| # | First Name | Last Name | Please provide a comment or personal story. |
|---|
| 201 | Laura | Beeby | If I, a former 11-year employee of the CIBC, can't avoid being chased by THREE collection agencies because of incompetence, apathy and a generally mismanaged, ever-changing system, how can expect a 20-year-old graduate with no experience with banks, loans or credit? We don't even deserve a regular statement of what we owe?? WHY NOT??
My 20-year-old son has refused to attend post-secondary education until he can pay for it himself because of my experiences; at $6,000/yr tuition, will that ever be possible? |
| 202 | Anonymous | Anonymous | To painful to bring up again. |
| 203 | Anonymous | Anonymous | I am a person with documented Permanent Disabilities (as your office is well aware) that is taking longer to complete my program than others and as such is increasing my overall debt levels, due to the longer periods of time in school with the need for more Living Allowance/Costs also since having sometimes to repeat difficult courses.
I ended up missing out on some grants/rewards such as the Millennium Grant ($3000.00) as an example; due to the way my funding has been requested on those Funding Applications, again because of my unique situation, where I am taking a reduced course load level at 40%. (2 classes cost less than 4 or 5 classes that others take, so loans per disperstment are smaller amounts not reaching $8000 or $8500 at one time, but larger amounts overall).
This is just the way things transpired with the nature and the way of registering and applying for funding one semester at a time in the beginning while we were exploring what school programs I should take and testing the waters, instead of fully applying for the program in full.
Things need to change to prevent more damage to my health.
Review Case by Case with considerations, we are not cookies, quit using the Cookie Cutter Method and train your empolyee's to think for themselves and be respectful when communicating.
Thanks |
| 204 | Clarice | Wilcox | There is a serious flaw with the student loan system in Canada and it is high time that someone takes a good hard look at it. It would be crucial that students and previous students be consulted in the process because they are the ones who are suffering. |
| 205 | jason | ivany | Go back to school during interest period and 5 year period for debt reduction starts all over under current system. |
| 206 | Susan | Feuer | Still paying after 20 years - crazy. |
| 207 | Judy | Stahr | I fully support this petition especially to give time for a graduate to find employment without interest penalty. Definitely interest rates should be lower and more in line to the actual cost to the government. |
| 208 | Peter | Fletcher | My student loan went into default while I was paying it back! When I spoke to CIBC, they said that they "reconstructed" my loan and I was now in default. I only learned about it when the collections agent called me early one Saturday morning. |
| 209 | Heather | Neufeld | Please work with us to help us repay our debts. We just want to arrange payments we can live with, pay off our debts and be responsible without being treated as second class citizens. We need to be treated like regular debtors and have payment options that work with our income - all we ask is the opportunity to make things right. |
| 210 | Anonymous | Anonymous | I think that in this "FREE" country, you have to be either a millionaire to receive a post secondary education. With all the stress of a student's studies and personal responsibilities, to add on the tuition amount that exists in Canada plus interest so that the government can make more money off of people who might not have as much as the other is dispicable. Stop giving to people who aren't citizens and start concentrating on Canadian education. I have been through the system and thought after 6 years it would have improved, not created more havoc. |
| 211 | Anonymous | Anonymous | The current system is so mismanaged and punitive as to be stone-age. Please LISTEN to the thousands of current and former students who are suffering because of short-sighted policies poorly informed parliamentarians, and cash-obsessed collectors. |
| 212 | Kelly | Loder | 2 Loans in default...collection agencies always asking me to go get a loan to satisfy the loans. Have been turned down twice and will not attempt to get more loans, as every attempt negatively affects my credit score, even though they tell me it doesn't and if I don't try they will have no choice but to look to their legal options. Horrible, horrible nightmare, almost makes me wish I never went to college and worked in retail instead. The monies I do get from my great job just pay the bills and nobody is happy with my monthy payment; however, I don't exactly have any other options.
Somebody has to do something, look at the large amount of people this is happening to. And just because I'm in default doesn't mean that I had or have no intention to pay, I'm just in a bad place with no one looking out for us. Very sad really - that government can waste tens of thousands of dollars on catering and room rentals for meetings, but are incapable of providing "Canadians" with any options to help clean up this mess. And I know I'm not the only one! Speaking of the costs associated with meetings, I know how much they cost - I'm a government employee!!!
