This website is a testimony to the problems Canadian Student Loan borrowers experienced from approximately 1996 to 2008 and until their loans were paid off.

The privatization of the Student Loans system by the Chretien and Martin Liberal governments broke the system and defaulted thousands of borrowers who were trying to pay their loans. There were even stories of suicide due to the harassment of borrowers.

Read the report that I prepared back in 2007 here. Canada Student Loans-The Need for Change Fortunately the new Conservative government at the time revamped the program and fixed the system for new borrowers, but borrowers under the previous program were left with ruined credit and continued harassment from debt collectors.

I call on the Canadian Government to apologize to the borrowers affected by this fiasco and make amends.

Unfortunately the Liberal government is again clobbering the Education system with their upcoming changes to International Student Visas. Yes, there's a problem, but instead of a well thought out plan, they have pulled the emergency brake on the train causing a derailment. This has introduced unprecedented instability for both private and public education institutions who serve both international and local students.

Universities can't plan. I've heard of courses being cut because the government has no process in place for universities to send the newly required acceptance letters to the government.

This means that students who have been accepted can not attend courses that start in the summer 2024 semester. With cut sections, current Canadian students will have trouble getting courses, and may have to switch to part-time which changes their enrollment status and might trigger repayment of their loans or ineligibility for funding. I've seen this before. It wreaks havoc on the student loan borrowers.

Again, the Liberal government has messed up the education environment. Will the new system needed in a rush for the acceptance letters be the new Arrivecan scandal?

I call on the government to implement a slower phased in approach and delay the requirement of the acceptance letters until a process is in place to submit these letters.


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    Posted: 10/October/2002 at 8:55am

I have a new topic for us.  It is partly silly, partly serious.

I'm wondering about how well students/ex-students are doing (in terms of mental well-being) during periods of difficulty with student loans.  My question to all of you is this:  "Did you go crazy?"

Perhaps you went a little nutty, started drinking a lot or smoking a lot of pot, or other silly things.  Perhaps you developed serious mental problems like depression or anxiety disorder.  Did you ever say or do anything when dealing with banks or HRDC that you now regret?  Let us know how well (or how poorly) you were able to deal with student loan problems.

Post your funny stories, horror stories, and your seriously frightening stories here.  Please satisfy our voyeristic, Jerry-Springer-type curiousity with your tales of mental health de-railment!

--Sean

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MegaPo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/October/2002 at 8:57am

Please note that you can post anonymously (as I just did by accident) by clicking on the "Log off" button before typing in your reply.

--Sean

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote markomeara Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/October/2002 at 12:19pm
I have a masters degree in Counselling Psych, have written a self help book on emotions. I survived bullying as a child. I've healed all of this, but have not found a way to deal with the issue of frustration with my student loan.

I am learning that life is not fair. In dealing with this issue I have required medication for a reactional depression when HRDC again denied my disability claim. The thing is, after I get over their rejection, I seem to get stronger. I know that I'm in this for the long haul.

It is extremely difficult to accept that regulations dont make any sense, that all the legal experts are saying that the rules are "draconian and absurd" but that the officials who can make changes dont appear to be doing anything. Two years have passed since I first challenged these rules.

Rules changed to date? None.
Incorrect policies identified: 3
Incorrect policies rectified: 1
Not sure about the others, as even though things have progressd, HRDC does not admit mistakes. Nor do they apologize for all the crap they put us through. They don't even seem to be aware of the stress that we go through because they provide wrong info often.

That being said, I sense that they are becoming more aware of the situations we face.

Without the encouragement of people on this site, I would not have gotten as far as I have on this issue. Although a number of legal challenges have been raised and passed, it still boils down to no help on my student loans, even though all parties seem to agree that the regulations are out of whack.

I currently owe about $3000 in back interest. If I had the money to make payments, that would put my total interest so far at $5000! Yikes. and I haven't even touched a penny of principle. Yes... my $5000 goes into the billion dollar bank profit statements.

What has come out of my discussion with bankruptcy officials etc is that it is clear that the banks are in this for the money. They are not compassionate.

I could go on and on, but what I'm getting at here is that I have learned the hard way that it is not a fair world.

What is really frustrating is that at the same time, the government clearly is handing out $100 of millions of dollars in unaccountable contracts. Imagine if I could write a report on the student loan situation and collect $100,000 and someone else getting a 10% commission and then no one ever getting a copy of the report, and then the same report could be used again and I could be paid another $100,000!

