CRA Took My Life on Paper — Now I Can’t Pay to Stay Alive

Earlier this year, I lost my husband — the person I built my life around. He died in a long-term care home under circumstances I still can’t fully process, ones that I believe were preventable. That grief alone should have been enough for one lifetime.

But it didn’t stop there.

When I tried to file his final taxes, the Canada Revenue Agency made a mistake. A horrible one. Instead of marking him as deceased, they marked me.

Because of their error, I was declared dead.

That single mistake destroyed what little stability I had left. My pension was immediately cut off. My Social Insurance Number was shut down. I can’t apply for jobs. I can’t receive any benefits. I can’t even prove who I am — because to the system, I don’t exist anymore.

I have $7 in my bank account.

No income.

No support.

No way to fix this on my own.

I’ve called CRA. I’ve called Service Canada. Again and again, I’ve explained my situation, only to be told I need to submit official documents — documents that cost money I don’t have — to prove I’m alive. And even then, I’ve been warned it could take months to process.

How do you wait months to be alive again, when your bills are due now? When you can’t work, can’t get help, and the world keeps spinning like you don’t exist?

I never thought I’d be here, asking for help. But I am. Because the people meant to help me won’t. And I don’t know how else to survive.

Anything you can give — even a few dollars — will go toward helping me stay afloat while I fight to reclaim my identity, access my pension, and finally be seen as alive again.

Funds will be used towards:

Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for seeing me.

— June