We received a complaint from Omar, a new Albertan whose application for the Alberta is Calling Moving Bonus (the Program) was denied. The Program was overseen by the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration (JETI, or the Ministry) and was designed to attract skilled trade workers by providing a refundable tax credit to successful applicants.
Omar’s application was denied because his job duties fell under an occupation classification that was ineligible for the Program. Omar appealed the decision and the Ministry upheld the decision. Feeling like his argument had not been addressed, Omar reached out to the Ombudsman.
What we did
The Ombudsman investigator reviewed Omar’s application, along with the Ministry’s response, the Program’s guidelines, and the legislation. We also liaised with the JETI administrators and requested additional information related to their decision-making.
We determined that the decision was administratively fair. JETI assessed Omar’s application in accordance with their legislative authority, they reconsidered his case when Omar objected to the original decision, and their review was consistent with the Program’s criteria. However, we also found that JETI did not fully explain the decision to Omar.
The outcome and why it matters
The JETI administrators acknowledged they had failed to fully explain their decision and provided Omar with an addendum to correct this.
When an Albertan is denied eligibility for a public program or service, often the first question that comes to mind is: “why?” Administrative fairness requires providing the reasons for a decision. Due to our office’s involvement, Omar received a clear and reasoned explanation as to why his application was denied.
