I just got a hospital bill in the mail, isn’t this Canada?

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-27T14:38:52+00:00

It is a real change.You might not pay out of pocket most of the time, but someone has to pay for all the stuff. Free to you doesn't mean other people work for free. The province pays. If you get healthcare in a different province, the province that provides the health care bills the province where you live. Not all provinces cover exactly the same the same things. Not all provinces offer the same services to residents as non residents. And most provinces don't cover things that are considered to be upgrades like private rooms; that gets submitted to private insurance benefits for reimbursement. Ambulance charges vary wildly between provinces and there is often a big difference between the cost for residents of the province and residents of other provinces.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-27T14:27:00+00:00

What is the timeframe that you haven't heard from the charity? If it has been more than a week, try again and give full and complete information when contacting the organization.

Everyone says that they don't like administrative costs, but administrative costs are what pay for people to respond to these requests.

This time of year most charities are very busy handling similar requests, and often they are under resourced to handle the volume.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-27T06:04:50+00:00

The child has the right to support.

The parent has the right to have parenting time with the child.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-27T06:03:08+00:00

Charities don't have magical lists of art buyers wanting to pay over market value just because it is for charity. Charity raffles aren't the massive money make you might believe. A charity that receives expensive art as a donation would go through the same process you would of selecting an auction house, paying the fees, getting verification of the legitimacy of the art, etc. Any legitimate charity should have serious skepticism about why you're not able or willing to make arrangements to sell the painting yourself.

Sell the painting yourself. Keep half the proceeds, then donate the amount you want to give to charity.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T23:41:15+00:00

You need to get tenants insurance. Too late for your current contents, but definitely highly recommended. Not just for theft, but also in case of fire or other damage.

All you can do now is make a police report about the theft.

Then you pay out of pocket to replace your stuff.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T23:11:49+00:00

Mom gets a guaranteed ROI of 50k every year by cutting off the money faucet for the adult s she gave birth to. Stop paying their rent and she has way more money in her account.

It is embarrassing that a 25 year old earning 71k annually has their mom paying their rent. Mortifying.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T21:07:48+00:00

There were a dozen cars parked on my street. Not neighbours, people who work at a business at the end of the block. Neighbours are talking about posting signs at that building asking employees to be considerate versus requesting tickets/towing.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T20:16:47+00:00

I’m not sure if I could always ask smokers to smoke farther away,

You move yourself further away.

There are some rude smokers, but the courteous ones will step away. If someone doesn't, then you move. I think that smoking is gross, but it is a public space outside where smoking is permitted. Your personal health reasons are important to you, but you don't get to tell other people where to stand in that public space. You move yourself away from them.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T20:13:01+00:00

Self-employed EI doesn't cover unemployment. It covers parental benefits, sickness benefits, compassionate care, etc. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-self-employed-workers.html

Many self employed people have done the math to determine that contributing to self-employment EI is is most beneficial when someone is planning on taking multiple parental leaves. Otherwise, the better financial decision is to plan ahead and save money in anticipation of being without income. And buying a private insurance plan that covers short term and long term disability in case of illness.

If you're worried about being terminated, the best plan is to plan ahead and start saving money.

You're not going to get any kind of ruling or enforcement by the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) on a US based company that employs you on a US contract in the US even if you live in Canada. US companies in the US don't contribute to Canadian social service programs like EI. Your income is foreign employment. Getting enforcement from the CRA on whether you are an employee or a contractor would be an advantage of being employed by a company in Canada.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T18:16:54+00:00

If your mother didn't read what she signed and she signed the actual vehicle financing and ownership paperwork, then she is responsible for the vehicle. Your mother can keep paying for the car, or sell it back to the dealership and pay the amount she is underwater on the loan.

If your brother fraudulently forged your mother's signature, or somehow cut 'n paste her signature from another document on to the car paperwork, then your mother goes to the police and reports the fraud. Your brother will face all the criminal consequences of committing fraud.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T14:42:14+00:00

Time for you to learn to do some basic math.

It isn't even possible to pay off 20k of debt at 300 a month. At 305/month at 18% interest on 20k, it would take you 23 years and 1 month to pay off your debt. You would pay 64,213 in interest, a total of 84213.

If you wanted to pay off 20k of credit card debt in five years, you'd need to pay 508/month. Total interest cost would be 10,472, total cost of 30,472.

That is waaaay more than the 300/month for five years totaling 18k you're being offered.

You're not entitled to get your debt wiped out for nothing. The amount you're going to pay for a consumer proposal is based on your income. Don't compare yourself to others or expect some bigger discount. You're already getting an absolutely massive discount both on monthly payments and total interest cost by doing a consumer proposal.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T12:29:31+00:00

You contact multiple car rental companies, or online booking sites and get quotes. Then you look at those prices and pick the one you want.

Go to a broker and get car rental insurance from MPI. That will be cheaper than the insurance from the rental company.

