About 130,000 seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador are due to receive one-time checks worth up to $500 under the province's plan to provide cost-of-living relief.
Eligible residents can expect their checks in the mail in December without submitting an application, according to CTV News.
Here's what to know
Seniors who had reached age 65 by the end of 2025 qualify for payments of up to $500 if they reported less than $75,000 in income in 2025.
Seniors with income over $100,000 will not receive a payment.
The amount decreases as income rises, down to $100 for someone who earned $100,000.
Newfoundland and Labrador Finance Minister Craig Pardy unveiled the payment plan in Torbay.
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"There's a lot of people that are out there struggling in Newfoundland and Labrador," Pardy told reporters. "I think it was quite obvious that seniors needed a boost."
More background
Kimberly Leonard, CEO of Seniors NL, noted that more retirees are drawing on their pensions or savings to pay for what they need.
Leonard has seen complicated applications discourage seniors from seeking support through her organization's work helping older residents access assistance programs.
Seniors NL provides information and referrals.
Leonard said seniors, particularly those in rural communities, can face an added hurdle when seeking repair assistance: supplying quotes for the proposed work.
What's being done?
The province is making the payments automatic, eliminating an application process that Leonard identified as a barrier.
"If you qualify, you get it. It's just as simple as that," Leonard told CTV News. "This is a welcome change for seniors having to navigate through complicated applications."
Seniors NL has asked provincial officials for relief measures that include higher earners.
Leonard told CTV News that this payment has some of the province's highest income limits for an initiative of its kind.
The check program brings the number of affordability measures announced by Newfoundland and Labrador's Progressive Conservative government to three.
"Everything they need is expensive, a lot more expensive than it has been five years ago. So it's making it harder for people to make ends meet," Leonard explained.
"Even those who are lucky enough to have a pension or to have savings, they're having to dip into them now because of the high cost of living."
Where can I learn more?
Help with household costs can go beyond a one-time payment like the new program in Newfoundland and Labrador. These stories cover heating rebates, automatic medical debt relief, and unclaimed benefits.
• Nova Scotia reopened its $400 heating rebate as advocates warned it was insufficient.
• Massachusetts residents had $38 million in medical debt erased without needing to apply.
• In England, 8,000 Gloucestershire pensioners may be missing out on benefits worth £114.60 weekly.
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