Here are Some examples of how COVID19 has financially impacted our members and their ability to work at Ontario Tech U? (these anonymous statements are taken from the PSAC555 COVID 19 Fund Applications).
“During this pandemic, since I have to stay home from March, there has been more pressure on me financially. I was using the internet off-campus in normal condition most of the time and I didn’t have home internet before (I was using my mobile internet data). Due to the pandemic, I had no choice but to purchase a home internet immediately to stay connected to my family back home and also attending in necessary classes and giving tutorials online. I have attached the receipts for the purchase of Fido home internet and the payments for the first and second months. Moreover, there has been extra grocery shopping since we need to stay healthy and getting appropriate food during this time which is also presented for your consideration.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“COVID 19 has impacted my life in many ways. Since the pandemic began, my life has been affected both mentally and financially. Since my supervisor has withdrawn his financial support for me, I have had to find other means to support myself, however, it has not been easy. For this reason, I would like to be considered for this emergency fund to help me in some way.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I was registered as a proctor in various departments for invigilation duties of mid-term and final examinations. COVID-19 has affected that source of financial support since all the exams are now taken remotely. Thus, this fund will help contribute towards the payment of certain daily life essentials.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I planned to work part-time and earn money for the rent and living costs. But after COVID-19 situation I didn’t find a safe job, so I had to use my saving. And now I used all my savings, so that is why I need money to pay my rent for the next month or get some groceries. Also, I am a graduate student and I have some courses as well as research this semester so I don’t have enough time to work off-campus. In addition, my parents are laid off in my home country, so they can’t support me in this situation. I hope you can help and support me in this strange time.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international student pursuing PhD in mechanical engineering. I am working as a TA and proctor. My TA pay goes towards my international tuition fees, and I was doing proctor duties before the pandemic to pay for my grocery bills. However, due to the online mode, there are no invigilation duties this semester. Therefore, it is getting difficult for me to pay for my living expense along with my international fee. I am also not eligible for Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). I would be grateful to you if you could approve this application.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Regarding the disease outbreak, no room available for me to use my off-campus work permit to afford my expenses. COVID 19 situation drastically decreases the work opportunities, I have fallen on a hard time and found myself short on cash. Please kindly note that I am an international student from Iran, which currently experience hyperinflation due to the US sanctions. I am flat broke because, currently, I have a vast number of bills such as rental payment, pre-authorized bills, food, and supplies”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Because of Covid 19 I faced some budget difficulties during the past months and as an international student, I was not allowed to register for any kinds of federal help and support.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“The lock-down implemented due to COVID-19 impacted several things considerably. Firstly, the invigilation was canceled that impacted all graduate students financially. In addition to this, the closure of nearly all commercial organizations led to decreased opportunities to generate income from external sources. Moreover, the industrial partners who were supposed to fund researchers at our lab were also affected and delayed payments.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Hope you are doing well. Unfortunately, this extraordinary time makes everyone’s life more challenging and complicated. I am not an exception. As an international student, I couldn’t apply for financial aid from the government. Thank you for providing such a fund for PSAC members, especially for the members that don’t have any other resources to help them survive in this situation.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Unfortunately my professor has decreased my GRA and I have faced serious financial issues. I had a plan to work during the Fall semester to compensate for the lack of money (about $6000) but I was forced to stay home during COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the government hasn’t considered any financial fund for international students.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“COVID-19 has greatly impacted my work life and personal life, as my work hours at my other part-time job have been cut significantly due to the pandemic. I have been struggling financially to provide for my family throughout this pandemic (e.g.buying groceries and helping to pay household bills), as my Father has been laid off for a couple of months now. My family is dependent on myself and my Mother to take care of our family.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Because of pandemic many of students struggling to find a good job. this is the case for me as well. I am also married and have a baby, so this fund would be rather helpful to handle the current situation.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Please accept my follow-up application for the COVID 19 fund. I was an invigilator on the test Center of UOIT and unfortunately, I stopped working on this contract since March 16th and up till the moment. As an international graduate student, I am not allowed to apply for the CERB for students as it is for domestic students only. I am attaching receipts for some groceries I made during the last couple of months.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international student, pursuing my PhD studies in Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science(FEAS). I am working in the department as a teaching assistant and also proctoring for the past two years. I am paying off my international tuition fees through my TA salary and I was proctoring to cover my daily expenses (grocery, phone bill, etc.) before the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are no invigilation opportunities available on campus because of virtual academic interaction and it is really getting hard for me to cover these daily expenses after paying off the fees. Considering these facts, I would really appreciate any help provided during this hardship.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am PSAC member working at UOIT since 2012 as Teaching Assistant. I am highly thankful to the union for all the help during this pandemic season. I have a family with two kids. This emergency fund will certainly help me.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I was under Impression that I can come to Canada, and would be able to work. However, I couldn’t find any job so far. as my saving is running low, I’m concerned about my expenses. Additionally, I had to pay extra fees for my flight… These expenses made me lose parts of the budget that I planned to use once I started my studies to pay the rent and expenses like food, transportation, clothing, etc.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Covid-19 has played a significant part in everyone’s lives across the globe. I also have been severely impacted as an International student pursuing doctoral studies here in Canada. To cope up with higher tuition fee, much of my TA/RA funding directly go into my tuition account and I rely on a part-time job to pay my living and housing bills. For my bad luck, the hours at my workplace have been reduced due to Covid-19 which is why I am having trouble covering my day-to-day expenses. I am hereby attaching my grocery and phone bill and wish to get it reimbursed as this would be a great help and would bring in some financial ease during these unprecedented times.”
