Privacy concerns raised over Alberta’s $100 energy rebate

Some Albertans say they are worried for their privacy when submitting their application for the $100 energy rebate.

Some Albertans are questioning whether the province’s $100 energy rebate is worth it after noticing you have to share sensitive personal information to get it – but the UCP says the online application process is necessary to prevent fraud.

The Alberta Energy Rebate, announced as part of the province’s affordability measures, is available to eligible Albertans with a total household income of $225,000 or less.

Applications must be submitted through an online portal using a verified Alberta.ca account, but applicants are asked to provide a plethora of personal information, including their social insurance number and tax information to verify eligibility.

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Most applicants also verify their identity through their financial institution using Interac’s identity verification system, while an alternative option requires applicants to submit a photo of their driver’s licence and a selfie.

The application process has sparked debate online, with some Albertans raising concerns about privacy following a recent breach involving Alberta’s voter registry.

For some Albertans, those privacy concerns outweigh the value of the rebate.

“I totally disagree with it,” said Calgarian Tanya Snow.

“I think it’s just a grab for votes. It’s a grab for information.”

Snow says recent concerns surrounding government-held data have influenced her decision not to apply.

“I think people have to be very careful about what kind of information they’re giving the government, especially in view of the security breach for the voters.”

Others cited the complexity of the application itself.

“It’s just too much hassle,” said Calgarian Jim Conohan.

“I don’t really understand that much about computers, so it seems like too much work for $100.”

Conohan also says he’s cautious about providing personal information online.

“I’m very careful anything I put on the internet. I don’t like to put too much at all.”

Not everyone shares those concerns though.

Retired Calgarian Maurice Lamoreux says he has no issue providing the requested information.

“No, I haven’t got a problem with that.

“I think they have all my information anyway. The CRA has all my information too, so what are you going to do?”

Government says verification protects public funds

Premier Danielle Smith says the province must balance protecting Albertans’ privacy with ensuring taxpayer dollars are distributed appropriately.

“We often get conflicting advice from the information office as well as our auditor general,” Smith said.

“Our auditor general expects, if we’re going to spend $350 million, that we know where it’s going and we have fraud prevention in place.”

Smith says the province has tried to make the process “minimally intrusive,” while still verifying applicants meet the eligibility requirements.

“We do have to make sure that a person is validated to receive it, that they are an Alberta resident, that they have disclosed that they are below $225,000 in income.”

She acknowledged, however, that there have been technical issues since the rebate portal launched – but said the verification process remains necessary.

“We think that that is the best way to make sure that the people who need it and the people who are entitled to it are the ones getting it.”

Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish echoed those comments, noting that information collected through the application serves different purposes.

“The tax information helps us to address eligibility in terms of income status,” Glubish said.

“The banking information is important to ensure that we know where the money is going and that it is going to the right person and not more than once to the same person.”

He says the province chose Interac’s identity verification system because it offered “the fastest way” for them to have “the most security and the best fraud prevention possible.”

“There are trade offs,” Glubish said.

“It would be nice if the user experience could just be, ‘Send us an email and you’ll get your cheque.’ But that’s not the right way to run a $350 million program.”

Glubish says Albertans who have experienced technical challenges still have time to complete the application by the end of September.

“I understand that there are some Albertans who have found the interaction to be a little bit frustrating. I just ask for their patience.”

Cybersecurity expert says concerns are understandable

Tom Keenan, a cybersecurity expert and professor at the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, says some of the information requested is necessary to administer the program.

“There are certain things in there that the Alberta government needs. The rules say you have to be a taxpayer, so they need your social insurance number to verify that.”

However, he said concerns often arise when it comes to financial information.

“The big worry is what are they going to do with that information? Who’s going to have access to it? And we can’t quite trust them because we know that the voter list was mishandled.”

While the government says privacy laws protect the information, Keenan noted no system is fully protected.

“They claim they’re subject to the provincial legislation and they have to protect your privacy. But we know that nobody’s perfect.”

He added that although much of the information already exists within government databases, bringing it together through one application creates additional concerns.

“This brings it together and we always worry when information is brought together in a central place because it becomes a little too tempting for it to be misused.”

Keenan also said sending paper cheques, as governments have done in the past, is becoming less practical.

“Cheques are definitely dying as a payment method,” he said.

Hundreds of thousands have already applied

In a statement, the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance said the application process has been streamlined and that hundreds of thousands of Albertans have already successfully applied.

“Over the past two years Alberta’s government has significantly streamlined the process for getting a verified Alberta.ca account, ensuring most applicants can complete the process in under two minutes,” press secretary Juliana Rodriguez said.

“So far, nearly 355,000 Albertans have already successfully submitted their Alberta Energy Rebate applications through the online portal.”

The government encourages Albertans who need assistance to seek help from a trusted friend or family member, visit a public library or access support through an Alberta Supports Centre.

The Ministry of Technology and Innovation also acknowledged some applicants have experienced delays with identity verification.

“We recognize this step has been a source of frustration for some applicants,” said press secretary Jonathan Gauthier.

“Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2026, so Albertans experiencing delays are not at risk of missing the deadline and can return to complete their application at a later time.”