Camosun students were excited when prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) on April 22. But, as we reported at the time, some were wary, as well. I know I was, since I had applied for unemployment benefits in the past but got denied because of the many picky details that disqualified me.
When May 15 finally rolled around and I was able to apply for CESB, I suddenly realized I didn’t have my online Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) account set up, so I quickly had to do that, which was actually not painstakingly difficult, but navigating around the site was a bit annoying to me. I didn’t have direct deposit set up yet so I had to figure that out fast. I could only imagine the pain that not doing taxes previously and not having a CRA account set up could be for some.
But beyond that, the details of the CESB confused me—and others—quite a bit. For starters, there’s the matter of how the different periods are explained and set up. At first, I thought I could only apply for the July 5 to August 1 and August 2 to August 29 periods since I don’t finish my certificate until December of 2020, but I had actually misread the information. So, if you are currently a Camosun student, go apply right now if you haven’t. Every college student should apply, as post-secondary students can apply for any period, since it’s the high-school students graduating this year that have the different periods they can apply for.
Honestly, even though I’m here ranting and groaning about how confusing this all is, I’m very thankful for the government giving students money. These past few months have been stressful on everyone, and I’m glad that the government is willing to put aside money during this pandemic. My own situation isn’t too bad, but I’ve had a few troublesome days wondering about financial matters, and I’m sure most students can relate.
Even as I write this, I don’t completely understand the CESB, and I can only imagine what an annoyance it is for high-school graduates trying to navigate through the application process, so I hope that more information is released for everyone.
The good news is, once you figure out your CRA account and direct deposit information, it’s just a few clicks (or taps) of okaying their agreements and then the confirmation that you will receive the money either in three days through direct deposit or 10 days by cheque.
BC has been able to flatten the curve and is slowly opening up businesses again, but who knows what the future holds with our neighbours still dealing with the pandemic. In the meantime, at least students have the CESB to help out. As long as you can figure out how to get it.