Latest news with #EvelynKenny
CBC
11-08-2025
- Health
- CBC
Senior left in limbo after province pulls essential cheques from mail
An elderly Winnipeg woman's frustration with the Manitoba government has reached a boiling point after the province stopped mailing out essential cheques and told her the only way she could hers is by picking it up downtown. "This program has been in effect as long as I've been on it … and there has never been a problem," 90-year old Evelyn Kenny said. "What caused the NDP to go overboard like this and create such a problem? "I don't understand it. Nobody can give me an answer." The province announced that as of May 26, due to possible strike action at Canada Post, essential mail for those who don't receive direct deposit would be directed to distribution centres for pick up instead. Kenny has used a supplemental oxygen tank daily for about five years. She pays for it upfront and then receives a rebate cheque of $435 every month. When her July cheque didn't show up in the mail, Kenny was told it would not be coming to her Grant Park home and that she would have to get it at the Manitoba Health branch on Carlton Street between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Kenny doesn't drive and with her current medical conditions, says that going downtown to pick up a cheque is not a simple task. "With me on oxygen, and the heavy smoke [from wildfires] I'm told to stay in. And then I got a department telling me, 'Well, it's OK to go downtown and pick up a cheque,' so I'm still in a quandary," she said. "They didn't give any alternative, just go and pick it up." Kenny said she was given no notice that her July cheque would not be coming in the mail. "The only way you found out was when you phoned to ask where your cheque was," she said. "Is that fair to the seniors? I don't think so. It's not the way to treat people." She has still not been able to pick up her July cheque and said her August payment will be coming out soon, so she will soon be out more than $800. Her son drove in from Gimli twice to attempt to pick it up, and was told both times it was not ready to be picked up yet, costing him time, money for fuel, and only adding to the frustration, Kenny said. "It's making my condition worse with stress, and it just feels like I'm fighting this battle all by myself," she said.
CTV News
06-08-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Winnipeg senior says province is delaying vital rebate amid postal strike plan
A Winnipeg senior criticizing the province's plan for her to receive cheques if Canada Post goes on strike. Harrison Shin reports. A Winnipeg woman who relies on supplemental oxygen says Manitoba's decision to stop mailing essential cheques is putting seniors at risk. Evelyn Kenny, 90, lives in a Grant Park apartment and uses an oxygen tank daily. She pays for her oxygen upfront and receives a rebate from the provincial government—a routine that's worked for five years. But for the past two months, her $435 cheques haven't arrived. 'When my cheque wasn't in the mail, I phoned and was told I had to go to 300 Carleton Street to pick it up,' Kenny said. Manitoba Health has asked residents to pick up essential documents and cheques in-person due to a looming postal strike. But Kenny says that's not feasible for seniors with mobility challenges. In her case, on top of oxygen tanks, she must use a walker. 'I'm on oxygen 24/7,' she said. 'If I go out, I have a portable machine. I cannot be without oxygen.' She says the federal government managed to mail its cheques without issue and questions why the province couldn't do the same. 'Why did this government jump the wagon and decide they are going to have us go pick them up?' Kenny said. Kenny says she'd need to book Handy Transit to get downtown, which doesn't wait for passengers. That could mean an hour-long wait downtown just to get home. 'Our priority is to ensure that all Manitobans, especially seniors and vulnerable individuals, continue to receive the support they need,' a spokesperson for the province's health minister told CTV News. 'To prevent essential cheques from being delayed, Manitoba opened essential mail distribution centres as a precaution. 'We remain committed to working across government to address any ongoing concerns and ensure that affected individuals are supported during this time.' Kenny says the province needs to consider the realities faced by seniors. 'Whoever thinks up these ideas are not putting themselves in the position of a senior.'
