Some Albertans continue to experience difficulties accessing rebate portal

Some Albertans continue to experience difficulties accessing rebate portal

A week after launching, some people struggling to claim $100 from government

Some Albertans say they are having problems applying for a $100 energy rebate after the Alberta government launched the rebate portal last week.

The provincial government announced last month that Albertans would be able to apply for the rebate in order to help deal with the high cost of living.

As of Tuesday, the provincial government said nearly 330,000 Albertans have successfully signed up for the rebate. However, some Albertans who are still struggling to sign up tell CBC News they feel unsupported in the process.

Susan Carter, a 73-year-old woman who lives in Leduc, said her bank is ATB Financial, which was not listed as an option on the portal's bank verification page.

The alternative option to using bank verification through Interac is to use document verification instead. Carter said she cannot afford a cellphone, and as a result is unable to take a selfie for verification.

Carter said other people she’s spoken with have had similar difficulties in accessing the rebate. She said her 76-year-old husband hoped the rebate would help him get new boots.

“They've just let it ride,” Carter said of her friends who find the process challenging. “You just don’t get the $100.

“The underlying issue here is the fact that people who actually need the money aren't going to be able to get it."

Julie Hodd also said she had difficulty registering for the rebate. Like Carter, Hodd noted the absence of ATB from the list of banking options, and also the absence of Servus Credit Union.

She said she has spoken with other people who say they have also had problems registering for the rebate. Hodd said the experience has left them distrustful towards the provincial government.

“Applying for the affordability rebates should be simple and applying for the affordability rebate should be accessible,” she said.

Government acknowledges rebate 'frustration'

In a statement to CBC News, Jonathan Gauthier, the press secretary for Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish, said the province is aware some Albertans are experiencing delays when applying for the energy rebate.

“Bank verification through Interac is available to any Canadian bank that chooses to participate," the statement said. "Not all banks currently offer this service to their customers; anyone whose bank does not participate can use document verification instead.

“We recognize this step has been a source of frustration for some applicants.”

An ATB Financial spokesperson told CBC News that the bank was not among those listed because it uses a different “secure verification provider” instead of the Interac verification service used by the Alberta energy rebate portal.

The spokesperson said eligible ATB Financial clients can receive their Alberta energy rebate via electronic transfer by following the portal's secure document verification process.

Application portal opens for $100 affordability payments for Albertans

In a statement to CBC News, Juliana Rodriguez, press secretary for Finance Minister Jason Nixon, said Albertans can get help with applying for the rebate from family or trusted friends. She said people with limited computer access can also use their local public library or visit an Alberta Supports Centre.

Joel Magalnick, an instructor in digital experience design at MacEwan University, said he found that applying for the rebate required more information than he expected.

“Some of the qualification questions I just found a little bit off-putting,” he said.

“You need to put in some pretty specific personal information. If I wasn't sure that this was the alberta.ca site, I might be a little bit nervous.”

Magalnick said parts of the portal are “reasonably” accessible for people with visual impairments. However, he said he believes there should be other options for people who are struggling with technology.

Some Albertans say one-time energy rebate won’t be enough

“I can see where people might get a little bit upset that they have to go through this rigmarole for just $100,” he said.

“I also don’t want to dismiss that $100, for a number of people in our province ... is kind of a big deal. It makes the difference between having food on the table for a couple of nights or not.”

Albertans have until Sept. 30 to apply for the rebate.

Serra Hamilton is a reporter with CBC News in Edmonton. She has previously worked as a reporter for Cabin Radio in the NWT and for The Signal in Halifax. She can be reached at serra.hamilton@cbc.ca.