Fil-Cans struggle to apply for benefits

Fil-Cans struggle to apply for benefits

Kim Samaniego with her family
(Photo provided)

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

In the fall of 2018, Kim Samaniego, 35, and her now six-year-old son moved to Cranbrook, British Columbia to join her husband, who was working in the restaurant industry. Everything seemed to be falling into place: their son was enrolled in a private school and the family finally became permanent residents in February. But within weeks, COVID-19 swept through the nation, leaving millions of Canadians unemployed, including Samaniego’s husband.

According to a March 24 report by the Royal Bank of Canada, unemployment rates could be as high as 11% by April 2020. That’s nearly double the 5.7% rate in April 2019 reported by Statistics Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $27 billion stimulus package that would benefit workers and businesses, as well as $55 billion in tax deferrals. But the process of acquiring the much-needed funds are mired with delays, understaffed call centres and crashing websites due to a system struggling to keep up with demand.

“We applied for Employment Insurance (EI) almost two weeks ago,” said Samaniego, who’s a full-time mom. She also applied for child benefits for her son, which would give the family $200 plus another $300. However, her Social Insurance (SIN) wasn’t working on the website so she had to mail in the application.

“The last time my husband called, he waited on the phone for two hours and that’s a problem because we use prepaid phones,” she said. “Nearly everyone we’ve spoken to has complained that it’s so hard to contact [someone at the call centre].”

Despite the delays, the saving grace came in the form of their tax refund but without the additional amount promised by the government. “The tax refund has been a blessing,” said Samaniego. “We managed to buy groceries before the crisis and somehow save some money. Budgeting is key.”

Challenges for part-time workers

Claire Aves (Photo provided)

For almost four years, Claire Aves, 23, was a keyholder at a Toronto location for Canadian apparel company Roots. On March 18, Aves and her colleagues were laid off as the company decided to close multiple locations.

Although she applied for emergency insurance the same day, Aves quickly discovered that the process would be far more complicated.

“Starting the application was difficult because the website would crash,” she recalled, adding that the entire process took almost two hours.

For part-time employees who don’t often earn the same amount each month, calculations are required to determine one’s average income based on the last three paychecks. “I worked part-time so it’s only straightforward for those who are salaried and getting the same amount bi-monthly,” said Aves.

With her application still under review, she said that she has to submit a weekly report stating that she’s not working or has another source of income.

She and her friends are anxious because they’re uncertain about whether or not they’ll be approved for EI. “That’s why most of us will be applying for CERB for $2,000 a month because they told us that because there’s lots of EI applications, it may take a while for us to know if we’re even approved,” she said.

According to Canada.ca, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is “temporary income support that would provide individuals with up to $500 a week for 16 weeks.”

But even with CERB as a possible fallback, Aves is still uncertain. “It is a concern because it doesn’t look like [the government] was prepared at all for this,” she said.

On the bright side

In addition to the anxiety of her family’s future, Samaniego said she worries about her parents back in the Philippines. She’s also devastated by how the pandemic is leaving many Filipinos suffering. “We want to help but can’t because we’re really watching what we spend,” she said. “Even our savings are allotted for food and bills.”

She added that she’s grateful to have an understanding landlord. However, she and her husband will pay what they can and are hoping that the upcoming mid-April rent subsidy of $500 for British Columbia residents will help ease some of the financial strain.

Despite the stress, Samaniego still considers herself one of the lucky ones. “Becoming permanent residents has been a blessing,” she said. “I’m still grateful to the Canadian government because they really don’t leave their people behind.”