Colin Johnson has watched the effects of the pandemic on the economy firsthand.
The 30-year-old manager of the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area has seen businesses close, their owners racking up debt.
Many of these business owners are his age. They moved to the neighbourhood to start a family and are now watching their savings disappear.
It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his generation’s future.
“Young people are going to be footing the bill for this pandemic for the rest of our lives,” said Johnson.
He sees a lot of debt, both household and government, fewer opportunities, fewer incentives to start a business, less social security and less money in the bank.
As more small businesses close, he believes young Canadians will make big changes: they’ll be less attracted to living in cities like Toronto, and they may re-evaluate post-secondary education. He calls it a “social phenomenon.”
“This could end up defining our entire generation more than anything,” he said. “We were a generation that was promised everything but got nothing.”
Almost 30 per cent of Generation Z Canadians (born in 1997 or later, according to the Pew Research Center) and a quarter of younger millennials between 25 and 30 years old have lost their jobs or been put on unpaid leave because of the pandemic, according to a survey by Deloitte Canada published in June.
Only a third of millennials and 38 per cent of the Gen Zs surveyed said their employment and income were unaffected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Meanwhile, more than half of post-secondary students had their courses or work placements delayed or cancelled, according to a May report by Statistics Canada. More than 10 per cent of students said they could not complete their degree as planned.
In a national survey of young Canadians by Abacus Data for World Vision, younger Canadians were more concerned about the long-term impacts of the pandemic than the shorter-term impacts compared to older Canadians, said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.
Even though younger Canadians disproportionately lost work — likely because many are in hard-hit sectors like retail or food service — they will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for their whole lives, Coletto said.
Young Canadians have already felt a number of economic setbacks prior to the pandemic, such as increasing difficulties buying a home or finding a stable career, said Coletto.
“This is just another hurdle, and a big hurdle,” he said.
The survey found that young Canadians were also more likely to feel mental effects from the pandemic, which Coletto attributes in part to the long-term worries but also to the fact that they may be more likely to live alone or in unstable situations.
“It’s a generally anxious period of your life,” he said. “You’re trying to figure things out, you’re trying to create some stability.”
The pandemic is creating that much more uncertainty, Coletto said.
Andrew McAllister is one of the thousands of Canadians who was laid off due to COVID-19. A 29-year-old stagehand in Toronto, he’s concerned his job may never be the same. After all, as he puts it, his work is all about large gatherings of people.
McAllister has been on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and is taking courses to diversify his skill set. He suspects streaming and other forms of digital production will continue to grow in popularity and he wants the skills to work digitally.
“I don’t think anything is going to be quite the same again,” he said.
That’s how photographer Giancarlo Pawelec feels, too.
All his bookings were cancelled in a matter of days in March and he believes small businesses like his have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
While he wants to continue working as a photographer, he will likely have to give up his studio space.
“Life as we know it is over,” said Pawelec.
What’s most difficult of all is not knowing what’s next.
Jenn Dunstan, 33, has fortunately continued to work during the pandemic — she does digital advertising, which hasn’t taken the same hit print has — but her two school-aged children have been home the entire time.
Things are a little easier now that school is out, she said, but when they were doing remote learning, she was “hanging on by a thread.”
Dunstan feels her generation is in limbo, unable to plan for the future.
“It almost feels like everything is paused, like we’re all just in survival mode,” she said.
Many post-secondary students say their degrees and career plans now seems far-fetched. Online learning is difficult, and some graduations have been delayed thanks to cancelled work placements.
Bilal Abowat, 23, is doubtful he’ll succeed in his plan to graduate in 2021, get a job and move into his own place. The internship he needs to complete to graduate will likely now be online, and he’s concerned the job opportunities that were there before no longer exist.
Anushka Yadav, 22, is facing that same doubt. The international student is set to graduate from journalism at Humber College in September. Her program also required internship hours to graduate. When her placement was cancelled, she cobble together two different placements to make up the hours, all while working part-time and completing her program. But, at the same time, the media industry has seen its own rounds of layoffs as the pandemic affects advertising revenue.
