Different aspect of Canadian life to discuss: I worry about the Pandemic-induced income supports being dismantled. It's too soon, and it's the wrong way to deal with the transition to a post-Pandemic economic life.
From my perspective: What pandemic income supports? I'm on AISH, which is the disability benefit in Alberta for people who are permanently disabled and can't work, at least not at anything consistent enough to matter.
You know how much the AISH recipients got, at least those who didn't qualify for any federal help?
NOTHING. Not. One. Nickel. They could at least have included a package of disposable masks with the monthly health card, but nooOOOooo. We were told, "Just go to any drive-thru at McDonalds, Tim Hortons, or A&W, and get a free package of 4 masks."
Hello... most of us don't drive. Pedestrians cannot use drive-thrus and these places were closed to walk-in customers.
Then we were told, "Okay, you can get a package of masks at the Edmonton public transit stations."
Hello... there are many of us who don't live in Edmonton.
When people pointed out to the Minister of Social Services that if able-bodied adults were deemed to need a minimum of $2000/month to live on, why were the disabled adults getting hundreds less/month... she said impatiently, "Don't worry, we're not cutting you off, you'll still get your cheques."
As she said this, we already knew that she and Kenney were looking for ways to kick people off and make it harder for others to get on.
Rajan Sawhney, who was shuffled out of that portfolio into some other one, is a snobby, entitled princess with a "let them eat cake" attitude. Her replacement... I've heard he's just as awful or worse, and that he and Kenney don't consider a person to be really disabled unless they're in a wheelchair or something visible, as opposed to people whose disabilities aren't immediately visible (people with brain injuries, mental health problems that preclude their being able to work consistently, etc.).
We are not happy campers here in Alberta. Not the people on AISH, not the homeless who will probably face more hardships this winter - Sawhney dug in her heels last year and didn't want to let them stay in the unused hotel rooms, because "it would take too long to retrofit them."
Why did she think they needed to be retrofit?
Well, because absolutely every homeless person just can't wait to use the curtains in hotel rooms to commit suicide, of course. So her idea of retrofitting meant removing ALL the curtains, from the windows and showers, removing the appliances, the cutlery (from units with kitchenettes), and even the friggin' paintings from the walls. Honestly, hotel paintings are too large to walk out with them stuck in a pocket. They weren't going anywhere, but I guess homeless people can't even have a painting to look at.
Oh, and my housekeeping helper from the seniors' centre is an anti-vaxxer, who's into the conspiracy bullshit and fake doctors peddling pseudoscience. Which just goes to show that you don't have to be a right-wing voter to be a gullible science-denier (she votes NDP).
Kidding. 
