Think About this Now that the LTC Strike Appears to be Settled, "As a result of this strike I have seen Londoners say some of the worst things I thought I'd ever hear said by a human being to another human being. I've heard people comment about how nice the core is because the "scum" aren't there. It makes me sad and embarrassed to call myself a Londoner when I hear things like this." Drivers want a better wage. I get that, everyone on the planet wants more money to live on, heck i'm not happy with how much money some jobs pay.
BUT:
If you lost your job and had to go to EI for help, you'd be living on 55% of what you made as a working person, and there is a maximum on that. The reason they set it like that is to "encourage people to work". They don't have an allowance for busfare, they don't have a drug plan, so basically they want you looking for work but give you no tools to do it with.
If you lost your job and could not qualify for EI, then you'd go to welfare. You get NOT ENOUGH to pay the rent on, you get not enough to buy food or pay utility costs. You do get a buspass, and you do get a drug plan. You are expected to search for work, you are expected to report all income and have a certain percentage allowed to be made before deductions are made. If you are a family with kids, a part of the Child Tax is taken away. Before you can qualify you have to spend your retirement savings and education savings plans first, and possibly sell your house.
If you have a disability, you get about what you'd get on welfare. You don't get enough to survive but you are not expected to look for work. You do not get a buspass usually.
If you are a senior and you have no savings for retirement which is entirely possible especially if you were a homemaker.....you get a paltry sum to live off, and you might have to go to welfare for extra help and hope that they don't tell you that you make too much money. You barely scrape by and that is your life until you pass away.
If you work in retail you make minimum wage if you are lucky. You might or might not have a drug plan that pays for anything at all. You work on your feet for 8 hrs plus a day. You can barely make enough to survive. If you have kids it is doubtful that by yourself you can make enough to do anything at all.
If you work in the food service industry you usually make minimum wage unless you work as a waiter or bartender, they make under minimum and are expected to make tips to make it up. You work on your feet for hours on end, you barely make enough to survive. You will also probably never have a house or car. Depends on the city and how much it costs for rent etc.
London's rents are pretty high if you want a DECENT place to live.
You can find some cheap rents if you are willing to live in a dump or with some not too savory characters. Sometimes you might find a semi-deecent place with decent rent. The market is geared to students sharing accomodation in this city that is the reality.
London's food costs have been soaring over the last year. Food of good quality is getting harder to pay for.
Ontario stopped paying for eye exams for all people. If you wear glasses and require a change in prescription you need at least 80 bucks to pay for the exam and then however much for new glasses.
Ontario stopped paying for dentists when I was younger. The costs there are around 100 for cleaning, descaling etc. Go up from there for fillings, crowns, bridges and braces.
Some medications are expensive, the drug companies holding tight to their patents for all the profit they are worth. Some medications are not covered by the Trillium Health Plan. If you need one of those, you could be looking at over 100 bucks a month for the cost.
If you are a student, you might get lucky and qualify for a loan. It might be enough to pay for your shelter costs, or you might have to work hard after a day at school. You will be spending a lot of money to get an education and you might not get a job in that field when you graduate. It is a gamble. Canada does not pay for the education of it's people and it is a sad reality that most will be deeply in debt before they get that career. Some can't even afford food because the shelter costs can be high.
The reality is.....a lot of Londoners have financial issues, and a lot of them know they could easily live off 23 bucks an hour because they know that they could live as they do today and be quite comfortable....they might even be able to afford a little extra like a car. But we don't seem to care about those who have less, we blame them for their situations, we call them bad names and treat them like they are bad people, scum of the earth.
As a result of this strike I have seen Londoners say some of the worst things I thought I'd ever hear said by a human being to another human being. I've heard people comment about how nice the core is because the "scum" aren't there. It makes me sad and embarrassed to call myself a Londoner when I hear things like this. We live in a world where you are either one of the rich...or one of the poor. The middle class is almost gone. We have lost ourselves in greed and the desparate need for the latest gadget to prove that we are better than someone else and richer.
I have seen what the true cost of this strike is and it paints a bleak and ugly picture of London.
*my two cents worth What the strike brought.
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