Care to help? |
| 213 | Anonymous | Anonymous | Something must be done to help relieve student debt load. We are allowing the creation of a whole new class - the educated poor. |
| 214 | Erin | McDonald | I filled for bankruptcy in 2002 and was told by the CIBC (holder of my SL) that I should not make any payments towards my Federal loan as the Government has absorbed a portion of the debt. I never received any information in writing about this and continued to make my monthly payments to the CIBC.
3 years later a collection agency contacted me requesting that I pay them $10,000 ($1600 of this in interest) as my file is now with them for collection! I advised them that I was unaware of any debt owed to the Federal Government and requested they send me information on this.
I had also contacted the NSLP and asked them why I was not informed about this debt before now, and they responded by saying that it was up to me to contact the Government to make payment arrangements and not the other way around! It was up to my trustee to inform me of the procedures. I was never provided any information or legislation on this. They had my file since August 2002 and had been charging me interest without my knowledge. I consider this as stealing as they have not notified the people of whom they are taking this money from!
Question: As a you are required to keep paying your student loan as it cannot be absolved with your bankruptcy, then why would the government get involved if you are still making payments with the bank that holds your loan? |
| 215 | Owen | Curnow | Education should be a right |
| 216 | Kerri | Sorenson | Too many students are leaving university saddled with unbelievable debt. A new car or even a house could be bought for the same amount of money and the interest rates for those are far lower. |
| 217 | Jenn | Ormerod | Education should be a right! |
| 218 | Sylvie | Hache | Scotiabeank ruined my perfect credit record and I'll never be able to get a loan from any bank to buy a house. I'm 39 and have nothing to show for and the governement keeps my tax return for life. Where's the justice. |
| 219 | Joseph | Bellerose | It is a shame to see our great country allow such profits been made from students and driving them into financial ruin. This is criminal! |
| 220 | Ann-Marie | Zammit | It's about time that the Canadian Government take responsibility for the disasterous mess the Student Loan System has become. Do something now so that future Canadians won't have to suffer the same hardships that students of my generation are currently suffering. |
| 221 | Kim | Hagarty | Due to problems with the NSLC my loans were put into default and I was required to make payments. My payments are approximately $850.00 per month and I don't make enough money at present to pay them. Dealing with collection agencies (I have 6) has been a nightmare, I cannot believe that they have the right to treat people the way I have been treated. Recently, one of the agencies exercised "right of set off" and took my entire pay cheque out of my bank account. A bad situation was made a whole lot worse. I am still trying to catch up on the bills I couldn't pay without that pay cheque. I have tried to work this out and I keep hitting road blocks. I am beyond frustrated. |
| 222 | Leni | Fong | I graduated from BCIT and received my Professional Accounting Designation,CMA, THANKS TO THE STUDENT LOAN. |
| 223 | Stephanie | Robinson | Student loans have plagued my life for the last 12 years - and i have been paying...and paying. Collection agencies should not be allowed hold these debts. |
| 224 | Anonymous | Anonymous | Living from paycheck to paycheck because of student loan debt is getting really annoying especially when i see my that nearly half of my payment amount is spent on paying the interest. |
| 225 | Anonymous | Anonymous | I am poorer than I was before I started schol |
| 226 | Anonymous | Anonymous | me and my wife owe about $80000 and by the time we pay it off it is way over $120000 with interest and it is not fair in the current job market. |
| 227 | Anonymous | Anonymous | I will be paying off my loans until 2020. The only reason I manage now is because I have moved to the UK making the payments I send back to Canada double as a result of the currency conversion rate. If I still lived in Canada, after bills, rent and student loan payments I would have no money left to live on.
