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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tanya View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tanya Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Student Loan pardons
    Posted: 24/May/2004 at 5:16pm

I wrote a letter to the prime minister begging for relief from my good federal student loan so I could start paying my Ontario loan which is in default.  no answer. At 42 years of age due to september 11 my job has been relocated to India as it is cheaper. I will be out of a job soon. I have no retirement savings plans or even a savings account.

The lady on the phone when I called the cibc told me that if i could pay them 9900 of my over 11000 loan it would not tarnish my credit report and suggested i borrow it. I went to my bank manager who gave me the information regarding collections not being allowed to press you to borrow to pay a loan. The credit collector also has no power to remove your default on the credit report either. This lady lied to me. Thank god my bank manager was honest with me. they also told me I had to clear up my interest before they could accept a payment plan. Is this true as I forgot to tell the bank manager that.

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IOIOIO View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote IOIOIO Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20/May/2004 at 2:52pm

Originally posted by onekaliluv onekaliluv wrote:

I am on income assistance and have been so for the past 4 years. I was told by my social worker that collectors arent even supposed to contact me in the event that i am on income assistance. Does anyone know if this is true or not?? ANY info would be a massive help!

You DO NOT have to pay them one little penny!

Check out the gov't link on rules for collection agencies: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/consumers/debtcollb_guideline.htm

Concerning social assistance, if you live in BC, it says:

"Harassment of Debtor

A collector must initially accept in good faith a debtor’s representation that his only source of income is government income assistance or that his income includes a "top-up" of income assistance. The debtor must be allowed up to 2 weeks to provide evidence of his financial situation. It is sufficient for the debtor to provide a copy of the income assistance cheque stub for the previous month. If this is the case, demand for payment of a debt is an unreasonable collection practice. The debtor’s status can be reconfirmed with the debtor at regular intervals of not less than 30 days."

There are a lot of other interesting rules too!

I was born
& I know I'll die ...
The in-between is MINE
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orrganic View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote orrganic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/April/2004 at 2:33pm

I worked at a collection agency for three months (even though I could have easily been collecting on my own loans). At the agency I worked at, we were told that we couldn't legally collect from people who are on welfare, but if we could scare them enough to pay up, then good for us.  The mentality was "get what you can by any means necessary."  I can't speak for all collection agencies, but I know that at the one I worked at it didn't matter what we did as long as we brought in some money.

I was a lousy collections officer by their standards.  Apparently I was "having too much fun" and "developing too much of a rapport with" the people I dealt with - even though I had the highest numbers on my floor. I remember the relief people expressed after speaking to me - a real person with a really sh*tty job who understood and would side with them.  But, the agency didn't want payments over the course of time...they wanted it all now!  No wonder I was sacked. 

Now I'm mid-degree (again) and being reassessed every second month. Most recently they've decided to claw back half to three-quarters of my loan from this year, even though I'm a single parent who's working really, really hard and barely making it. I don't understand, but I'm not going down without fighting.

This system doesn't work for anyone. We borrow, spend, then pay back for the rest of ouw lives - but only if we can afford to pay back.  What is going on?  I'm confused and frustrated and ready to scream.  I just want for some European sage to swoop down on Canada and say "This is how we do it in Sweden..." 

orrganic

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kate View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kate Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/April/2004 at 1:19pm

Sean,

Yes I did grossly overgeneralise. Thanks for your good points.

Wasn't Paul Martin ultimately responsible for the student loan decisions? Why would that change with his being elected.

Another point I would like to add:

Part of the reason that people feel ununified is that if you ask most people who are not in this situation whether or not someone should be able to include their student loans in a bankruptcy, many if not most people will say that "why should someone get a free education at the tax payers expense".

But if you ask people about most of what would normally be included in a bankruptcy...like: should someone be able to max out their credit and file for bankruptcy, or run a business such that they spend all the profits and then turn to the taxpayers to be let free...lets face it most bankruptcy situations are just as undesirable.

