"Ludicrous": Vancouver renter on EI speaks out over landlord's eviction notice

“Who knew that one misstep would cause me to have my whole life upturned?”

Time is quickly running out for Nicole MacDonald, who was served an eviction notice for her East Vancouver apartment on New Year’s Eve.

Her landlord’s daughter is moving back into the house, and, as a result, MacDonald is expected to move out of her home. The timing couldn’t have been worse. 

She tells Daily Hive that she fears she’s “on the fast track to being homeless” because she’s unemployed and solely dependent on Employment Insurance (EI) due to an injury. 

According to MacDonald, she sprained her ankle and broke a foot bone after missing a step while walking down a staircase last fall. This incident exacerbated a pre-existing injury. 

Unfortunately, the healing process for the 37-year-old has taken longer than usual. 

“I had to take some time off of work. I could barely even just get around my house,” she said.

Nicole MacDonald

Unaffordable and unliveable listings available

Despite never having an issue with paying rent on time (even during the past few challenging months), MacDonald was given a two-month eviction notice, which she considers short.

Now, because of the clause in BC’s rental rules which allows a landlord to evict a tenant to allow a family member to move in, MacDonald is searching for a new home while dealing with pains caused by her injury. 

On top of this, she explains that finding a home within her budget has been difficult given the overwhelming amount of scams and “unliveable” listings that come in around $2,000.

Her renting options are also limited because she has a pet.

Even if she finds a suitable rental, she’s worried that her lack of income will be a barrier.

“So what, am I going to show them that I make $1,200 from EI?”

Nicole MacDonald’s dog sitting on her bed in her current home. (Nicole MacDonald)

“EI doesn’t even cover my rent”

With about 50% of her regular wage, she’s earning around $1,200 a month on medical EI — about $300 short of what she currently pays to rent a two-bedroom suite in East Vancouver.  

“I’m living in a cheap space, and… EI doesn’t even cover my rent,” she noted.

MacDonald, who is “100% dependent on EI,” explained that, despite making tips while working at bars prior to her injury, her tips are not subject to EI premiums. 

Simply put, she doesn’t qualify to receive the maximum allowable amount because of it.

“So all of the tips that I made all summer accounted for nothing when it came to my wage,” she explained. 

The maximum benefit rate for all EI benefits is $668 per week in 2024. 

Canadian employees and employers in insurable employment can pay EI premiums on insurable earnings, which include the total of all amounts an employer pays to their employee and the amount of any gratuities an employee must declare to their employer under a provincial law.

Generally, there are three types of tips: Controlled, direct, and declared.

According to the government, controlled tips are like mandatory service charges or percentages on a customer’s bill, and declared tips are direct tips that an employee discloses to their employer under a provincial law. Quebec is the only province that requires employees by law to declare direct tips to their employers. These types of tips are considered insurable earnings for EI premium and benefit rate purposes.

Meanwhile, direct tips are given directly by a customer to an employee — think a customer leaving money on the table at a restaurant at the end of a meal for the server. In this case, the employer does not control the distribution of a direct tip, so it is not considered insurable earnings.

“No EI premium contributions are made on direct tips and they are not considered when calculating a claimant’s benefit rate,” the ministry states. 

Nicole MacDonald

In need of a break

Since she’s unable to stay on her feet for long, MacDonald has been searching for work for two months but has not yet caught a break. 

Before she was injured, MacDonald had some savings tucked away, but that fund quickly dwindled. 

“I have zero money, and now I have to figure out how to move,” she said. “I’ve already had to borrow money.”

“I’m probably already a good $3,000 in debt,” MacDonald added. She said that she expects her debt to triple in the next few months if she’s unable to find remote work. 

In Vancouver, non-profits like the Network of Inner-City Community Services Society (NICCSS) exist to help eligible people by providing no-interest loans when they lose their housing or are having difficulty paying their rent. 

Kellie Carroll, the executive director at NICCSS, told Daily Hive that tools like those are only available for some people in MacDonald’s situation.

“If there’s an ongoing issue that we don’t see being resolved, like a physical injury… it just means that your expenses are exceeding your income on an ongoing basis, we’re really not going to be able to help,” she said, adding the program is for people in a “short term financial crisis.”

Instead, she suggested MacDonald’s only other options would be medical EI or income assistance.

“Regular EI is not enough to stay housed in Vancouver,” she noted.

“Housing subsidies need to be expanded within the province… obviously, we need more social housing, more low-income housing and moderate-income housing.”

Organizations like the Vancouver Rent Bank and the BC Rent Bank are greatly needed to help people who are being out-priced in the market. 

Future remains uncertain

MacDonald is critical of landlords’ rights to evict someone during a medical crisis — calling it “completely ludicrous.” While her landlord is well within their legal right to evict her, she questions the humanity of it. 

“I just broke the foot, but what if I was in a more debilitating car accident?” she asked. 

“There’s got to be so many people that are struggling with stuff like this… there’s going to be people in even less privileged situations that completely do end up on the street.”

You might also like:
• Vancouver's "out of control" living cost is why this renter is moving to Langley
• My top reasons why you should leave Vancouver and move to Surrey (PHOTOS)
• Asking rents in Vancouver are increasing at double to triple the rate of inflation

MacDonald is pleading for governments to provide a liveable wage through EI. 

“I’ve been paying into EI ever since I was able to work… It should be a liveable wage that should reflect what the city costs to live in,” she said.

MacDonald has expressed fear for her future as she attempts to lock down both work and a new place to live in the short time before she is evicted. 

“I really need a lucky break.”