So, what will my seniors’ card get me?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/03/2017 (3418 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I was going through my wallet last month and found a card that I’ve never really paid much attention to nor ever used.

It’s got a photo of the Parliament building in Ottawa and the word Canada on the front, while on the back it has a space for my signature and another space for an emergency telephone number to call.

The statement on the back of the card reads as follows:

“The holder of this card receives a benefit under the Old Age Security Act. The Government of Canada asks that you extend all possible privileges to the cardholder.”

I couldn’t figure out what possible privileges I could get if I showed the card the next time I was at the grocery store or perhaps going out for dinner.

I decided to try using it at the local supermarket, where they charge you a nickel for each bag and after producing the card I asked if they could forego the 15 cents for the three bags I needed.

The clerk gave me a strange look and just smirked at my request.

I called the federal government and asked a gentleman what I might expect upon showing this card to anyone. I was advised that some provinces offer discounts while others do not. He suggested that Manitoba is one in which seniors do not receive any privileges.

In fairness, the only place I had tried was the supermarket, so I decided to try a few other places.

I figured I was a lucky man to have one of these cards, since the government stopped issuing them in 2013. I flashed the card on a Winnipeg Transit bus asking for any applicable discount and received a senior’s discount. The next week I once again rode on the bus and was given the senior rate without showing my “privilege card.”

I have discovered that seniors’ discounts are available at quite a few places. Many golf courses offer discounts, as well as bowling alleys and movie theatres.

But I didn’t need the card to get any of these. I only had to show my driver’s licence. I suppose that’s the reason the cards were discontinued.

Imagine how much money the government spent issuing the cards to hundreds of thousands of seniors until 2013.

Then again, think of all of the money saved since the card was discontinued.

Rick Sparling is a community correspondent for North Kildonan. Email him at ricksparling@shaw.ca