FSW WORLDWIDE
- Thread starter js555
- Start date
Well, 86.4% neutral sentiment isn't an indicator (to them) that they need to change anything drastically in the short term. And that is a by-product of the way social media listening tools operate. They require a lot of data via machine learning to determine what is negative sentiment (eg "IRCC sucks") vs neutral sentiment (eg "Why are IRCC taking 13 months to approve my application?")
Meltwater and Sprout Social are more robust tools as it is. I guess IRCC only had so much budget.
Forum posts from here show up on Google results, so it could definitely be on their watchlist. Chances are, they actively filter it out in favor of a larger userbase/sample size, like Reddit, since that is actually a social media platform when it comes to reporting.
Almost 90,000 seniors facing Guaranteed Income Supplement cut for accepting pandemic benefits
Parliamentary Budget Officer says scrapping clawback of GIS would cost $438 million
Almost 90,000 Canadian seniors are being hit by a sudden cut to their monthly income because they accepted a federal financial benefit that was supposed to help them weather the pandemic.
Low income seniors who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) are seeing their Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments clawed back as a result.
GIS is intended to help low income seniors make ends meet. The payments are based on income. A single senior earning less than $19,248 qualifies for GIS. The cutoff for couples can be as high as $46,128, depending on their pension situation.
In 2021, the maximum monthly payment under the program is $948.82.
Janet McLeod, who turns 79 next month, is one of many low income seniors who work part time to support themselves while receiving GIS.
'A perpetual struggle'
McLeod, who previously received about $300 a month through the program, said she was told in July that because she accepted several payments of the $2,000 monthly CERB — which is taxable income — all her GIS payments for this year would be cancelled.
"I am in a perpetual struggle," she said. "So to be cut back $300 a month is very difficult, paying rent and taking care of my other expenses, which are very modest."
The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), which McLeod did not collect, is also counted as income when applying for the GIS.
McLeod has a small business helping students get post-secondary placements. She said that before the pandemic, almost all of her business was conducted face to face; COVID-19 left her without an adequate income, so she applied for the CERB.
Asking for special consideration
By the fall of 2020, she said, she had adapted her business model to remote work and stopped collecting CERB payments.
"When I did my taxes in April of 2021 for the year of 2020, GIS came back to me in early July and told me, 'You earn too much, you don't qualify for GIS,'" she said.
"Those of us who are getting GIS are on the low end of earned income. Seniors can't project that they are going to make a lot of money, but they still want to make a contribution and work as long as we can. You're cutting back on us, those who are least able to afford it."
Bardsley said that McLeod and others like her can ask the federal government to consider their case by estimating what they'll earn this year and using that figure to calculate GIS.
Such requests, Bardsley said, are handled on a case-by-case basis and are approved "in limited circumstances."
Leila Sarangi, national director of the anti-poverty coalition Campaign 2000, said her office has been hearing from seniors across the country who are in McLeod's situation.
"We are talking about the lowest income earners who don't have savings, who don't have that resilience, who don't have that padding," she said. "That's why they're still working as seniors."
According to the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), 88,222 low-income seniors will see GIS reductions because of pandemic benefits.
Fix the problem, say opposition parties
In September, the PBO told the NDP that taking the CERB and the CRB out of the equation used to calculate GIS would cost the government $380 million this year and $58 million next year.
New Democrats and Canada 2000 want the government to stop including CRB and CERB in the GIS income calculation. NDP MP Daniel Blaikie said that while that change would be costly, it's already built into the budget because GIS costs are relatively stable from year to year.
He said that the federal government should not be trying to cover the cost of emergency benefits through cuts to payments for low-income seniors.
"If those benefits get taken away, they just don't receive enough every month to make rent," Blakie said. "Having them on the street is not good for them. It's not good for their neighbours, it's not good for their communities.
"Homelessness is a real problem. We don't need to contribute to that by taking away a benefit that was already going out to our poorest seniors before the pandemic."
In August, the Conservatives wrote to Khera's predecessor, Deb Schulte, to press for action on the issue. A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told CBC news that Conservatives want the problem "rectified" but offered no specific remedies.
Parliamentary Budget Officer says scrapping clawback of GIS would cost $438 million
Almost 90,000 Canadian seniors are being hit by a sudden cut to their monthly income because they accepted a federal financial benefit that was supposed to help them weather the pandemic.
Low income seniors who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) are seeing their Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments clawed back as a result.
GIS is intended to help low income seniors make ends meet. The payments are based on income. A single senior earning less than $19,248 qualifies for GIS. The cutoff for couples can be as high as $46,128, depending on their pension situation.
In 2021, the maximum monthly payment under the program is $948.82.
