Friendship Center Food Bank may be forced to close Dec. 16 due to “CRA filing error”

Edit: Dec. 8 at 12:30pm. A previous version of the story incorrectly titled Director of Operations Janet Gobert as executive director. The edit has been as the Friendship Centre is moving past this title. 

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A needed service in the community of Bonnyville may be shut down just before Christmas. 

The Bonnyville Friendship Centre’s Food Bank may be forced to close on Dec. 16 unless they receive an extension from the Canada Revenue Agency. 

A “filing error” was the reason stated by MLA David Hanson, who made a member’s statement about the issue in the Legislature on Wednesday. 

*Director of Operations Janet Gobert says this comes during the “busiest time of the year” for the Food Bank. 

“There is a filing issue,” said Gobert, who added she couldn’t go into details due to the “sensitivity of the issue.” 

“I contacted the CRA directly on four occasions asking for an extension. The extension was refused. And it was at that time I reached out to MLA David Hanson, who has been a strong supporter of the Friendship Centre for many years. He relayed that information to MP Shannon Stubbs. 

“I was also then informed that the situation is before the Minister of National Revenue. And that it was going to be discussed. So far, I have not received word back yet,” she said. 

During the afternoon session of the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon, Hanson spoke to this issue, saying that to close the Food Bank before Christmas, “you would have to be as cuddly as a cactus and have garlic in your soul to do such a thing.” 

“Our local food bank’s group of dedicated workers applied for an extension so they can have a chance to be in compliance with the CRA and get through Christmas, but were denied,” he said on the floor. 

“I reached out to my local MP because this is a federal issue and I’d like to thank MP Stubbs and her assistant Tina for helping me to get to the bottom of this, and at least provide this group an extension to get them through the busiest seasons of the year. I ask everybody in Alberta to please step up and support your local food bank so we can all have a Merry Christmas.”

At this point if an extension is not received, the Food Bank would be inaccessible. 

“We do want to thank the community of Bonnyville for their past, present and future support,” said Gobert. 

More to follow.