I am not sure if you have ever been in this position, but I am going to write a bit and perhaps you may be able to relate.

I am a lifelong sufferer of Asthma, and thankfully I have it under control now. There have been times where asthma attacks would come on suddenly. So suddenly in fact that within a few very fast minutes I could go from breathing normal to feeling so entirely asphyxiated that there would be no air going in or out of my lungs. Try breathing through a straw to see what it feels like. During these moments of crisis, an ambulance would be called only to arrive with nary a minute to spare, to literally save my life. I am incredibly grateful for these folks who dedicate their lives to helping others and would like to applaud them for the hard work they do. (Yes there is a, but…)

With most things in life, we are aware that for every action there is a reaction. In this case the action is them arriving to save me, and the reaction was the bill that was sent for their services. I am not sure why it came as a shock, but it did. I mean, why wouldn’t I pay for someone to save my life? I had just been under the assumption that this would be covered with my provincial health care. It is not.

There was a lot that I did not know about in regards to my provincial health care, so it was then that I began to take interest in what would be best for me financially. When I discovered that I could claim those ambulance costs at tax time I was elated! I wondered then what else it was that I could claim. The information that was readily available and easily accessible was the best kept secret from this young, starving student.

Still though, I have noticed that there is not anyone out there saying, “Hey! Do you know that your outcome and income is not at an inevitable dead end?” Get what is yours back! Check it out online at the Canada Revenue Agency website and see all that you can claim. Make sure you have some water and are sitting in a secured chair, because the list is close to being endless. Your wallet is not meant to be stretched beyond its means and the government knows this. Take care of yourself and check it out.

Click here to view Canada Revenue Agency website