Student loans should be consolidated and the inetrest rate lowered. They were desiged as an investment in our future, instead they only serve to make the government more money, and to immobilize us within our socio-economic sphere permanently. It is time some positive changes were made to the current student loan system. |
| 228 | Anonymous | Anonymous | Threats are bugging me! |
| 229 | Anonymous | Anonymous | When I attended school (OBC-which turned out to be a school that wasn't recognized....although we were all told it was....and has since claimed bankruptcy)....anyway...when I attended I was told that anyone who graduated with honors would receive 90% of their student loans forgiven. There was no one here to help with anything to do with our loans after we got them....and since I DID graduate with honors and have talked with both levels of Gov't as well as the collection agencies that hound me....and have asked about the loan forgiveness...I have been told that I could attempt to find out about it...but in reality it would cost me more than the amounts owing on my loans to fight for it.....as it would be buried in red tape...and that was told to me by the Gov't not the collection agency. I would like to find out how to get the proof that the Gov't was offering that program in '96-'98 or there abouts. |
| 230 | Anonymous | Anonymous | I'm paying the same bit of money over & over. Now I've gone to grad school, to move forward in the job market & I'm in debt almost $30,000 for both degrees. We keep hearing about looming job shortages, lack of professionals etc. Why are all levels of government not providing real support and encouragement to those of us who are trying to better ourselves through education. It's just foolish how behind the 8 ball most university students are when they graduate with any degrees. Please change this. |
| 231 | Fatemeh | Faghihi | I have sent registared mails to collection agenies requesting them to contact me by mail and still, sometimes, they call me 4 times per day. |
| 232 | Sherry | Preston | I currently owe over $40,000.00 in student loans. After completing an undergrad degree I returned to school to obtain my teaching certificate. I financed this through private sources which means I owe an additional $9000.00 for my university studies. I am employed as a teacher-on-call which provides an erratic income. The school board that I work for has just decided to slash their budget. They are projecting that 90 teachers will be laid off in our district. I have worked hard to qualify myself professionally but the jobs simply aren't there. I feel a real lack of optimism and despair for my financial future. |
| 233 | Nicole | Baarbe | Student loan interests rates are unbearable.The government is robbing us of our futures. |
| 234 | patty | donovan | Abusive and persistent and demeaning, those are the words to describe the collection process... my daughter died in November, 2006 after a bone marrow transplant, I have not worked in a year, did not collect anything beyond 15 weeks sick leave and yet when I told them why I was not working they did not seem to care... I have just started being rude back... I do not take their calls right now nor do I return them... I think that they should have enough compassion not to harass a family in mourning, but I guess not!!! |
| 235 | Garry | Ryan | grants not loans |
| 236 | Jessica | Eastwood | Having to take out loans has dicouraged me from taking furthur education |
| 237 | Hugh | Towill | I also have turned to private loans for funding post secondary education and these have greatly increased my debt load. I would like to see some provisions for relief in this area. |
| 238 | Anonymous | Anonymous | As a student advisor I see a large number of my students working multiple jobs while attending as many classes as possible to limit their student loan debt. Exhaustion and depression are common results.
Reforming this program to support and encourage students rather than punish them for a choice that benefits the country is essential. |
| 239 | Anonymous | Anonymous | Scotia Bank refuse to send me interest letter after my student loan with them have been settled through Account Recovery Corporation |
| 240 | Arien | Crossby | My "grace period" resulted in a $1200 increase in my loan balance. This is apparently a use of the word "grace" of which I was previously unaware. |
| 241 | Anonymous | Anonymous | During my "payback" time, I have found the most frustrating the fact that cheques are often lost or never received at the "Station D" address. For a short time post dated cheques were delivered to and handled by a particular RBC employee who was kind enough to inform me of receipt of cheques, when these were cashed, if the exchange rate was ok etc. Unfortunately after this person stopped being involved, cheques often fell in a black hole never to be delivered to "Station D" resulting in late payments, not to mention the hassle of having to call the bank and cancel the previous cheques. In the age of technology why can't the RBC apply debit payments directly from our accounts (for oversees people)?? Do they want us to delay our payments? Do they want our loans to go in default? |
| 242 | Anonymous | Anonymous | Please help students who have accumulated high debt. I have in excess of $100,000 in student loans and it seems near impossible that I will be able to pay them entirely.
As a student with a permanent disability, my earning potential is already low. I would like to have a normal life someday, have a family and maybe even own a home, but I am 32 years old. Right now, with my existing debt load and inability to pay other loans (and now a poor credit history), these things are impossible.
It seems that taking out student loans and pursuing education to improve my future has done just the opposite: It has hindered me more than it has enabled me.
This is stressful and worsens my condition greatly. I would like to get out of the cycle of government dependency for my survival, but I need some real help from the government.
