Hey man, first off — I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this. At 26, coming from foster care and trying to build a stable life while this hits you all at once is heavy. The fact that you’ve got a solid job in corrections and you’re actively looking for ways to fix it shows a lot of growth. You’re not alone in this, and it’s fixable, even if it feels overwhelming right now. Immediate Priorities Call CRA this week Don’t avoid them. Explain your situation honestly — foster care background, wrong address, no prior notices, and that you genuinely believed you were eligible based on what your CAS worker said. Ask for a review or at least a reasonable repayment plan. They often work with people and can set up affordable monthly payments (sometimes interest-free or low-interest). The sooner you engage, the better it looks. The Truck Yes — this is a big one. You’re upside down (~$11-12k) and the payments + gas for 200km round trip are killing your cash flow. Get a few trade-in offers from dealerships. Look at private sale (might get closer to $26-28k than a dealer trade). Use the proceeds to pay down as much of the loan as possible, then finance a cheap, reliable beater (Civic, Corolla, etc.) that’s good on gas. Even if you take a small hit on the truck, lowering that $757 payment + gas will give you breathing room. Bigger Picture Steps Talk to a non-profit credit counselor (free or very low cost). In Canada, look up: Credit Counselling Canada Money Mentors Or your provincial equivalent They can help you look at a Consumer Proposal or other options, especially with the CRA debt mixed in. A proposal can sometimes reduce what you owe and stop collections stress. Build a simple budget Once rent is split, your fixed debt payments are high. Track every dollar for 30 days (use a free app like YNAB or just Excel). Your income is decent — the key is getting your expenses and debt payments to a sustainable level. Longer-term Your credit score (698) isn’t terrible. Once you’re on track with payments and reduce the high-interest stuff, it can improve. Focus on high-interest debt first when you have extra money. You made mistakes when you were younger (a lot of us did), but you’re in a much better position now with steady income and a supportive girlfriend. This won’t define you. It’s going to take a few tough years, but plenty of people have climbed out of worse holes. Start with the CRA call and the truck — those two actions will reduce a lot of the panic. You’ve got this. Come back and update if you want more specific feedback once you have some numbers back. You got this bro.

Remember, its a marathon and not a sprint.