Anyhow just some thoughts...

Kate

When we face what we're afraid of we find out what we're made of. Dido
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MegaPo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/April/2004 at 6:50am
Originally posted by kate kate wrote:

I hear all you people claiming that none of you vote. No offense meant but no damn wonder the government does not see screwing you over as any threat to them.

You make a good point, Kate, though you have grossly over-generalized.  Is it not true that "all [us] people" claim that "none of [us] vote."  In fact, I suspect that the voting rate among CanadaStudentDebt members is much, much higher than the voting rate of the general Canadian population.  Personally, I am very active in all governance processes, especially elections.

But still, your point is a good one.  If nobody here votes, then we are all just a bunch of hot-airbags, blowing our complaints back-and-forth between each other.  Luckily, that's not true, because WE do vote, even if it is not ALL of us EVERY time.

Your second point is even better, and very helpful.  You observed that we need to be explicit in our feedback to the governments.  The phonecalls, letters, and faxes to government officials (both the servants and the elected officials) form the best chance for policy change in our country.  A few people from this site have been working this angle, and they work damned hard doing it!

These efforts to communicate with our government are much more effective than simply trying to vote them out.

And in fact...   NOW is a great time to flood the federal government with intelligent and informative descriptions of problems with the student loan system.  The new prime minister is aggressive about pointing out the errors of the previous administration.  Did you notice that several government scandals have been exposed since Paul Martin took office?  This is common in politics -- kinda like "cleaning out the desk"; getting rid of the crap left behind by the last guy.

And remember:  Paul Martin has not yet been elected as our PM.  (Yes, I know that he is PM anyway!)  In the last election, he ran as a federal cabinet member, and the people in his riding accepted him for that role.  Also, the people of Canada accepted the federal Liberal party as our governmental party, under Chretien's leadership.  But now, Mr. Martin must prove to Canadians that he and his party are going to do the right things in the future.

(Do you remember what happened to the Rt. Hon. Kim Cambell?  Her riding supported her as a cabinet member, and she took over as PM when Mulroney retired.  Shortly afterward, she and the federal PC party were *crushed* in a wave of disapproval from the voters!)

Therefore, Mr. Martin has been searching for (and finding!) ammo he can use to bash the last administration.  He wishes to prove to his riding--and to the Canadian people--that the old crap will NOT take place under his watch.

So let's give him the ammo...   Seriously, think about it.

Specifically, let's tell Mr. Martin about:  (1) the specific set of violations of law and violations of public policy performed by the banks and by HRDC; and, (2) the lack of government oversight/supervision that has permitted the corruption of our student loan system.

After all, federal student loan laws require the HRDC minister to supervise actions of private banks in administration of student loans.  And holy crap!, the government really dropped the ball in the '90s, letting the banks get away with anything!

But hey, "That was the last guy," our new prime minister will claim. "Under my government, the student loan laws will be adhered to," he should promise, "and students will receive fair treatment."

Let's push him, folks!

--Sean

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kate View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kate Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29/March/2004 at 2:53pm

I hear all you people claiming that none of you vote. No offense meant but no damn wonder the government does not see screwing you over as any threat to them.

 

What would it be like if we wrote as a group to several politiicans and said....we have a website...and we will make more. We are xxxxx in number and we all vote. Where do you stand on the student loan issue because for those of us who have had our lives turned upside down because of it....it will influence...no "decide" our vote.

If we don't think that way....that is why we get ignored. No unity no worry for the politicians.

Kate

 

I would like to more about the six year rule if anyone knows about it and also about any possibility of being able to work in Asia for a couple of years and pay a portion of my loan rather than the whole thing. I owe about 60,000 (raised two kids while going to school) and can't find decent paying work in Canada to pay on my loan. But...I am 44 years old and don't want to have to stay in Asia forever.

my e-mail is intjkate@hotmail.com

Any info would be appeciated.

