Canadians have five extra days to submit their tax returns after the Canada Revenue Agency extended the filing deadline to May 5, thanks to a heads-up that first came from a Sidney accountant.
Fifth Street accountant Chris Cowland received a message about the extended deadline in a mass email sent by the agency on Friday morning.
But it was not until Monday that another email arrived saying the first email had been sent in error, and that April 30 was still the deadline.
That news fell “like a ton of bricks,” said Cowland, who had sent eight overworked staff members home early on Friday because of what appeared to be a reprieve. He had even double-checked by calling a federal government 1-800 number.
Fearful that he would now have to make good on fines of 10 to 50 per cent for late filers who owed taxes, Cowland quickly emailed his MP, Elizabeth May, who was in the House of Commons at the time.
“I could see that it looked like a looming disaster,” May said.
She replied to Cowland within 15 minutes, saying she would contact the minister of National Revenue, who was someone “usually willing to help.”
When minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay appeared for question period two hours later, May sent her a note with a printout of Cowland’s email. The minister replied by note that she would be looking into “the Cowland issue.”
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Findlay said that the incorrect notice was sent out due to human error but the extended deadline would stand.
“Minister Findlay has made it clear that this incorrect information is unacceptable and, therefore, she has directed her officials to ensure no Canadians are penalized for the CRA’s error,” Carter Mann said in an email.
It turned out that a government staff member had inadvertently re-sent a mass email from last year that extended the deadline to May 5 due to the so-called Heartbleed bug that caused a five-day shutdown of Canada Revenue Agency electronic services, May said.
She said that Findlay was hit a couple of times in question period by NDP members raising the issue of competency, but the minister chose not to blame a staff member for human error.
“It’s really not [Findlay’s] fault. She did the right thing and she did it fast.
“She didn’t know about it until I told her and I didn’t know about it until Chris Cowland told me. It was less than a 24-hour turnaround,” May said.
Cowland is not only relieved, but impressed.
“I’m impressed that, No. 1, Elizabeth May can turn around so quickly and handle it, and also impressed that the minister of National Revenue has made a very honourable decision.”
— With The Canadian Press
