Hi, I am Simeon and I am an immigrant turned citizen of Canada. My family’s trust in Canada as a land of fairness and opportunity has been deeply shaken by a distressing and harrowing experience with Embark Education Savings Fund (formerly Knowledge First Financial). I am calling on all fair-minded Canadians—immigrants, non-immigrants alike and the entire World—to stand with us in fighting this injustice.

In April 2021, a few days after leaving the hospital following the birth of my first child, my wife and I received a phone call from a sales representative from knowledge first financial (we did not give permission to anyone to share our contact) who implored us to give him 30mins of our time to discuss an RESP plan for our new baby. Filled with hope for my newborn son’s future, my wife and I opened an education savings plan with Knowledge first financial now Embark based off a promise of easy access to a non-educational funds when needed (we had stated our desire to own a house), with withdrawals processed within 2–5 business days and a reassurance of the best services among other existing financial institutions providing the same. Believing in these assurances, we opened a similar plan for our second child in 2023.

But when we needed the funds we had worked hard for and contributed judiciously up until May 2024 for a down payment on our first home, Embark’s actions plunged us into financial and emotional turmoil.

Here’s what happened:
1. On May 13, 2024, I reached out via phone call to Embark and requested a non-education savings withdrawal, expecting the funds in 2–5 business days as promised during our initial conversations that led us to commit to Embark.
2. Embark instead claimed it would take 10 days by mail. Despite providing all required documents, they failed to deliver the cheque to the correct address, omitting critical details.
3. After weeks (from May to July) of back-and-forth calling Embark customer service and mounting stress, Embark finally acknowledged their error but continued to delay, forcing us to borrow funds to secure our home.
4. To add insult to injury, when I decided out of frustration and total distrust in Embark to close both RESP accounts in, I was informed I’d lose the majority of my contributions—funds I worked tirelessly to save for my children, citing “a recent vote by customers to forfeit their contributions if they decided to close their accounts”.

The result? In August 2024 (over 2months after requesting for a non-education savings withdrawal), Embark refunded only $3,775 of the over $12,000 we had contributed, effectively Pilfering over $8,000 of our hard-earned savings.

This is not just about money—it’s about the trust families like mine place in financial institutions that are supposed to safeguard our children’s future. It’s about fairness and accountability in a country that prides itself on protecting its citizens and especially vulnerable people like the immigrant population who leave their home country trying to escape institutional corruption and oppression like this.

My call to action:
This injustice must not go unnoticed. Embark’s actions highlight critical failures in transparency and accountability that leave families vulnerable to exploitation.

• I urge Embark to refund my full contributions immediately.
• I call on lawmakers to investigate Embark’s practices and enact safeguards to ensure no family endures what mine has.

•I call on the Canadian government to make direct policies that can protect vulnerable populations such as immigrant families from getting scammed by any corporate entity such as Embark

How You Can Help

I cannot do this alone. With legal action as my only remaining recourse, I am turning to the community for help. Your contribution to my GoFundMe can help me fight this injustice in court and set a precedent that ensures no other family endures what we’ve experienced.

But I need more than just financial support. Please:
• Share this story to amplify my voice.
• Demand accountability from Embark and similar corporations.
• Stand with immigrant families and all Canadians in calling for fair treatment and transparency.

Let’s Build a Canada We Can All Trust

I came to Canada believing in its values of justice and equality. I work hard, I contribute, and I trust the system. Let’s make sure that trust is not betrayed.

Together, we can hold Embark accountable and ensure no other family is left to feel powerless against financial institutions. Join me in this fight for justice.

Contribute to the GoFundMe Today https://gofund.me/adbddc0b

Why This Matters to All Canadians

This isn’t just my fight—it’s a fight for every family that has ever trusted an institution with their hard-earned money. It’s about ensuring that Canada remains a place where fairness and opportunity are not just ideals but realities.

Let’s show Embark—and companies like it—that we will not tolerate exploitation. Together, we can demand a future where families are protected, not preyed upon.