I'd like to know how they stayed on EI for multiple years, doesn't it run out after 9 or 10 months? You'd have to go back to work, put in the appropriate amount of hours, and then get laid off again.

It's years ago now so it's testing my memory, but I believe if you have proof that you are actively looking for a job (applications, interviews etc) it can be extended.

I remember with the bff I would ask her how the job search is going. "It was a hectic day. Handed out about 30 applications and resumes".

Of course I later find out she emailed a few places, and went back to playing video games (this was before emailing a resume was the preferred method)

The people I find most likely to abuse EI are the younger people still living at their parents. They don't need the money so it's easy to just sit back and let the cheques roll in and worry about finding a new job when it runs out. People with a family and bills to pay will be out looking for a job because EI definitely doesn't pay your full wage.

I was on EI for a few months about 4 1/2 years ago and you had to meet with your assigned person and prove you were actively applying for jobs. They would spot call people/companies you applied/interviewed with and also checked your email logs etc.

Definitely less lax than it used to be.

imo if you're a hard worker and end up getting laid off with a buffer of savings in the bank, i dont see a problem with using the EI money to fund a temporary vacation away from work.

fuck paying into the shit and never using it, if you need to use it as help between quickly finding a job, go for it.

but if you want some extended time off, as someone who works hard and has saved some dough, i'd rather see someone use it to take time off and recharge than the scam artists and "seasonal workers" who abuse the system to no end.

to this day i still know a bunch of people who parents bought them houses from illicit fund, and these people have never worked a day in their lives. They have "acquaintances" and "family" who have seasonal type businesses (at least on paper) and they continually hire these people, lay them off, and rehire, literally year after year. And i 100% know this is a chronic problem amongst these groups, because NO ONE WORKS! lol.. like literally, growing up i knew 20+ people just in my inner circle who had these arrangements.

So i wouldnt get so uptight about 1 guy looking for an EI kickback.. the system is broken

People with money will call people who abuse EI scum who steal their tax dollars, and then go ahead and find some tax loophole that saves them thousands and be told they are geniuses for it.

I don't understand why EI exists in Vancouver. Anyone can literally get a job in labor/food/hospitality for minimum wage. Why should I be paying for people to help them find the "right" job for them?

So someone who had a good high paying job that they went to school for should be forced to work at McDonalds for fuck all in between jobs?

yes. many people with degrees are "forced" to work at mcdonalds.

I'm assuming you work in an industry that's pretty immune to layoffs then. We all pay EI premiums get over yourself thinking the money you put in is any more valuable than everyone else.

No industry is immune. I pay EI to max cap each year. Its around 2% of 50k cap. The EI payout is about 50% of that 50k cap which comes out to around minimum wage full time. If you're abled body, why not work. god forbid people demote themselves to a lowly job.

I don't know if there is a clause in EI requirement where you can only look for work that matches your "level of education, and previous job". Might as well get all the minimum workers only look for office jobs so they can continue to milk EI while meeting the "looking for job" requirement. You can also work while getting EI.

Sorry that happened to you, totally not right IMO. At my work we've had multiple people go off on Medical EI because of stress in the last 3 years, one guy has even done it twice. As far as I know they never had a problem collecting EI well waiting for their long term disability to kick in, maybe because the employer was more supportive?

FYI for the lazy EI abusers, you cant leave the country if you're on EI so dont plan that trip to southeast asia to "find yourself"

Yeah I also pay the max cap each year. I'm just assuming you've never had to use it so you feel it's unnecessary. Being on EI isn't fun, it's usually followed by a stressful time in your life where you're looking for work to pay the bills. If you make decent money EI is basically covering the bare minimum while you find a new job. I'm sure anyone who's had to use it would gladly trade places with someone who's never had to.

So your solution is that it'll be easier for someone to find a new job while they are picking up extra shifts pumping gas instead of out applying for something that will actually pay the bills? We all hear the stories of the lazy people who have been on EI for years and suddenly everyone is typecasted as a leech.

