Muhammad Irfan 
The True Post (Web News)As the teachers’ strike in Alberta drags on, many families are turning to the provincial government’s newly introduced Parent Payment Program for financial relief.
However, what was promised to be a fast, easy, and secure” process has turned out to be anything but that for several parents, who report facing repeated technical issues and registration errors.
Calgary mother of two, Trina Shoop, described the experience as “one problem after another.” She tried to register early in the day, but the system repeatedly showed error codes. Later attempts failed too, with messages saying her address did not match school records.
“I tried in the morning it didn’t work,” Shoop said. “Then in the afternoon, it said my address didn’t match my ID or my son’s school form.”
Shoop contacted both her children’s school and the Alberta government but says the issue remains unresolved.
She’s not alone. Irfan Hussain, an IT engineer and father of two, said he faced the same address-matching problem despite entering the correct information. He was told to email the program’s support team for assistance.
Meanwhile, Olivia Allen, a mother of five, said she couldn’t even get into the portal. “When I click ‘register,’ the screen keeps jumping back and forth,” she explained. “I tried last night and again this morning, but I keep getting the same error. I still can’t submit my application — it’s really frustrating.”
Despite the setbacks, Shoop says she remains determined. “We just need help,” she said. “If the government is disrupting education, they should at least support parents.”
In response to growing complaints, Alberta Education and Child Care Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CityNews that the portal “is currently active and operational.” He added that the government is “continuously working to improve the user experience” and advised users with Alberta.ca account issues to contact the account support team.
