The Ontario government spent $3 billion dollars to send cost-of-living rebate cheques to Ontarians nearly two months ago, with most people receiving them ahead of the snap provincial election.
Now, the election has come and gone and some taxpayers say they’re still waiting for their cheques while others say they received them and had issues with cashing them.
“It’s been really frustrating and it’s been a real hassle trying to deal with this cheque,” said Kavita Ramsaroop of Toronto.
The government says a technical glitch is to blame.
“I’ve been waiting quite a long time for this cheque and I know I’m not the only one in the same bind,” said Ken McPherson of Brampton.
McPherson said his wants his $200 cheque and no one can tell him if it’s on the way.
“I don’t know if there is a glitch with the Ministry of Finance or what the problem is,” said McPherson.
Ramsaroop told CTV News initially she was excited to receive her $200 rebate, saying, “I was like ‘yay, I got my payment and $200 is $200.’”
However, Ramsaroop said after she deposited her cheque, she got a notice in her bank account days later that the item was “returned unpaid” and she was charged a seven dollar service fee.
“It was very frustrating. Everything was correct on the cheque, my name and address, so why was it returned?” said Ramasroop.
CTV News reached out to the Ontario Finance Ministry and a spokesperson said, “As of February 25, 2025, approximately 96% of cheques have been issued, with approximately 12.8M cheques issued to date. We are aware of an issue with a small number of cheques not clearing due to technical errors.”
“If you have an issue with your cheque, including if your deposit was not cleared by your bank or your cheque is in the wrong name or your maiden name, please contact ServiceOntario at 1-833-351-0409 or 1-888-821-9056 (TTY).”
McPherson said he feels like he doesn’t exist due to him not being in the system and just wants to know when his cheque will be in the mail.
“I’d like to know what’s going to happen. All I want is someone from the government to let me know they’ve looked into it and tell me when I can expect my cheque,” said McPherson.
If you contact Service Ontario about your rebate, it could take up to 30 days to have your case reviewed. If you changed your address and need to submit your new address, you may have to wait four to six weeks for your $200 rebate cheque to arrive.