This is a great site and I bet you are all more of a threat than you realise.

When we face what we're afraid of we find out what we're made of. Dido
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PixelFloozie View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PixelFloozie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/March/2004 at 2:04pm
Originally posted by diana diana wrote:

If the CIBC is not able to implement policy and
procedure to deal with debt and loan issues then the government should
step in and look at the situation as it is. This is not a form that is lost in
the mail. This is mass inadequacy. I am curious how much HRDC is
holding in student loan defaults.



It is not just CIBC that is inept at handling paperwork...it is the whole
system, banks and government alike. My problems stemmed from the
National Student Loan Service Centre losing my paperwork; my sister-in-
law deals with ScotiaBank and they lost her paperwork; others RBC, and
on it goes.

There is no incentive for the banks or the government to clean up their
mess. Our banks and US financial companies are making money off our
debt (and it is sanctified by our government...insult to injury: anyone
remember CIBC's little $81M "scandel" of a few weeks ago?). Furthermore,
banks have no problems sending students down Default Creek because
they then get to collect the risk portion of the debt from the government
and get tax write downs for bad loans in the interim.

Think about how much money is being wasted between the government
and the banks - multiple papers, multiple departments, multiple
governments...paper going in circles. I think: 1. Consolidate the mess of
it. 2. Streamline processes. 3. Provide financial and employment
councelling through HRDC. 4. Assess the debt-to-income ratio and adjust
for living in 2004. 5. Consider partial write-downs to provide immediate
relief, help to stimulate the "young" economy, and stop the downward
spiral towards poverty that is facing 10 of 1000s of graduates.

My two cents. Bye.

PS - Meaningful jobs with a real "living" wage/salary would be nice, too!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote diana Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16/March/2004 at 3:03pm

The high cost of education and the subsequent debt is one side of the problem. The side of the problem that I am dealing with is the debt of education and the improper handling of documentation. If the CIBC is not able to implement policy and procedure to deal with debt and loan issues then the government should step in and look at the situation as it is. This is not a form that is lost in the mail. This is mass inadequacy. I am curious how much HRDC is holding in student loan defaults. If HRDC could investigate and recognize the wrong doing in the past how many of these loan defaults would become positive. If HRDC is going to deal with the banks they should be aware of the obviously poor relationship.

diana
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SolveStudentDebt View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SolveStudentDebt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16/February/2004 at 1:47am

 

 Very interested.

 

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

solvestudentdebt.com
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BC.Loaner Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/February/2004 at 3:55pm

Hello folks, I too would like to voice my displeasure with the CSL program...Background: I reside in bc. I took out a csl back in 1989. Everything went alright for the first year of studies. After that though, during my second year (about one third of the way through) I recieved notice that i had to get the "interest relief" forms signed and returned to the bank (scotia bank). I contacted the bank to inform them that they had made a mistake, and that i was still attending school full-time. Upon realization (by the bank)that thre indeed was a mistake assured me(verbally via telephone)that all would be taken care of. I mistakenly assumed that all was ok. Then another few months went by and i recieved a phone call from the bank asking me why i had made no effort to rectify the previous situation!!!

After many faxes and phone calls it became clear to me that the student loans officer at the bank had screwed up royally. He went on vacation right at the time he assured me that the "mistake" would be resolved (turns out he left the day after i submitted the paperwork).

Anyhow this fubar was the start of my experience. There are a few other "oopses" i would like to tell about, just wondering if anyone here is interested???

 

What is in a number eh?
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skyhigh View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote skyhigh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19/November/2003 at 6:14am

onekaliluv you said

Originally posted by onekaliluv onekaliluv wrote:

I had nothing but problems with the school i attended, and it ultimately led to the discontinuation of my course due to circumstances beyond my control.

Sorry if this is a duplication of anyone elses reply. I have not read the entire thread yet.

