Consumer vulnerability in Canada (2020-2024)

I lost my job [during the pandemic] ...totally dependent on that for my basic rent and all other essential things.

I was living really rurally at the time and I hadn't gotten my driver’s license yet. And my driving test had been cancelled due to COVID restrictions for eight months. So, I went eight months without being able to travel or get a job.

After five years of doing many odd jobs, I got a job relevant to my career.

When COVID started, I was actually getting scared because people were visiting the grocery store I worked at, some were visiting with masks and some were not so since I was working amongst the customers I got really frightened and I was in doubt whether to keep my job or not because at that time we didn't have any idea how COVID would affect us… So due to my fear of contracting COVID, I had to leave my grocery store job because one time I had an experience that people started sneezing and coughing in front of me, which really scared me.

Before the store opened up, I used to wait early morning after coming from my night job and have less interaction with people because I had this fear in me like ‘Oh my God, people are getting COVID and I might also get it even if I'm wearing mask’, so I used to wait for the crowd to be less at the grocery shopping and all those things.

And along with me, my family, especially my children, my wife, they also suffered because I was always sharing my mental journey and disappointment, and my restlessness with them.

I'm running a business in childcare, and I tell you we got 100% attendance now, you know, we never used to have that, and now it's a full house. Bookings are going right through the roof to the year 2026 now. And the government’s push to make childcare $10 a day, I tell you that it works. Everyone is signing up two years in advance before their baby is born. This is fantastic!

The cost of food became a serious issue for the kind of things that we buy now.

We did a lot of bulk buying every month but when the pandemic was on, they started restricting quantities.

I did go into debt because I wasn't working... I've spent the last year working just to pay off that two years in debt.

I was extremely affected by depression... the daily contact for me with the students twice a day was the highlight of my day.

It was very hard to access the basic necessities like groceries and also appointments with the doctors.

Just getting those basic things was hard... the stores didn't have a lot of things in stock.

My employer at that time only issued checks... there was no way I could make it to the bank by 5.

When COVID started, I was working part-time. I was able to stay for a short period, but eventually, due to the nature of the business, things dried up, and I lost my job.

It was a small company with only three people. Finding another job was difficult, especially as a senior.

Financially, it had a big impact. I don’t have a pension, just CPP and OAS, and it’s tough.

We have no savings and no access to credit. Since COVID, things have gotten much worse.

I was in retail grocery management when COVID hit, and the panic buying put a significant strain on me. It affected my mental health, and after 40-plus years in the industry, I had to take a break under my doctor’s care.

Baby supplies, like Tylenol and diapers, were nearly impossible to find because people were hoarding them.

We realize we were involuntarily deprived of service during the pandemic, but now we voluntarily deprive ourselves because... the balance isn't there!