Welfare / Social Assistance.

[Carmencat]

I am amazed that someone qualified for 44 weeks of EI. A friend who is in her early 60s, has never collected EI before and worked her whole adult life other than the first few years after adopting her daughter, was cut off after 26 weeks. She never even collected parental leave as it didn't exist for adoptive parents in the 80s. That is just ridiculous IMO.
But I know of 20-somethings who work at a seasonal job and then collect EI, rather than looking for a non seasonal job.

As far as I know, the only way you can collect 52 weeks of EI is to have a baby. How screwed up is that?

[danmartin]

How could someone live off that? Even minimum wage pays slightly more and that you have to be crafty to live off of it.

Minimum wage is 10.25/hr so if you can work a 40 hr. week then you make more then $1600/month. I know that isn't take home but not too much is taken off at that low income. Minimum wage is not really enough to live on especially if you're on your own. Really makes you wonder how someone suppose to live on $610/Month?!!!

[Merry]

A friend who is in her early 60s, has never collected EI before and worked her whole adult life other than the first few years after adopting her daughter, was cut off after 26 weeks. She never even collected parental leave as it didn't exist for adoptive parents in the 80s. That is just ridiculous IMO.

It's not just ridiculous, it's outrageous! Anyone who has worked their entire lives and has been paying insurance premiums for all those years, should be entitled to at least a full year of benefits if and when they have to make a claim.

I think society needs to stop viewing EI as some sort of a handout, and start seeing it for what it is. Which is a return of premium when something happens to trigger an insurance claim.

Maybe, in order to prevent abuse, we would be wiser to increase premiums for those who make frequent claims, rather than penalizing those who do not. Car insurance and life insurance always cost more following multiple claims, so why not Employment Insurance?