisfied and Frustrated
Waterloo, CA
Nov 16, 2010 1:58 pm EST

The gov't not only uses training as an excuse to suspend your benefits. I am on parental leave and because I had to start my maternity leave early because my partner got a job in a new city I'm being cut off when my baby is 6 months old. Therefore, I needed to find employment from my home since no daycare centre in our area will take infants and the ones that do are 30 min away and have waiting lists. So I became self-employed to work out of my home and unfortunately the job started about 5 weeks before my EI claim was done so I claimed it on my reports. According to my claim I can make up to a certain amount per week, I made under that amount and they suspended my pay for 3 weeks! Everytime I call to get some answers to why they are doing this when I'm within my right to earn up to a certain amount during my claim I get nothing but "we will make a decision in 3 weeks" in response. I have 2 children at home to feed, clothe and house, I am making $100/week with my new employment to stay under the allowable amount and they are about a month behind in their pay schedule so I have NO income for a month that's helpful for paying bills. And you know the electric company won't wait 21 days for the gov't to make a "decision" whatever that means to receive their money. I am absolutely disgusted at the treatment received from "our" gov't ... this wouldn't happen to their overstaffed, underworked, non-English speaking unionized employees but they can do it to those who need this money to survive! Makes me embarrassed to be a Canadian.

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