Fort McMurray: Important Notice

The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians affected by the Fort McMurray forest fire in northern Alberta.

Follow:

Applying for Employment Insurance (initial or renewal claims)

Affected workers are encouraged to apply for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits online or in person, as soon as possible, even without a Record of Employment.

You need your Social Insurance Number to apply for EI benefits. If you do not remember your SIN, you can still apply. Visit the nearest Service Canada office with all the identification you have to get a confirmation of SIN letter.

In the online application, you will be asked: Were you given a reference code to submit with this application? Answer YES and enter the following reference code: 4812012016030516

You will need to provide a mailing and residential address to complete your application and for the Government to process it.

  • Provide a mailing address where you can receive mail (friend, family, temporary shelter, etc.). You can update this address later.
  • Provide a residential address (even if you are temporarily living somewhere else due to the evacuation).

Important: Money received from the Provincial government, Red Cross and other relief grants

If you have received money from the Red Cross, insurance or other charitable organizations, you do not have to declare this money as earnings in your bi-weekly reports. Money received in disaster relief circumstances are not considered earnings for EI purposes.

An EI information line has been set up for affected workers: 1-800-206-7218. For information, choose option “6”.

For more information on EI, please visit Canada.ca/EI.

Interim Records of Employment

We understand that as an affected worker, you may not easily be able to access your Records of Employment (ROEs). However, if you can provide enough information, we can create temporary ROEs to help you file your claim sooner. To help us do that, we need specific details related to your employment.

Please complete the Request for Record of Employment form, visit your nearest Service Canada office or call 1-800-206-7218 (option “6”).

Receiving Your Payments

We encourage all claimants to sign up for direct deposit when completing their application for benefit payments such as EI, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). Direct deposit is the most efficient and surest method of payment that will not be impacted in the event of a potential postal disruption or natural disaster.

Those affected who may have received or were waiting to receive a payment by cheque and need a replacement cheque can visit their closest Service Canada office or call:

  • 1-800-206-7218 (Option “6”) for EI payments
  • 1-800-277-9914 for CPP and OAS payments

For questions about mail delivery, please contact Canada Post Customer Service at 1-888-550-6333.

Passports

If you submitted an application and were expecting your passport in the mail, please call 1-800-567-6868.

Temporary Foreign Workers

The Province of Alberta is hosting information sessions in partnership with the Government of Canada for affected Temporary Foreign Workers and employers of Temporary Foreign Workers.

For more information and to register for information sessions, please visit the Immigrate to Alberta webpage.

Alternate Service Canada Locations

The Fort McMurray Service Canada Centre is currently closed.

Service Canada is making every effort to provide direct support and assistance to the workers and the community during this difficult time. Service Canada is providing support to evacuees at the following locations, where hours of service have been extended.

  • Athabasca Scheduled Outreach Site
    Alberta Works
    4810 50th Street
    Duniece Centre, Floor 3
    Athabasca, Alberta

    Hours of service (local):

    • Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (Office is closed from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm)

  • Cold Lake Scheduled Outreach Site
    Alberta Works Centre – 408 Tri City Mall
    6501B 51 Street
    Cold Lake, Alberta

    Hours of service (local):

    • Monday, May 16: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Tuesday, May 17 to Friday, May 20: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

  • Lac La Biche
    Alberta Works
    Provincial Building
    9503 Beaverhill Road
    Lac La Biche, Alberta

    Hours of service (local):

    • Monday, May 16: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Tuesday, May 17 to Friday, May 20: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

  • There will be mobile outreach services in Bonnyville this week:

    Alberta Works
    5201 44 Street
    Bonnyville, Alberta

    Hours of service (local):

    • Tuesday, May 17 to Friday, May 20: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Alternatively, evacuees can visit their closest Service Canada Centres (follow hyperlinks for hours of service):

Visit our website to find other Service Canada offices.

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