A Scarborough retiree was stunned when he received a letter from the government telling him his monthly pension payment would be much larger than anticipated – about $59,000 more.
John Easton is set to receive his first pension payment in March. He told CTV News Toronto that he confirmed his monthly payments online and it came up to about $600 a month.
The 65-year-old was then shocked when he received a letter from the government saying that he is due to receive $60,145 a month.
“I was fantasizing for a few minutes about what I could do with all this money,” Easton said. “Sixty-thousand dollars a month would radically change my lifestyle.”
“And then reality started to sink in. This can’t be right.”
Easton immediately reported the error to Employment and Social Development Canada. When CTV News Toronto reached out to the agency, a spokesperson said in a statement that there was a “technical issue with the production of a batch of old age security (OAS) and guaranteed income supplement (GIS) entitlement letters.”
“The monthly benefit amounts for both OAS and GIS, on the letters, were incorrectly stated. The incorrect letter will not have an impact on recipients of OAS and GIS and they will still receive the correct payment,” the statement read.
The agency said that the error applies to letters dated Feb. 10, 2019 and relates to March payments. Service Canada said they will be sending correction letters to individuals impacted by the error.
It is not clear how many people received an erroneous letter.
Easton told CTV News Toronto that he hopes his first cheque is for $600 and not for $60,000.
“I would be too nervous and too scared to even touch it,” he said.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Pat Foran