PSAC Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I would like to access the additional $100 to prepare a computer for virtual clinical. Computer keyboard and mouse purchased”
PSAC Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“It has been difficult to find work due to Covid-19; I was laid off my job due to the pandemic and since then having a tough time finding financial stability. This fund would be a great help to pay the bills, and for groceries. I appreciate your support during these difficult times.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Covid 19 has affected my savings. My family back home is not able to support me financially because of covid and it is getting difficult for me to manage my expenses these days. I hope to get some fund which can help me”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am writing this letter to inquire about the possibility of applying COVID-19 emergency fund. I am doing my PhD research currently and facing some financial difficulties. I was expecting to receive an extra TA for this semester or working part-time to pay my cost of living, but, unfortunately, I have not been assigned any extra TA and also can not find any part-time job during this difficult time. I would really appreciate it if you could consider my query since I think this fund will help me to pay some of my bills. Thank you.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am a full-time graduate student and TAing to pay for my tuition fees, But the amount I got from TA-ing is not sufficient and difficult to cover my living cost and food. Due to COVID-19, finding a part-time job (survival job) is also challenging. If I got the emergency fund, it will ace my current situation.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I used to do part-time jobs to afford my expenses before Covid-19. Due to the current status and lockdown, I’m no longer able to do my part-time job. Furthermore, I’m married now. As a young couple, the current situation impacts us even deeper. Therefore, any financial assistance would help us during this challenging time. Thank you for your consideration.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Many work opportunities are not available during this pandemic. I was planning to work during the summer term in order to earn some money to compensate for my tuition however it was not possible because of COVID-19. Especially for international students, it is hard to pay international tuition fees. In order to surmount hurdles to pursue daily life expenses, this fund helps a lot. I appreciate your work”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Due to the existing COVID-19 situation, I have to work from home every single day to work for my TA and RA for which, I had to get an internet connection in my landlord’s name and I have to pay him the whole internet amount. Before the COVID-19, I used to stay on campus the whole day and used University’s internet facility. This coverage will contribute significantly to maintain the stability in my TA/RA work during this pandemic as I will be able to continue working from home in an effective manner.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Most of my sources of income have been affected by the pandemic. My work as an invigilator at the Test Centre has stopped since the start of the pandemic and I was relying on this source to save for the summer period and focus on my studies. Now, my rent is affected and I have an outstanding balance of $107 to pay for my utility bill and pay my rent which is in total $895 a month.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international student and I started my MASc program in this hard time. I was planning to find a job while studying to cover a small part of my high tuition. But COVID19 affects everything and it is really hard for me to manage my expenses.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international student and due to COVID I was unable to find a job that led to a lot of borrowings. Also, I need to support my family as well. This emergency fund is needed to help maintain the cost of living for food and related stuff. I hope that the PSAC will stand by the student in times of need.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Unfortunately, due to the COVID19 situation, I couldn’t find a part-time summer job. Also, since I am an international student, I didn’t receive any financial supports from the government.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Due to Covid-19 situation my TAship contract didn’t continue in spring and summer term, and also, I couldn’t find any summer job due to the pandemic business closure everywhere. As an international student, I was planning for going back to my home country and cut my expenses by some means, but due to this situation my flight canceled and yet all flights are suspended and being postponed to later times one after another. Since I am a married student and I was depending on a summer job to make some money, I am struggling with a financial barrier these days. I hope, this funding can help me out of this situation and ease off some of my problems.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international graduate student. TA/RA is the main source through which I make money in order to be able to pay my living costs. There are not enough TA positions during the summer semester (If there are any). So, I was not able to become TA for the summer semester. Moreover, due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19, I am not able to find any part-time job. On the other hand, COVID-19 caused an increase in my monthly costs. I have to buy things that I do not buy normally (like sanitizer, mask, …). I also have had to order groceries online which means more cost. As you see, my costs have been increased while the source of money is cut down. I think the problems I mentioned in the above paragraph are common among international graduate students who do not have their family support here in Canada. I hope this emergency fund would help me and the other ones in my situation to get through this hard time.