Mark

PS: I have met tons of people who wont post here because it brings up to much anger! Just bringing up the subject is disturbing to many people!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21/October/2002 at 1:03pm

I have personally not gone crazy, but due to a BIG MISTAKE of taking out a student loan, I am doomed for life.  My fiance refuses to marry me because he think thats when we are married and we file taxes together that he will get stuck paying for my student loans, as I have heard that this has actually happened to others.  He does not want this happening to him or to us. Not only has student loans wrecked my financial life, but my personal life as well.  I urge persons not to take out student loans such as I did, it is a personal error in judgement that will haunt you the rest of your life, and unless you are willing to wait ten years after attending school and going bankrupt there is not many choices out there. I could not get any credit in my name for a house or a vehicle due to the colection agency reporting that I was unable to locate and this was never the case at all,  but thanks to Nordon Collection Networks lies, this will never be resolved. I thank my boyfriend for him co-signing me loans for me, that I have been able to get these things that I wanted.

Student loans will only wreck your life if you let them and I am not letting them. In 2008 when my tens years is up I will be filing for bankruptcy and having these loans wiped out, I bet the collection agency should have accepted my agreement of $ 200.00 per month and not have been greedy and wanted $600.00 because they ended up getting nothing.

The Royal Bank is the worst bank followed by CIBC which are the two worst banks in the whole entire world.

Thanks for allowing me to vent!!!!!!

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25/October/2002 at 2:15am

I also had trouble.  I have had to delay getting married because we just can't afford it.  I can't get a house, and when we became pregnant, well we just couldnt afford to have a child, and had to have a abortion.  Student loans have wrecked my life forever.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Trixie B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27/September/2003 at 11:08pm
Student loans do make me crazy and depressed and anxious and silly.
Some examples:
I wonder if I can go to prison (free rent, food, education)if I don't pay my debt and earn my masters and ph.d and get debt forgiven and come out with increased earning potential.
Have decided I am going to do reverse collections, call my creditors every day and harass them.
Honestly though I have clinical depression and am just hanging on a thread and just barely managing my job. Have used up all my sick time, my Dad died in March this year essentially bankrupt himself. Can't move in with mom as there is no room.
I see myself in so many of these posts. I am 33 now, not dating, can't ever imagine anyone ever wanting to make a commitment to me as my debt load is so crazy I'd never qualify for a mortgage.Life does feel like its over.
Things that make me crazy: There is a new book in bookstores called SAVEKaryn about a girl who set up a website because she was in $20,000 in debt and had people send her money. This just kills me because she was some CEO or something who made $200,000 a year and lost her job. The 20,000 debt was due to shopping and she had her debt paid off in four months by kind stangers and now she's getting rich off her book! Unbelievable! First of all I'd be estatic if my debt was only 20 grand and second of all if she was earning 200 grand, you would think she could get another job earning as much and third my debt was incurred by educating myself so i could serve people in the helping field. I'd set up my own website if only i had a computer, can't afford one and am at my moms right now.
Other crazy things i've done, cried on the phone to creditors, told them my life story.
Told B.C. direct student loans that they could go ahead and garnishee my bank account I just wouldn't be able to pay my rent,my car payment or buy food and then i'd be homeless, starving, and unable to do my job and then they could try to get there money.
Oh yeah, and I've also developed an addiction to reality tv. Since i moved away from all friends, know no one where i live, have no money to do anything or go anywhere and don't date i live vicariously through people on reality shows who date, get married, travel, sing, etc.
I do regret getting student loans and not educating myself about the reality. Basically I now regret my whole life down to grade school. Because I was taught that i wasn't smart enough, I flaked out in school from elementry to high school, didn't graduate. Then during twenties realized I was smart, basically a self-taught voracious readers and went back to school at 25. Had my life taken a different path I would of got my university education right after high school when my family had money to pay for me but as it was I realized I was intelligent at the same time my family was losing there business, home, and lifetime savings. So had to "put" myself through school on student loans. Anyways that's my story.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/September/2003 at 2:03am
No one is doomed for life.
No matter what happens to your credit rating or your finances, or your car etc,
They can not take away your ability to choose how to respond.
Out of all the troubles I went through, I have learned this.
It is the most powerful lesson.
A year ago I thought I was doomed for life.
I was in a mess and started the canadastudentdebt.ca site
But my new doctor correctly diagnosed my fatigue as lyme disease, and my disability claim fell through, but I got my health back!
The next thing that happened was that I got a full time job.
The problems of the student loan stuff had to be dealt with and I was able to work out a deal.
The next thing I new, I got a chance to teach in China!
Here I am in China, half way around the world, making wonderful friends, enjoying wonderful food, and saving up for my loan payments!