Janet McLeod, who turns 79 next month, is one of many low income seniors who work part time to support themselves while receiving GIS.
'A perpetual struggle'
McLeod, who previously received about $300 a month through the program, said she was told in July that because she accepted several payments of the $2,000 monthly CERB — which is taxable income — all her GIS payments for this year would be cancelled.
"I am in a perpetual struggle," she said. "So to be cut back $300 a month is very difficult, paying rent and taking care of my other expenses, which are very modest."
The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), which McLeod did not collect, is also counted as income when applying for the GIS.
McLeod has a small business helping students get post-secondary placements. She said that before the pandemic, almost all of her business was conducted face to face; COVID-19 left her without an adequate income, so she applied for the CERB.
Asking for special consideration
By the fall of 2020, she said, she had adapted her business model to remote work and stopped collecting CERB payments.
"When I did my taxes in April of 2021 for the year of 2020, GIS came back to me in early July and told me, 'You earn too much, you don't qualify for GIS,'" she said.
"Those of us who are getting GIS are on the low end of earned income. Seniors can't project that they are going to make a lot of money, but they still want to make a contribution and work as long as we can. You're cutting back on us, those who are least able to afford it."
- Government to spend $7.4B transitioning to new pandemic support programs: Freeland
- CRA sends out paperwork telling Canadians how much they've received in pandemic benefits
Bardsley said that McLeod and others like her can ask the federal government to consider their case by estimating what they'll earn this year and using that figure to calculate GIS.
Such requests, Bardsley said, are handled on a case-by-case basis and are approved "in limited circumstances."
- Some self-employed Canadians caught up in CERB confusion won't have to repay: PM
- There are new rules this tax season, courtesy of COVID-19. Here's what you need to know
Leila Sarangi, national director of the anti-poverty coalition Campaign 2000, said her office has been hearing from seniors across the country who are in McLeod's situation.
"We are talking about the lowest income earners who don't have savings, who don't have that resilience, who don't have that padding," she said. "That's why they're still working as seniors."
According to the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), 88,222 low-income seniors will see GIS reductions because of pandemic benefits.
Fix the problem, say opposition parties
In September, the PBO told the NDP that taking the CERB and the CRB out of the equation used to calculate GIS would cost the government $380 million this year and $58 million next year.
New Democrats and Canada 2000 want the government to stop including CRB and CERB in the GIS income calculation. NDP MP Daniel Blaikie said that while that change would be costly, it's already built into the budget because GIS costs are relatively stable from year to year.
He said that the federal government should not be trying to cover the cost of emergency benefits through cuts to payments for low-income seniors.
"If those benefits get taken away, they just don't receive enough every month to make rent," Blakie said. "Having them on the street is not good for them. It's not good for their neighbours, it's not good for their communities.
"Homelessness is a real problem. We don't need to contribute to that by taking away a benefit that was already going out to our poorest seniors before the pandemic."
In August, the Conservatives wrote to Khera's predecessor, Deb Schulte, to press for action on the issue. A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told CBC news that Conservatives want the problem "rectified" but offered no specific remedies.
You do realise there's been a pandemic, right?
Also, they regularly update processing times based on type of application currently, it's not because they say they aim to process an application in 6 months that they are obligated to do so.
It's not that fascinating once you read that they think it's 86.4% neutral sentiment. If it was a really negative sentiment like 50+% negative, they might start doing some changes.
Do you guys know how Canadian job market compares to Swedish/Austrian job market in terms of possibilities/salary/size? Field is mechanical engineering - mainly research and development
guelphite
Hero Member
- Jan 22, 2021
- 303
- Category........
- FSW
- NOC Code......
- 2173
- AOR Received.
- 28-10-2020
- Med's Request
- 03-12-2020
- Med's Done....
- 07-01-2020
8.6 % Negative? Wonder what social media they monitored. I guess even the social media analytics team does a poor job or they are simplifying lying to their colleagues on IRCC's perception outside.
This is the largest platform for Canadian immigration. I highly doubt they wouldn't notice this.
Hey IRCC Fools,
Blink if you can read this.
I finally got MEP and Biometrics updated today. Submitted my EE PNP application on 24th May 2021 - so 6 months later.
I'm not sure if they finally just got to my application, or because I sent a webform 4 days ago to let them know my address and contact number have changed as I was now in Canada (and in my nominating Province) on a study permit.
I'm not sure if they finally just got to my application, or because I sent a webform 4 days ago to let them know my address and contact number have changed as I was now in Canada (and in my nominating Province) on a study permit.
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We are seeing recent MEP reported by PNP candidates with AOR in May/April. Did you do upfront medical?