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“My TA contract ended and I don’t have any TAship for the summer/Spring 2020. Before this pandemic, I planned to work and make money to pay my rent, food, phone bill, or other living costs during summer. But now I cannot afford these costs, because I cannot get a general job in this situation and I don’t have enough savings for my expenses. It should be taken into consideration that my family cannot support me in this situation, because my parents are laid off due to COVID-19 in my home- country. The situation there is worse than here and the number of victims is more than here.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“As a graduate student I am receiving about 30000 CAD yearly and my total cost is about 34000 CADper year. I had planned to work during spring and summer in order to obtain the rest of the costs, but it is suspended due to the pandemic and the problems that have arisen by COVID-19. So I have some challenges and I need student aids to stay safe and be able to buy my groceries. I have attached a receipt for my groceries.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Due to COVID19, I could get any money from invigilation work last semester and this semester. Also, I applied for getting any TA work in the summer semester but I didn’t get it. I will be appreciated if I get this fund to manage my expenses in the summer semester.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“In advance, I wanted to thank you for supporting your members in this time of difficulty with thisCOVID-19 situation. I wanted to apply for a hardship fund for the following reason. (confidential material blocked out)….For affording the home expenses I had to work but unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 situation, I could not find any part-time jobs to cover my expenses. I wanted to ask you kindly to consider my situation and check my application for this hardship fund.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Honestly, I received GRA and TA in the first and second semesters and the money was only enough for these 2 semesters. I had a plan to work during the Spring/Summer semester to compensate for the lack of money (about $4000). Whereas, I was forced to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic and unfortunately the government hasn’t considered any financial fund for international students and I don’t have any GRA or TA now. If I can’t work during summer, I might travel to my country to pursue my studies (summer and fall) from there to not pay rent and food money. Totally, I’m living in hard conditions.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Hello, I’m applying to this fund as my TA contract ended on 30 th of April, and I have not received any TA assignment for the Spring/Summer term. I was counting on part-time work to cover my expenses during this time. However, due to COVID19, I did not yet get an opportunity to find work. I’m continuously searching for any type of work that can help me cover my bills and grocery expenses. During this time, any help in form of financial aid, or grocery cards would be a great support. I would be willing to share more details about my finances if required. I hope I would be considered for this Emergency fund. Thank you so much for your time. Warm Regards, Your fellow TA”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international student. I have no TA this semester. I have to pay my tuition fee also from my pocket. Due to COVID-19 I am also not being able to work outside to bear my extra expenses. As I have no previous work history I am also not being eligible for any type of Government emergency fund. Moreover, I am pregnant. If I get this fund it will help me to cover my extra medical and other expenses. I attached my medical expense receipt and other expense receipts in the email with this application form.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“My TA + RA covers only my tuition fees and summer/spring session doesn’t offer TA. So, I was planning to do some on-campus/off-campus jobs to grab some money that could bear my living expenditure. But the situation got changed, and I never thought I would be facing this global pandemic. Due to this COVID-19 situation, I am unable to get a job. Moreover, I managed a rented shared room with another person before coming to Canada. As you know shared room costs less but now he is planning to move out and obviously I have to pay the whole room rent which is a big concern to me right now. Also, I missed some emergency funds arranged by the student union. However, in this critical situation, any emergency fund is a lot to me. I hope you would grant my application and provide me the allocated fund considering the above situation of mine.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an International graduate student and I work as a Teaching Assistant at Ontario Tech University. This summer, I was supposed to work as an intern in a software company to bear my additional living costs. But due to the COVID-19 situation, I could not do that. Moreover, this semester, I do not have any TAship for supporting myself where the RA scholarship mostly goes to pay my spring/summer tuition fee. My family passing on some financial crisis at the same time. Therefore, in this situation, it would be a great help if I receive any support from PSAC.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am a married student and I have a baby. It is already hard to afford the living costs for a family without having any job, and now it is even harder. I decided to work during the summer to earn some money. But because of COVID19, it is really hard to find a job now. I have not found any job yet. I think this emergency fund may be a little help to me to tackle the financial issues during these challenging days.