The turn around came when I was severly depressed and I realized that I still had my own personal choice.

There is a point in healing the past where there is grief about the past. But in grief there is also a future.

Dont forget that things CAN get better, but it requires some personal responsibility and getting unstuck from the grief!

And through the process of my troubles, this site was created. If you can find any reason that gives you a lesson from all of this, then it makes the suffering have meaning.

Keep in there...
Many of us have experienced solutions to our problems.
Try to find an advocate to help you or a counsellor that can give you some perspective and help you move through this. Theres help here too.
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Administrator,

Thanks for your post and for creating this site, what vision you have!

How did you work out a deal with your student loans?

Thanks again
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I waited for times to change, but I always kept in touch with my bank.

I also documented all my medical problems and expenses. At first they would not negotiate, but times have changed.

this is of course conditional on a lump sum payment. They dont accept reduced payments.

If you have a lump sum payment you are in a much better position.

Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote actualp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27/October/2003 at 6:35pm

who would have thought that handing out $9000 a year to an 18 year old kid could have caused so many anxiety problems.

luckily turning 19 provided the alcohol.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Casey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/October/2003 at 10:56pm

What is crazy, what is sane? I guess it is a mater of opinion. I know some crazy people that are considered sane..  I am different in the way I live and think.... some would think me to be crazy..

There is no question that my mental health had been affected.. but there were other things that helped such as a marriage break up.. It sounds like a lot of the people posting are much younger then me. I am an older person who was pushed into taking out a student loan by social services. My mistake was ignorance, not knowing my rights.. Other wise, I would never have been in this situation! I was a single parent with a developmentally slow, ADD child. (18 now and still living with me)

At 55 I can say that I have lost over 15 years of my life, unable to work most of the time going through depression and hopelessness.  I couldn't pay my CSL so mentally blocked it out after being advised by a bankruptcy counselor to ignore the situation. I had to contend with collection agencies, lying, swearing and treating me. That sure pushes the buttons and screwed up my mental health well being. I later managed to avoid them by giving the phone company money I really couldn't afford. Despite what I was going through I never let my son down. It took all the energy to take care of him.. He was my whole whole life..

This year, I was taken to court. The hearing was several 100 miles away and I couldn't afford to attend.  I was refused legal counsel because it was not a "Criminal Case", so I couldn't to defend myself. .In my province,  If you kill or rape someone you are entitled to legal help but not when your government is suing you.. Can you call that justice? The government now has a lean against my property.. I hope they will still allow me to collect a pension in a few years... or will they take that away from me..

Our government puts on a good show when it comes to concerns about Human Rights in other countries but what about their own citizens? Do we not have Human Rights.  Maybe we should as Amnesty Interlational to look into this!

With the help and strength I gain from this site, I am working towards working this out or at least taking steps to male some waves. Action on my CSL has gone too far and will likely need a legal or political solution.

Not Crazy or Lazy.. just hurting a lot.. how could this ever happen in a democratic country like Canada? I definitely did not plan to live my life this way!

Casey ... seeing RED (like another poster!)

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pixxa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29/October/2003 at 6:38am
Did I go crazy?

Not yet, but there are days when I wonder if I'm on the brink. I can relate so deeply to posters like Trixie and Casey.

actualp? Self medication is not the answer.. Falling into a drunken, dope filled stupor for escape is basically self destructive behavior.. Sound like I'm judging?

I'll celebrate 13 years clean in February, so... been there... done that. The times I've thought about getting obliterated because of physical, emotional and mental pain over the last 10 years, are too many to count. I know that in order to truely deal with the uncomfortable stuff in my life, I need all my faculties in tact, and smoking dope does NOT afford me that! Most importantly, I risk losing the positive things in my life, and they're far to precious to me!

Pixxa

The journey continues and I can't get out of the woods if I'm standing still.
Somtimes I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe. anonymous
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Casey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17/November/2003 at 7:30pm
Today was a big day in my trek to get my life back! I went to the Mental Health Center to ask for their help.  This wasn't my first time,   many years have passed since my last visit. After long periods of counseling, I decided I could handle it on my own. Most time I did fairly well and had it not been for the CSL I would have been OK but they just won't let me go! The only way I might possibly be free of them is with the right papers signed my the mental health doctors..

