January 25, 1956 (22nd Parliament, 3rd Session)

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, I should also like to answer a question from the hon. member for Middlesex East (Mr. White), which he asked some days ago. His question concerned a robbery at Oshawa involving unemployment insurance funds. The replies to his two questions are as follows:
1. The unemployment insurance commission has received a report which is being studied. This shows that two employees of the commission were held up on their way from the bank to the local office and robbed of $6,000.

Investigation by the Oshawa police is proceeding and the commission feels that any further statement at this time might impede the progress of that investigation.
2. Two methods of payment of benefit are used: (1) by warrant; (2) by cash.
Where the volume of claims justifies it, payment is made by cash and this practice is followed at 90 of the 192 places at which local offices are located.