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Me and my wife came to Canada on September’19. My wife started work at (confidential) in November’19. As she was new and due to the winter season, she got very few hours. After paying my tuition, rent, and food, we did not have any extra money rather we were dependent on the savings that we made in Bangladesh. I was aware that in Spring/Summer semester, I will not have any TA and I have to pay my tuition. My plan was I would work in the Summer semester to pay my tuition and will use my wife’s income for paying rent and food but due to Covid’19, everything has been changed. My wife lost her job on 18 th March’20 due to Covid’19. She is not eligible for CERB as she didn’t make 5000 cad in the last 12 months and she is not eligible for EI also as she has not completed the minimum working hour requirement (630 hours in Oshawa). As an international student, I am not eligible for CESB. The situation in my home is not good and my parents are also facing financial difficulties in this unprecedented time. It is not possible for them to support me. Now I have to pay my tuition, rent, and food. If I get this emergency fund, this will give me some stability to have food for 1 month. I will try to manage the rest of the things related to tuition and rent.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international graduate student. I am allowed to work part-time jobs along with my study. As there is no TA in the summer, I planned to find a part-time job this summer to manage my living expenses. But, COVID-19 impacted my whole plan, and I stuck in my house for the last two months. As international students, our tuition fees are very high, and we did not get any financial support from the government. In this critical situation, I badly need any financial help, whatever the amount it is.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I have, quite surprisingly, faced a massive financial hurdle this semester. Last year, I got a GRAamount that was sufficient to cover my tuition, however this year, my Spring/Summer GRA was cut by $2000. The reason is honestly not quite clear to me, but my supervisor was pretty clear in how the GRA amount will *not* change. Of course, this sent me down a panic spiral because not only am I $2000 short of paying my tuition, but this all came to me as a shock because my supervisor did not tell me beforehand that this would happen. Not only am I crippled in finding an alternative source of income because with COVID people are getting laid off, not hired, but also, my parents cannot do anything to support me because they’re in my home country (Egypt) which is doing quite terribly amidst this crisis anyway. As an international student, I do not qualify for CESB, and I did not lose my job due to CERB to qualify for that either. So basically, I’ve been applying for every financial aid opportunity I could find. Please, in all honesty, I’m really desperate and any amount of money would help.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“After the campus closed in mid-march, I have lost this supplemental income that I have come to rely on, so I can no longer make ends meet. Unfortunately, I am not eligible to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) because of the income restrictions placed upon us that are subject to clawback. I have used up all of my personal savings which was not a lot, to begin with, and I now rely on credit every month making as minimal payments as necessary and taking advantage of every interest relief and payment deferral program made available by banks and government agencies. My mental health has deteriorated greatly as a result of the financial hardship I now find myself in, and other stressful life experiences Any assistance would be a welcome and much-appreciated blessing because I am very independent and too proud and ashamed to ask for handouts from family or other outside sources. Besides, everybody is struggling during this very difficult and unprecedented time and is already stretched to the max.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I have been working as an invigilator for the faculty of science as well as faculty of engineering and applied sciences. Due to the Covid-19 situation, there are no positions available for invigilation which helped a lot in supporting rental and grocery expenses as an international student. Hence it would be a great support if I am able to get any compensation to support my expenses.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“As an international student, it has been difficult times, since, my house renting is very high and I have been spending more than my usual pay on grocery shopping to stock food, as several food items, are constantly out of stock, due to high demand and to keep my trips to the supermarket to the minimum to comply with social distancing, I also have to order online, with wait times that surpass almost a week, with high delivery charges that put the burden on me. Also, as we are currently in the summer times with no available TAship and hence no income, for this period of time. So Covid-19 has impacted my financial status, in a tremendously negative way, with no income, no job opportunities in these times, upcoming rent which amounts to CAD 799, more expenses, limited fund eligibility, and no family financial support, as I am an international student, and this is causing me huge stress and is a huge burden, both financially and emotionally making my ability to focus on my research and studies extremely hard. This fund will be put in my house renting fees, since, I am in short of three months rent and hence will be a means of financial support in this payment.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am a single parent of a four-year-old. During this crisis, I have incurred additional expenses related to online counseling, in order to support my own mental health. I have also incurred expenses related to the purchase of resources to keep my child engaged.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I recently fell very ill and assumed I had COVID-19. Getting tested and waiting for my results affected my off-campus employment and I could not go to work. I also could not go to school for some time which delayed my research efforts. I have to make up for the lost time and any amount of money will help me comfortably continue my research. I also do not have access to on-campus employment during the summer and will appreciate the support.