“It just kind of seems bleak at this point,” Yadav said.
Amin Ali, a 19-year-old student in public policy who just transferred universities for his second year, is concerned the pandemic could impact his future co-op placements.
The pandemic makes it impossible to plan ahead and the “constant low-grade stress” it emits is compounded by the difficulties of working and studying remotely, he said.
Ashleigh Thomas, a 25-year-old freelance writer, has been applying to jobs “anywhere and everywhere” but with no luck so far. She said her friends don’t feel secure either.
“A lot of my friends ... just left school and were going to look for jobs in their fields and the field is decimated or on pause,” she said.
She feels young Canadians are being portrayed as leeching off CERB, when in reality her generation has been put on pause indefinitely after already being dealt a rough hand — she said the pandemic is highlighting issues like the need for a higher minimum wage.
At the same time, Thomas is dealing with anxiety, exacerbated by the stress of the pandemic and not knowing what’s next.
“I don’t really know how to plan ahead,” she said.
Rosa Saba is a Calgary-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rosajsaba
Colin Johnson has watched the effects of the pandemic on the economy firsthand.
The 30-year-old manager of the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area has seen businesses close, their owners racking up debt.
Many of these business owners are his age. They moved to the neighbourhood to start a family and are now watching their savings disappear.
It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his generation’s future.
“Young people are going to be footing the bill for this pandemic for the rest of our lives,” said Johnson.
He sees a lot of debt, both household and government, fewer opportunities, fewer incentives to start a business, less social security and less money in the bank.
As more small businesses close, he believes young Canadians will make big changes: they’ll be less attracted to living in cities like Toronto, and they may re-evaluate post-secondary education. He calls it a “social phenomenon.”
“This could end up defining our entire generation more than anything,” he said. “We were a generation that was promised everything but got nothing.”
Almost 30 per cent of Generation Z Canadians (born in 1997 or later, according to the Pew Research Center) and a quarter of younger millennials between 25 and 30 years old have lost their jobs or been put on unpaid leave because of the pandemic, according to a survey by Deloitte Canada published in June.
Only a third of millennials and 38 per cent of the Gen Zs surveyed said their employment and income were unaffected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Meanwhile, more than half of post-secondary students had their courses or work placements delayed or cancelled, according to a May report by Statistics Canada. More than 10 per cent of students said they could not complete their degree as planned.
In a national survey of young Canadians by Abacus Data for World Vision, younger Canadians were more concerned about the long-term impacts of the pandemic than the shorter-term impacts compared to older Canadians, said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.
Even though younger Canadians disproportionately lost work — likely because many are in hard-hit sectors like retail or food service — they will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for their whole lives, Coletto said.
Young Canadians have already felt a number of economic setbacks prior to the pandemic, such as increasing difficulties buying a home or finding a stable career, said Coletto.
“This is just another hurdle, and a big hurdle,” he said.
The survey found that young Canadians were also more likely to feel mental effects from the pandemic, which Coletto attributes in part to the long-term worries but also to the fact that they may be more likely to live alone or in unstable situations.
“It’s a generally anxious period of your life,” he said. “You’re trying to figure things out, you’re trying to create some stability.”
The pandemic is creating that much more uncertainty, Coletto said.
Andrew McAllister is one of the thousands of Canadians who was laid off due to COVID-19. A 29-year-old stagehand in Toronto, he’s concerned his job may never be the same. After all, as he puts it, his work is all about large gatherings of people.
McAllister has been on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and is taking courses to diversify his skill set. He suspects streaming and other forms of digital production will continue to grow in popularity and he wants the skills to work digitally.
“I don’t think anything is going to be quite the same again,” he said.
That’s how photographer Giancarlo Pawelec feels, too.
All his bookings were cancelled in a matter of days in March and he believes small businesses like his have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
While he wants to continue working as a photographer, he will likely have to give up his studio space.
“Life as we know it is over,” said Pawelec.
What’s most difficult of all is not knowing what’s next.
