Nearly two months after Ontario began rolling out its $200 cost-of-living rebate, some residents are still waiting for their cheques, while others are dealing with unexpected issues — from payments sent to deceased family members to errors in how names are printed.
CTV News Toronto heard from dozens of Ontarians who wrote in to express concerns about specific issues with cashing their cheques after news surfaced earlier this month that a small number of the 15 million payments had bounced.
What was initially meant to help families deal with a rise in the cost of living, the cheques have instead become a frustrating waiting game for some Ontarians who spoke with CTV News Toronto.
As of Feb. 21, the Ministry of Finance confirms exactly 12.8 million cheques have been mailed. While many continue to wait, here’s a look at recent issues faced by Ontarians who contacted CTV News Toronto:
Confusion over the government’s ‘just take it to the bank’ response
Coleen Sertl, a Brampton resident, was stunned when a rebate cheque arrived in the mail for her husband, who passed away in August 2024. Unsure about what to do, she sought clarification from the Ontario government.
“After being on hold for over an hour, the representative told me, and I quote, ‘Oh, just take it to the bank and see if they cash it.’ That was their official response,” Sertl told CTV News Toronto.
The cheque, she says, was made out to her late husband, not his estate. Sertl says she worries about potential financial complications down the line, reflecting on previous cases where the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) later reclaimed COVID-19 relief funds from ineligible recipients.
“This is as clear as mud,” she emphasized.
Cheques made out in maiden names
Another issue reported to CTV News Toronto involves cheques issued under outdated names, particularly maiden names that readers say that they haven’t used in decades.
Karin Suggitt, who legally changed her last name after getting married in 1985, was left puzzled after she received a rebate cheque under her maiden name.
“Unbelievable incompetence,” she wrote in an email. “All my tax forms have been in my married name for the last 40 years.”
Suggitt says she was initially told to bring decades-old documentation to her bank. After further discussions, her cheque was canceled, and she was advised that a replacement would arrive in about six weeks.
“I highly doubt I will get the cheque,” she added.
Nancy Lafleur, who married in 1990, also received a cheque under her maiden name. However, she was able to deposit it through mobile banking without issue, she said.
When asked about this trend, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance noted that the government is “aware of an issue” and say it’s due to a “technical error in the data used to administer payments.”
“If a person’s cheque is issued in their maiden name, they should contact ServiceOntario as soon as possible at 1-833-351-0409/1-888-821-9056 (TTY),” they wrote in an email to CTV.
“The ministry will cancel the cheque and arrange a replacement cheque within 3-4 weeks.”
‘I do not exist,’ according to Ontario’s rebate website
For some, the issue isn’t receiving a rebate under the wrong name, it’s not showing up in the system at all.
71-year-old, John Forrest from Ottawa, was shocked when the government’s rebate status website had no record of his file.
Forrest says he has up-to-date tax filings and receives CPP along with the Ontario Trillium benefit.
“According to this program, I don’t exist,” Forrest said.
When he called the rebate helpline, he said he was told to wait 30 days and call back.
“It appears I need to wait 30 days to magically reappear in their records, after being born in Ontario 71 years ago,” he said. “No explanation offered, just a promise that an inquiry will be ‘kicked up the line.’”
Financial uncertainty for pensioners
For Sertl, the rebate, if she could claim it, would make a meaningful difference.
“Being a pensioner and trying to maintain my family home that we’ve had... We were together for 45 years, and $200 isn’t a lot to some people, but to me, it’s a couple of weeks' worth of groceries,” she said.
In addition to her fear from when the CRA clawed back COVID-19 benefits from some recipients, she also raised a previous issue: two months after her husband died, he received an Ontario Trillium Benefit payment of about $97. Now, she says she’ll have to pay that amount back when she files her taxes.
“My husband used to say, ‘There’s only one taxpayer. Somebody’s going to have to pay for this somewhere down the line,’” she said. “I just want somebody to give me an answer that will stick.”
“It’s just a gut punch,” she said.
What to do if you received a rebate for a deceased individual
Sertl is not the only one who’s received a rebate for a deceased loved one. CTV News Toronto has also learned of another reader who says she received a rebate for her deceased son who passed exactly one year ago.
In a statement, the Ministry of Finance acknowledged that rebate cheques are issued based on the most recent tax data available.
Scott Blodgett, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, said, “with regards to cheques being issued to people who are deceased, the Ministry of Finance is using the most recent tax data available, as is standard practice for provincial and federal tax payments.”
For those who receive a cheque for a deceased loved one, Blodgett said it can be cashed by the “executor of the estate.”
“While processes at different financial institutions may vary, to cash the cheque for a deceased person, the estate representative would have to bring proof of death to a ban,” Blodgett said. “Individuals having issues cashing their cheques should contact their institution (bank, credit union, etc.) directly to identify and troubleshoot issues. If there are further questions or issues that cannot be resolved individuals may also wish to contact ServiceOntario at 1-833-351-0409.”
The Ministry of Finance had previously said that the cheques will land in Ontarians mailboxes “by late January or early February.”
The Ontario government is spending approximately $3 billion on the rebates.
“Many people are struggling to pay the bills,” Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in an interview on CP24 Breakfast in January. “So we thought it was very important to put some money, their money, taxpayers’ money back at a time when we’ve got financial strength and when people could use, families could use a few extra dollars.”