Depending upon your circumstances you might be able to sue the school you were attending for sub-standard education. It is quite an investment and like any consumer we do have rights and certain expectations of quality. I have read online somewhere that it is a fairly common lawsuit.

Of course only you know the full story.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pixxa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/October/2003 at 7:29pm
Originally posted by polyhymnia61 polyhymnia61 wrote:


If you get lucky, you sometimes have a scrapper of
an local MP or MPP who will take up your cause...

But generally, it's an unhill struggle during a
hurricane while wearing high heels and a miniskirt
and carrying the groceries with a hole in the bag...


ROFLMAO.. too funny.

I still have my sense of humour.. till the government finds a way to tax that too!!!

Actually, I wasn't being down on myself regarding being politically stooopid <- hence the spelling.. Fact is I can't keep up with the "baffle em with BS" tactics most politicians use.. I am saavy enough to see how backwards our government's priorities are and how disgustingly irresponsible they are with money.

~backspaces big time~

Ukay, now I'm seething.. One of the reasons I steer clear of discussing politics LOL.. and as many have said earlier in this thread, why vote the only choices seem to be, bad, worse and terrible!

Pixxa
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 polyhymnia61 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/October/2003 at 7:42am
No, NO, Sweetie!! You're not stupid at ALL, Pixxa!!
You're priorities have definitely been in the right
place!!

I got involved in student politics while in uni, and
quickly became cynical...Money tawks, that's the
number #1 rule.

If you get lucky, you sometimes have a scrapper of
an local MP or MPP who will take up your cause...

But generally, it's an unhill struggle during a
hurricane while wearing high heels and a miniskirt
and carrying the groceries with a hole in the bag...

In other words...keep scrapping, but never lose your
sense of humour!
Home is where you are allowed to prosper.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pixxa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/October/2003 at 6:14am
Okay.. so now I'm feeling a tad deflated. Just a tad though cause I had my doubts that any Canadian politician would really have genuine concern.

As I said earlier.. I'm politcially stoooopid, so I've no idea what Martin's history is.. thanks for the info.

Over the years I've poured my energy into school studies, voluteer work and personal growth.
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 lasergirl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25/October/2003 at 7:15am
re:Enza Supermodel/Cdn Alliance (?). She's just
lost my vote if she in any way supports the Alliance!
The Pot Party is looking better and better.........maybe
we'll all get free munchies!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote polyhymnia61 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24/October/2003 at 10:27am
Enza the supermodel??? Yeah, but she supports the Canadian Alliance, doesn't she? lol

I live in Ontario too and suffered through three parties in power during my (many) years in university...Hunter, you're right, once they're in power they all walk the same walk...At least the Tories were honest with us -- they said to our faces we were just a rabble rousing special interest group...

I just keep dreamin, I guess...
Home is where you are allowed to prosper.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lasergirl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24/October/2003 at 10:05am
Hello Hunter (you poet!) and polyhymnia61...
I too only vote AGAINST someone that really scares me ( i.e. Ernie Eves). Regarding the Rhino party....alas Cornelius (the rhino) died and they disbanded. I might vote for the pot party. At least they will have a valid excuse for f@#king the country up...they'll all be stoned (not me though, I hate cigarette smoke of any kind). The mayoralty race in Toronto has a drag queen running so I might vote for 'her'. She can't be any worse than what we've had! LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24/October/2003 at 8:39am
I hear you

I do not vote either....
If you ask me...
Voting is a waste of my time and effort...
I'd rather bang my head against the wall....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote polyhymnia61 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24/October/2003 at 8:20am
I don't vote FOR anybody...I usually vote AGAINST the one who scares me the most...




Desparately missing the Rhino Party,
Home is where you are allowed to prosper.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24/October/2003 at 8:08am
And people ask me "Why is it that you do not vote?"
And I ask myself, Why bother..what is gained by me voting.

If you ask me these politicians are the same as bill collectors.
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