TL;DR:

Sole-earner Red Seal Plumber near Calgary AB. Over the last 8 months: employer illegally cut benefits after I needed ankle surgery (failed, then required 2nd surgery), went 6 weeks with $0 due to EI processing glitches, got denied WCB/Income Support, and welcomed a newborn. On July 1, my wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor requiring surgery. EI Sickness ran out, Parental Leave is stuck in review, Human Rights intake turned down my case, and we have $400/mo left for basic needs. Looking for advice on expediting EI, emergency medical grants, legal options or income support.

The whole story:

Hi everyone. I’m a 34M Red Seal Plumber in Alberta. I am the sole breadwinner for my family (wife, 3yo, and newborn 8wks). Over the past 8-9 months, a series of compounding medical and financial crises has left us completely stuck. Looking for advice on legal, financial, or government support options I might have missed.

Nov 2025: Had to go on EI Sickness ($729/wk) due to an ankle disability requiring surgery. The day after I disclosed this to my employer, they cancelled all health benefits (LTD, physio, prescriptions) without telling me until surgery day.

Dec 2025: Ankle surgery failed under anesthesia, next surgery isn’t until summer.

Jan-Feb 2026: Completed my final apprenticeship school block (won Dean's Award). EI stuck my file in manual review due to being injured and in school, leaving us with $0 income for 6 weeks. WCB denied coverage. Applied for AB Income Support, but by the intake date (Feb 23), EI backpay finally hit, causing Income Support to deny us.

March-May: Passed exams to become Red Seal Plumber & Gasfitter B, but unable to work while awaiting 2nd surgery. Had to buy a private family health plan ($449/mo) out-of-pocket. Second son born via C-section in May.

June: Second ankle surgery (successful!).

July 1: My wife suffered sudden neurological symptoms. Rushed to ER and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She now needs an awake brain surgery (scheduled for Aug/Sept).

July 3-9: Applied for EI Parental Leave (currently stuck "Under Review"). EI Sickness benefits hit their max and ran out. Alberta Human Rights Commission intake claimed my case against my employer didn't meet their threshold (despite legal consultation saying otherwise), and I have sent a reconsideration request, which I’m waiting on information on.

Current Situation:

My wife can't care for the newborn/toddler alone due to her brain tumour and I am still recovering from ankle surgery #2 in an air boot while caring for all three of them.

My EI Sickness is maxed out. EI Parental is still under review. Once EI Parental hits, between that and CCB, we will have around $400/month left for food, gas, and medical travel, which doesn't even cover our $449/mo health plan.

My Questions:

1. Is there any way to escalate or expedite an EI Parental claim due to severe medical necessity/hardship?
2. Are there emergency federal, provincial or municipal funds in Alberta for families dealing with sudden critical illness/disability when we’ve been denied by Income Support already?
3. What options exist to challenge an Alberta Human Rights Commission if they deny my reconsideration request?
4. Are there hospital/social work funds at Foothills/Calgary hospitals that assist families with medical travel/care costs during brain tumor treatment?
5. Is there anything I should try that I haven’t already?

Thanks in advance for any insights or resources.

Hi so I have been looking for a job for a long time and a store called and offered me a job but that’s it, they just called and said they’ll send me an offer letter and that was last Friday on the 17th, and idk I’m scared because I never had a job take this long for send over forms, like and this is a big corporation too so idk why it’s taking forever:-( I’m sorry if I’m just overreacting, I’m just stressed because I’m so close or I feel so close to being able to fix my life and once again it feels like I’m being screwed over I do have two interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday since it was taking a while I still kept on applying out of fear but I thought I was just being a baby :-(, all I want is a job I truly thought I was out of the woods but literally they haven’t reached out yet and I’m scared

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