By Kendall Worth!
Unlike the past 3 years, this year, at Christmas, the feeling is that people will be living through Christmas with less anxiety this year. Considering that Christmas 2020 and 2021 we had COVID lockdowns, and public health restrictions, to deal with. In 2022 some still did not celebrate Christmas with others, as there was a re-adjustment period to life after COVID. This year, 2023, more people are going back to celebrating Christmas the way they used to, but as you know celebrating Christmas has always been difficult for people living in poverty. COVID restrictions may be long gone but, the out of control inflation, we are experiencing this year is no help.
Also, unlike last Christmas, when Income Assistance Recipients got that extra one time $250.00 to help with inflation, this year Income Assistance Recipients got nothing extra.
One thing that happened that created a new opportunity for people living in poverty to celebrate Christmas is a recent event hosted by All Together Link, AKA Mitigating social isolation projec.
Even though we had a good turnout at this event, it was less than 1/2 the people who registered... Hopefully if we hold this event again next year we will get a better turn out.
The following picture outlines where some holiday meals will be happening this year. This is good news … organizations are hosting Christmas dinners again this year!
Overall, Christmas should be a time of year when how rich or poor you are, should not matter. But with inflation increasing constantly, one impact that some Income Assistance Recipients face, is the un-affordable expense of travelling to be with family at the holidays. Inflation has driven the cost of taking Maritime Bus and Shuttles up, way above and beyond the pre-COVID prices. I have recently had conversations with 5 different Income Assistance recipients, who historically (meaning pre-COVID and inflation) would be travelling to Cape Breton to spend Christmas with family, and the 5th would be travelling to New Glasgow, and then being driven another 30 minutes, to spend time with her family. All of them told me that for the 4th year in a row they will not be travelling home to see family this Christmas. While the past 3 years it was because of COVID, this year it is due to the great expense of travelling on Maritime Bus, or shuttles.
I am now going to take a moment here to go back to my BLOG post about Thanksgiving 2023.
In this BLOG post I reported on his inability to travel home at Thanksgiving. Taking Maritime Bus to rural Nova scotia where his family is, has not only gotten way too expensive, but Maritime bus only has one bus per day and that bus does not arrive until 6:30 at night. There is then a 40 minute+ drive to home, and no one in his family can pick him up so late. The same friends who could not have him over for Thanksgiving this year did say they will try hard to keep Christmas available to offer him hospitality. Bob spends his days hoping that things will work out, and that he does not end up spending Christmas alone. I will keep my fingers crossed for Bob.
On another note, for those of you following the Carrie Ann Budgeon story, I want to let you know that Carrie Ann is now at home in Saint John’s Newfoundland, with her family. She is happy to see family at Christmas, however, she has concerns about she is going to maintain her mental health while at home in Saint John’s.
So this year Lets all celebrate Christmas as we know how!
Merry Christmas!
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