Anyway, it was a lot different this time, I was different and they treated me better. Several times in the past, I went there in tears on the verge of a mental break down. Today I was in control, not feeling well but not ready to crash. It was a pleasant surprise, no one asked me to fill out forms.. at last they understand that many of us don't do forms well Smile. They now have nice comfortable sofas and chairs.. wow.. a bit of class.. and I only had to wait a few minutes before talking to an intake worker.

This time I had some one who seemed to be listening and was not in any rush to get rid of me.. We talked for a couple hours, even continued after normal closing hours.. she was in no rush to send me away! I told her many things but most of all what I want and what I need.. how I have educated myself in my attempt to find out what is wrong.. this time I will not settle for pills, group sessions or any kind of bunk! I've been living with stress for over 30 years and no one can tell me I don't feel the way I do... It's very real.. I'm not going to settle for anyone patronizing me.. I want the proper attention, tests etc., what ever it takes. I have a right to know!.. I need them to verify that my hell is real, not some kind of game.

Next step will be applying for a Canada Pension disability pension. That could be a whole other story, for another day..

Casey...

 

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18/November/2003 at 4:20am
Good Luck Casey:

Just remember do not fall to the collectors level, we are all better than that.
The collectors who criticize and belittle, do not let them get you down, ( I know it is hard), but be strong.

Take Care
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote polyhymnia61 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18/November/2003 at 5:17am
If you need support, Casey...we're here!!


Home is where you are allowed to prosper.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Casey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18/November/2003 at 11:33pm

Thank you, much appreciated..

Just knowing that you are not alone is a lot of help!

Our government has to fix the human the rights problem in our own country, before continuing to point a finger at others. If they don't, they will regret it, the international community is watching.

I really hope that by telling the world know what is happening to us, that maybe the system will be fixed. Too many people have been hurt already.

Casey . .

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19/November/2003 at 9:12am
Yes and the saddest thing is that we are not going to be the only ones.

I have 8 neices and nephews that are soon to be graduating, and they too, are wanting to take out student loans,and it upsets me to no end.
I just hope that they can make something of their lives, with that Degree and huge debt load.

Been there done that, and is still doing it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WishfulThinker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19/November/2003 at 10:40am

There is a big problem in how "society" views a university education.  Highschool students are told to no end the value of going to university.

However I know of hundreds of people that have gone to university and their university degree is of no use to them.  Hundreds of people are working in very low paying sectors such as the service industry and are making minimum wage.  Students graduating today are saddle with debt load of upwards $50,000 for four years.

They are trying to make ends meet with menial paycheques and have to choose between the neccesities of life or paying $500 per month or maybe more? to the banks.  Interest relief only last so long if you're one of the lucky one's whose paperwork mysteriously vanished as the Student Loan Service Centre

Then there's the graduates from 8, 10 years or earlier that are in the boat of bad credit, can't have the finer thingsin life such as owning a home, having money put away for children's education, pay for your kids extracirricular activities without going to a loanshark etc. etc.

Why is university being pushed to kids just graduating from highschool. If one graduates with a three year degree in criminolgy, for example like my sister that is 22 years old, what jobs are available for her. She does not even know were to begin to find a job in her field.  There are already thousands of people ahead of her applying for jobs in the justice field that have years of professional experience under their belts.  She is working three jobs to pay back her loan, to lease a car and to pay rent.

Why push university when our economy does not cater to newly graduated students alot of them with degees in liberal arts?

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cantab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/December/2003 at 3:06pm

Seroxat,Effexor, an internal bleed that shows itself on a regular basis...9 years in university, $80,000 in debt, a wife of two years threatening to leave on a daily basis, thoughts of "leaving" this Earth for a "little while", working for $10 an hour 7 hours a month, listening to the political bs and social panic in my area of study, knowing full well that I could make a difference if only given the chance, debt collection agencies wanting blood form a stone.

My wife works and fortunately we have health benefits. Her income goes towards rent, her tuition to upgrade her credentials in this ass backwards province, and utilities. She misses her family and cannot afford to visit them, or renew her work or student visa to stay in Canada. I signed a promissory note to support her for the next three years and I can't even see past the next three hours. I am now a non-functioning member of society and cannot see any hope. Depressed.........at the very least................

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SolveStudentDebt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04/December/2003 at 2:43am

 Stress, anxiety, panic, and perforated ulcers. Nasty combination. If there is anything I can help you with, let me know.

 Johnny

Solve Student Debt specializes in solutions for students and graduates in student loan default, and those at risk of defaulting.

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