Editor's Note: There is no way that I would print this letter that I received today with the writer's name. Readers can be certain that the family is real and I believe their experiences are indicative of many families caught in the trap of trying to land on their feet since this recession took hold two years ago.
I am glad that Canada has safety nets however porous they may be. However if you've never walked into an EI or Ontario Works office or gone through the humiliating process to get enough help to put food on the table, you should really read this letter. -----
I don't know if anyone would be interested but this ANNONYMOUS person wanted to give people a reality check, in case they all feel that poor people are worthless.
We had to go to workfare today. The EI is gone and no job yet.
First we had to take my oldest kid out of school for the day, he's 18 and must sign the forms too.
Went down there, talked to her, and found out that my son who was proud of his parttime job will not get to save anything from it. His money will come out for the first three months DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR for what he earned.
We get $1300 a month for a family with 5 people in it. The rent we pay is 748 I'll let you do the math. The child tax isn't much either. But from that money we must pay rent, food, hydro, bank fees, bankruptcy, student loan paybacks, phone and whatever else I might have forgotten to put on here.
My son was going to go back to school for another year after graduating, to get an apprenticeship to help with a post secondary apprenticeship.....no more he must work instead. Forget what he was going to do as a career, he must take the first job available.
Does anyone remember being 18 and having a career goal?
A large number of jobs in this city want you to have a driver's licence and / or a car. What kind of city is this?? Apply for a job be told no licence no way. Makes me sick.
Yes my spouse did have EI. One point shy of their retraining program, and no savings for a business of his own.
Our social welfare system makes me sick to my stomach.
So say hi to us...we're the UNDESERVING poor on the planet.
So long as workfare continues to make a policy of FASTEST route to employment.... no one will ever truly get free of social welfare. We need route to BEST POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT.