A university education is expected nowadays in Canadian society, but it is unfair that persons who have learning difficulties and whom come from family backgrounds that did not facilitate learning (low SES); must mortgage themselves to try to get ahead. In contrast, persons from families who value education, and whom are better-off, can breeze through the system because it is part of their culture; such that they receive scholarships and economic familial support.
I have worked long and hard in pursuing an education, as I will in pursuing a career, but such pursuits seem like they are becoming futile.
My student debt has become as disabling as my existing disability. Please help to enable ALL students by implementing the given changes to the Canada Student Loans program.
The bottom line is that by doing so, more Canadians will be able to pay off there debt early, will be able to retain better credit histories, and will be able to move into job markets that allow them to earn real wages. This will quite obviously allow them to fully participate in the economy: They will more readily take out mortgages for homes, have children, will pay more taxes, and will buy more products and will use less social and health services. As indicated by Statistics Canada time and time again, their children will likely do the same.
Has the Canada Student Loans program become the privatization of a new welfare state?
Have we replaced welfare by giving private student loans to persons from low SES?
Is the Conservative government willing to help enable students and ALL Canadians by implementing the proposed changes?
Desperately,
anon. |
| 243 | Richard | Allen | We need these improvements and some more like not listing student loans with the credit breaus as this messes up your credit for years and also is not very good for the canadian economy as people could be buying houses and cars and things after they get a job and some times here in the Martime Provinces it can take years to get a well paying job so this student loan sits on your file with the credit breaus and hurts you more and more year after year and can affect you even applying for certain jobs. |
| 244 | Shantelle | Szuch | I currently have 5 separate student loans with my MINIMUM payments at just under $600/mth. I acquired my debt to get my Masters degree while raising a toddler on my own without support from her father (I was escaping an abusive marriage) and now I am unable to obtain significant loan relief. |
| 245 | Marc | Ainsworth | I have been trying to find out who actually hold my student loan (who I Owe) and the collection agency can't tell me. WHY NOT?
Also, why are my payments not showing as being paid off slowly in my credit report, insted it just shows what was owed from the beginning.
This is just not right. And why can't I find out who I own the loan to and maybe negotiate a settlement? Because the collection agenies make more money in the end if they have the account longer I think.
Goodluck! |
| 246 | Jeff | Hodorek | I too was in default due to the national Student Loan Center losing important documents and the lack of communication between departments at the center. |
| 247 | Lorna | Appleby | I became disabled years after my schooling finished and had all sorts of financial hardships. I was horrified to have to pay $110 for a doctor's letter to be told I didn't qualify. They couldn't have told me BEFORE they wanted the medical information? The system is stupid, whether you become disabled two days after or two years, $863/mo (BC Disability mount) is NOT enough to also cover a student loan payment. (Though I guess I can say I'm on the student loan repayment diet plan..) |
| 248 | Christy | Zutautas | I have been repeatedly verbally abused and harassed by collection agencies. I have had cheques I've sent in held until the next month for no reason. This harassment all occured while I was paying monthly payments on my student loan.
When I initially contacted the collection agency to set up arrangements. They gave me a hard time, demanding to know why I wanted to pay, and why they should let me pay. They called me back several times that day demanding an explanation of who I thought I was, and why was I calling them. This was to be the beginning of my collection agency nightmare.
Something needs to be done about the harrassment, the threats, and the high interest rates. There is no reason for this type of treatment being tolerated in Canada. |
| 249 | ILIA | GOUIDA | i WAS IN SCHOOL FULL TIME CIBC MISSPLACED MY CONFIRRMATION OF ENROLMENT FORM PLACED ME INTO REPAYMENT STATUS WHEN I SUBMITTED ANOTHER FORM THEY WOULDNT ACCEPT IT HAD TO PAY INTEREST FOR NOTHING THEN THEY PLACE MY LOAN WITH COLLECTION AGENCY AND WOULD REFUSE TALKIN TO ME AND PROVIDING ANY INFO UNTIL I SETLE DEBT WITH COLLECTION AGENCY DEFINETLY NEED SOME CHANGE I HAVE 5 STUDENT LOANS WITH DIFFERENT INSTITUTION AND DIFFERENT AGENCIES HANDLING THEM ON BEHALF OF THEM ITS BRUTAL PAPER WORK GETS LOTS AND WE END PAYING FOR IT |
| 250 | Kelly | Crocker | They will screw you over as much as they can. |