You make it sound so easy to get a McJob if you are a professional.

Who is going to hire someone with say, a comp sci degree and 10 yrs experience, for a gas station attendant or a burger flipper? When they look at their resume and see nothing but a ton of Software Developer experience. Manager's probably thinking - "The guy's going to be out the door the second he gets a job in his field again". If I was the gas station/fast food hiring manager, I wouldn't make sense for me to waste my time and money training someone who probably won't stay.

And how are you able to work while getting EI? Unless it's some kind of under-the-table job, in which case you are still gaming the system.

It's been about 10 years since I was on EI, and back then I still worked the odd shift because I was laid off but still on call when they needed me. I'm not sure if it's changed since then but back then you could work one day a week with your employer and not get dinged on your EI cheque. If you got called in more than that (and you had to go in if they called) they took what you made off your EI cheque. If you got called in a few days a week but not 40 hours it was possible to end up not making really much more than if they never called you in at all and you just collected EI. The lazy people hated this.

i think you can actually, you just won't be paid for the time you spent away.
when you return your EI payments continue.

As you state in your post, this situation has since been corrected. There are a number of different EI options now, sickness is one of them. There is also EI for compassionate care, where they will support you if you need to take time off to deal with a loved one. This is an area which has been much improved the last decade.



Also people need to keep in mind, EI does not last forever. There is a maximum of 45 weeks. You cannot stay on it indefinitely. The exact number of weeks depends on the level of Unemployment in your region and how long you had worked before going on EI.

Source:

Regular Benefits - How much could you receive

Now with that said, EI doesn't just give you money every month and tell you to fuck off. They have a number of other services where they help you find a job, and failing that after a number of weeks they will start providing option on further education and training to try and get you into a different role or field where you might find more success in finding a job.

The trouble I see is that most people in here seem to have the reasoning that when they decide they are tired of working full time they can just go on EI and take a vacation and come back to work when they feel like it. Well that's kinda not how the system is designed to work. We can't all just take 6 months off a year and go on EI, otherwise the system would fall apart.

Couldn't you have continued showing up for work and barely do anything or refuse to because of your condition? Or even not showing up in some days. I'd imagine that'd get you fired making you eligible to collect EI. It's not like you were trying to be a dick. You just sincerely couldn't perform the duties.

Depends on how the company handles it.

You can fire someone with just cause, and they wouldn't be eligible for EI. For example people who steal from their employers and get fired. These people are not eligible for EI.

In your example of just coming in and doing a shitty job, the employer has to do a little work, and write you up and give a couple verbal warnings, and then if they feel you havn't improved performance wise you can be fired and not eligible for EI.

The other side of this, is a company doesn't want to go through the hassle of the paperwork and shit related to the warnings, so they just lay the person off.

The second part of that happens very often, unfortunately it can come back to bite some companies, and I have actually witnessed one company fuck this up pretty badly.

What happens is they Lay one employee off, but at the same time they hire another to do the same job. This is actually not allowed in BC and can get you in hot water. You leave your company open to all sorts of legal issues if you do this. If you are getting rid of an employee because their performance is not good, and hiring someone else, you cannot lay off the employee they have to be fired. This situation is even more critical in Union or labor association type environments where the union will destroy an employer if they find out about this.

i fired a guy because he was slacking and playing with his phone too much during work.
we have policy where you can't be on your phone during work, unless its on your break.
"just cause" includes breaking company rules and policies, so we didn't give him EI or severance.

In Vancouver, the taxes go towards.............................. bike lanes! Gulolol.

EI is retarted. a homeless guy with a crack addiction and no job since last year can get 40k a year

meanwhile a fulltime student that just got laid off, living in poco is not eligible.

those retards have no clue what they are doing.

OP let me help you out forget EI you need to start by applying at the link below

Careers

and then read the link below

Urban Dictionary: 14 dolla balla

Thats the path to success

^he just wants to work for McD's when they bring back the McPizza.


Sorry, just had to bring that up again.........................