B.C. man declared dead, then living, now dead again
Wife received Revenue Canada notice stating she is a widow
Bryan Kupiak is keen for the government to bring him back from the dead — again.
In Oct. 2017, Kupiak's social insurance number was switched with his deceased mother's, and he was officially declared dead.
After several phone calls and the help of local MP Cathy McLeod, Kupiak was able to convince Service Canada that he was in fact alive.
But now, three months later, his status is in question once again. Earlier this month his wife received a notice from Canada Revenue about GST/HST rebates that claimed his wife is a widow.
"I am not dead," Kupiak said. "My wife is not a widow."
Kupiak called pension officials and the Canada Revenue Agency to make sure they know he's alive, and both do. His next step is to call the B.C. government to find out if the mix up happened at the provincial level.
After spending so much time in the fall on the phone and having officials visit his home to prove Kupiak is alive, he knew that wouldn't be the end of it.
"It's all laughable, but it's stupid," he said. "When is it going to stop?"
With files from Sarah Penton