An Ottawa store sign in March 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
These economic changes have resulted in much greater financial stress for many Canadians than they had faced prior to the pandemic. The financial fallout of the pandemic often loomed larger than the health threat.
As Loretta, a 43-year-old clerical worker, told us as part of our research into the pandemic:
“To me, the word ‘stress’ is really more financial than anything.… I was like, ‘Oh, I gotta really think about how I’m spending my money and where I can cut back.’ The stress for me wasn’t really COVID-specific in terms of illness, catching it, transmitting it.”