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Since the pandemic started last year, and it has been a continuous downwards spiral. My funding barely covers living expenses as is, but between tuition & rent, I was left trying to budget 200-300 dollars over an entire month worth of groceries and general spending. During the spring/summer semester, I had to pay $2000 in tuition costs- and from all the aid that I applied for, I only managed to cover around 1,250 and had to take a loan from a family friend who generously allowed me a year to pay him back. I have still unable to pay back the loan over the new year when I had a TA, as the first semester was spent trying to catch up on missed bills, and the second semester only allocated 0.75 units. Fortunately, I managed to work part-time in retail sometime during the fall last year, as I was essentially broke and would not have been able to meet rent the month of, let alone any other expense, however, the hours are very limited, and as an international student, I'm only allowed to work 20 hours per week (and I’d be lucky if I was assigned the 20, usually I get less than that). Before accepting the original offer, my parents agreed that they had just enough to cover some extra expenses I had here. However, the pandemic has hit my home country very hard. My parents have been forced to budget all their savings and income in their own expenses, medical treatments & bills, and they haven’t been able to help since then. Honestly, between the research work, TA, dealing with the pandemic completely alone here and part-time work, my own mental health has completely deteriorated. My work efficiency has been damaged severely, and it’s extremely hard to balance my time and effort, and more often than not, I have little free time to take care of myself mentally. Which has sadly led me down delay after delay when it came to my work. Though I have mostly finished my thesis, published a paper I’m working on a second paper, I was unable to do all that in a timely manner and I’m staying away longer than I initially planned- leading to yet another financial budgeting crisis. The funding I got, despite covering almost all my tuition, still left a small balance in my tuition, and I cannot survive on what I get from my part-time job. Any aid would be greatly and deeply appreciated. Thank you.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am writing this letter to kindly inquire of possibility applying for Covid-19 fund. I have been having a lot of trouble since I began my program, and I have done everything I can to find a part-time job or at least get an extra TAship, but none of them have worked out for me. I have to pay part of my tuition fees for the summer semester out of my own pocket, and I need some money to survive. I am in urgent need of your assistance, and I am willing to include some additional details about my current situation. I would be grateful if you could consider my request. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“It’s summertime now and with the current lockdowns and restrictions summer jobs are becoming so limited or hard to find. I used to work at the Test center at the university which was supporting my income of around 250 each month. I have been trying to find other alternatives to this job, but I haven’t been successful yet.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Covid 19 has affected my financial condition. I have 6000$ to pay as my tuition fees for summer semesters and I don’t have any part-time job to do because of the pandemic. The situation in my home country (India) is very bad right now and I can’t even ask my parents for money. This bursary can help to support my financial condition.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I am an international graduate student who is married and also has a child here in Canada. These days due to COVID, life is harder than before, and finding a part-time job is also harder. Unfortunately, I am not also eligible for any government emergency benefit. Hence, this COVID emergency fund would be helpful to reduce the economic burden on my shoulders.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“As an international student, Covid-19 has caused financial impact and burden on me. It has been difficult times, since, my house renting is very high where I pay CAD 816 per month. With the third wave of Covid-19 on the rise, Covid 19 has affected my financial status, in a tremendously negative way, upcoming rent that amounts to CAD 816, more expenses, limited fund eligibility, and no family financial support, as I am an international student. This is causing me huge stress, is a huge burden, both financially and emotionally making my ability to focus on my research, and studies extremely hard. This fund will be put in my house renting fees and hence will be a means of financial support in this payment.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I need access to the COVID 19 emergency fund because there have been minimal invigilation hours available since the pandemic started mid-March 2020, and I still continue to be unable to cover my expenses every month. I rely on invigilation work at Ontario Tech University to supplement my income. These past 14 months of the pandemic have not only caused financial hardship but negatively impacts my mental health and well-being in a very strong way. It has exacerbated my symptoms of depression and anxiety with social isolation, loneliness, and fear. I do not qualify for any additional government relief programs. Receiving $350 from this fund is much needed to help me pay down accumulated debt from this pandemic. Thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“During this pandemic time and family isolation and all related cost which resulting to increase of family expenses, I would like to apply for 350 $ Covid 19 fund.”
PSAC555 Member
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“I had to travel back home for renewing my travel document. Due to Covid 19 restriction, I had to take the Covid 19 PCR test which for a student is an extra financial pressure adding the ticket price. I wanted to apply for Covid 19 fund for my PCR test”
PSAC555 Member