Power arrangers

A woman who was behind on her hydro bills asked Ontario Works (OW) for help to avoid getting disconnected. The agency granted the request, but accidentally transferred an extra $1,600 to the utility, which added it to the woman’s account. She assumed it was additional COVID-19 support, as OW had never told her exactly how much assistance she could expect. When OW realized the error weeks later, it arranged for a refund from the hydro company, but failed to the tell the woman, who continued to rely on the credit and soon found herself in debt to the utility again. We raised her case with OW staff, who acknowledged their communication with the woman was lacking, and agreed to cover her outstanding hydro payments.