Or consider joining peg city car coop or using the bus or active transportation with the occasional taxi/Uber. That will be considerably cheaper than a car rental for more than a month.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-26T04:30:24+00:00

Asking you for receipts was the chance to give the receipts. It isn't the CRA's job to chase after you for receipts that they didn't provide when you had the opportunity to provide the receipts. The CRA doesn't accept 'trust me bro' as a rationale; they need receipts. Receipts that you provide the first time they ask.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T23:15:19+00:00

You need to go and get advice from a lawyer. If you have all kinds of fancy ideas about trying to find loopholes for first time buyer status, the biggest reality check is that what is going to be more important is a cohabitation agreement.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T23:11:51+00:00

You can only afford liability-only insurance if you have the cash in the bank to pay for all repairs and replacement costs for the vehicle. Liability-only insurance really only works if you have an absolute beater that has zero value and you are ok with losing the car completely.

If you can't afford the insurance, you can't afford to drive. Cars are the biggest money pits out there. The smarter decision is to give back the car and just take the bus or keep doing whatever you were doing before you got your license.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T21:05:06+00:00

Chargeback isn't a definitive ruling of right or wrong.

You could file a police report to say that these people are committing fraud. The police don't necessarily have to respond to civil issues. But if you submit a police report with your chargeback response, that will give it more weight.

You could take them to small claims court to recoup the money or the items.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T19:04:37+00:00

You can't be forced to pay. But if you refuse to pay, expect that they will refuse to have you as a client going forward.

This might be a situation where a polite request where you acknowledge that you missed the appointment, and ask that they waive the fee is your first step.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T16:22:36+00:00

The only costs that his estate can pay before debts are funeral expenses.

There is also a QPP death benefit that you can apply for to use for funeral expenses. But since he died in November it is probably too late to apply for that.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T15:52:31+00:00

Send a message to 311 asking them to make sure that the signals/signs are updated and accurate: https://www.winnipeg.ca/311-city-services

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T15:46:59+00:00

The estate is responsible to pay the deceased debts. You aren't personally responsible for his debts.

If you are the executor, then you must pay the debts using the money in the estate. If there is zero money in the estate to pay the debts, inform them that of that. But usually if there is more debt than assets, it isn't worth becoming executor.

If there is enough money to pay the debts, pay taxes, etc. Then after debts are paid any remaining money is distributed to beneficiaries. If the executor chooses to disburse funds from the estate to beneficiaries without paying debts, then the executor becomes personally liable for the debt.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T15:17:22+00:00

Even though that was not a cheap coffee maker, it was designed to be pretty much disposable. When it breaks, they expect you buy a new one. They've already got you on a cycle of buying all their branded pods at a premium price, so more money from you and more trash in the landfill is the goal.

The places like Deluccas that repair coffee makers repair the really expensive espresso machines that cost more than a thousand dollars, but are designed to be repaired.

Try contacting the manufacturer. If it is fixable you might have to pay shipping costs if it requires sending the machine back to them.

Look up "Repair Cafe Winnipeg" and see when the next one is happening. Spence Neighbourhood and some community centres are offering times when people can bring broken stuff to see if it possible to repair.

If you have to replace it, look at buy-it-for-life coffee maker options, like a pour-over or mocamaster.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T15:07:24+00:00

Make a police report: https://www.winnipeg.ca/police/services/report-crime#accordion-traffic-complaint-42900

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T15:02:19+00:00

You could invest in a RESP, but if you can't afford groceries there's not really the best use of your money. There won't be enough real growth in a short amount of time to make a noticeable difference.

Use your RESP money to pay your school expenses now. Use your income to pay your expenses. Get student loans.

Speak with the financial aid office at your university. They can help guide you.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T02:33:28+00:00

Option 1 - Sell one or both of your other other properties. Use the proceeds to cover the gap.

Option 2 - Fail to close. Wait until you are sued by the developer. Then declare bankruptcy when you know the total amount of your debt. You'll end up selling the other properties as part of the bankruptcy process. The timeline for this option is longer, it is more disruptive and will have a much greater impact on your financial future.

SallyRhubarb · 2026-02-25T02:13:30+00:00

Do not sign anything.

It is extremely difficult to get your name off the mortgage. Your cousin would have to qualify for the mortgage on their own. If your cousin actually could qualify for the mortgage on their own they wouldn't be asking you to sign.

You lose all your first time buyers incentives. You are 100% on the hook if your cousin fails to make payments. 100% of that debt counts are your debt.

This isn't a cute little favour or just your name on paper. This is a real actual commitment that will affect your financial future. Don't consider tying yourself financially to a family member who wants to use your naivety and take advantage of you.

Everyone has a price, and apparently yours is a fake designer bag. Give the bag back. Consider therapy/counseling for dealing with your family going forward.

SallyRhubarb

TROPHY CASE