IceStorm 98 Study

Home

Barbour, Dale

Interview Commentary
Interviewee:	Dale Barbour
Organization:	Human Resources Development Canada
Position:	Director
Location:	299 Concession St. Kingston, On K7L 5H5
Telephone:	545-8562
Date:
(telephone) Interviewer:	Mary Purcell
No. of pages:	1

DB closed the Kingston HRDC office on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, January 8 to 10 1998. Saturday was a day they would normally have been working overtime to process the heavy load of new applications HRDC receives this time of year.

The office was only without power for 2 hours but many employees were without power.

During the Emergency, HRDC implemented new regulations to allow new claimants for Employment Insurance to receive an "advance pay" since claims were not being processed as usual. Only eight people in Ontario applied.

After the Emergency, five other HRDC offices assisted the Kingston office in adjudicating the new claims (about 800) which had built up.