Service Canada gauging local interest

By Greg Price
Taber Times
gprice@tabertimes.com

Taber and District Adult Learning has helped many different adults in the community with its various services.

But, what staff has been noticing have been an influx of requests that are beyond their scope, with hopes that Service Canada will help fill the gap.

“Our Learner Support Services Department is constantly stepping out of our program area to help anyone with issues. I think people think since we are a government building, it’s here and they come for help,” said Val Wiebe, administrative assistant with Taber and District Community Adult Learning Association, in dealing with such things as social insurance numbers, Canada Pension Plan, or Old Age Security.

“When you get close to retiring or things like CPP, there is not a lot of help around here. We do a lot of work with newcomers. But these are inquiries for people like you and I that might need some help with their EI or apply for their CPP. We get people streaming in here some days and Taber needs some help.”

To gauge overall interest, Service Canada will be making its way to Taber on Wednesday, Jan. 30 as part of a pilot project to see if there is a need.

Service Canada will be at the Taber Provincial Building (5011 49th Avenue) on Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Client services include: Social Insurance Number (SIN), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), Employment Insurance (EI) and My Service Canada Account (MSCA).

“Government said ‘well, there’s Lethbridge’, but there’s people who don’t even have transportation,” said Wiebe. “We want to get the word out. Taber needs this, and Taber needs to make a point to the government that we need this. Even if we end up with once a month, or every two weeks we get someone coming down from Service Canada, that will help the people we are referring.”