Jenn Dunstan, 33, has fortunately continued to work during the pandemic — she does digital advertising, which hasn’t taken the same hit print has — but her two school-aged children have been home the entire time.
Things are a little easier now that school is out, she said, but when they were doing remote learning, she was “hanging on by a thread.”
Dunstan feels her generation is in limbo, unable to plan for the future.
“It almost feels like everything is paused, like we’re all just in survival mode,” she said.
Many post-secondary students say their degrees and career plans now seems far-fetched. Online learning is difficult, and some graduations have been delayed thanks to cancelled work placements.
Bilal Abowat, 23, is doubtful he’ll succeed in his plan to graduate in 2021, get a job and move into his own place. The internship he needs to complete to graduate will likely now be online, and he’s concerned the job opportunities that were there before no longer exist.
Anushka Yadav, 22, is facing that same doubt. The international student is set to graduate from journalism at Humber College in September. Her program also required internship hours to graduate. When her placement was cancelled, she cobble together two different placements to make up the hours, all while working part-time and completing her program. But, at the same time, the media industry has seen its own rounds of layoffs as the pandemic affects advertising revenue.
“It just kind of seems bleak at this point,” Yadav said.
Amin Ali, a 19-year-old student in public policy who just transferred universities for his second year, is concerned the pandemic could impact his future co-op placements.
The pandemic makes it impossible to plan ahead and the “constant low-grade stress” it emits is compounded by the difficulties of working and studying remotely, he said.
Ashleigh Thomas, a 25-year-old freelance writer, has been applying to jobs “anywhere and everywhere” but with no luck so far. She said her friends don’t feel secure either.
“A lot of my friends ... just left school and were going to look for jobs in their fields and the field is decimated or on pause,” she said.
She feels young Canadians are being portrayed as leeching off CERB, when in reality her generation has been put on pause indefinitely after already being dealt a rough hand — she said the pandemic is highlighting issues like the need for a higher minimum wage.
At the same time, Thomas is dealing with anxiety, exacerbated by the stress of the pandemic and not knowing what’s next.
“I don’t really know how to plan ahead,” she said.
Rosa Saba is a Calgary-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rosajsaba
Colin Johnson has watched the effects of the pandemic on the economy firsthand.
The 30-year-old manager of the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area has seen businesses close, their owners racking up debt.
Many of these business owners are his age. They moved to the neighbourhood to start a family and are now watching their savings disappear.
It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his generation’s future.
“Young people are going to be footing the bill for this pandemic for the rest of our lives,” said Johnson.
He sees a lot of debt, both household and government, fewer opportunities, fewer incentives to start a business, less social security and less money in the bank.
As more small businesses close, he believes young Canadians will make big changes: they’ll be less attracted to living in cities like Toronto, and they may re-evaluate post-secondary education. He calls it a “social phenomenon.”
“This could end up defining our entire generation more than anything,” he said. “We were a generation that was promised everything but got nothing.”
Almost 30 per cent of Generation Z Canadians (born in 1997 or later, according to the Pew Research Center) and a quarter of younger millennials between 25 and 30 years old have lost their jobs or been put on unpaid leave because of the pandemic, according to a survey by Deloitte Canada published in June.
Only a third of millennials and 38 per cent of the Gen Zs surveyed said their employment and income were unaffected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Meanwhile, more than half of post-secondary students had their courses or work placements delayed or cancelled, according to a May report by Statistics Canada. More than 10 per cent of students said they could not complete their degree as planned.
In a national survey of young Canadians by Abacus Data for World Vision, younger Canadians were more concerned about the long-term impacts of the pandemic than the shorter-term impacts compared to older Canadians, said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.
Even though younger Canadians disproportionately lost work — likely because many are in hard-hit sectors like retail or food service — they will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for their whole lives, Coletto said.
Young Canadians have already felt a number of economic setbacks prior to the pandemic, such as increasing difficulties buying a home or finding a stable career, said Coletto.
“This is just another hurdle, and a big hurdle,” he said.
The survey found that young Canadians were also more likely to feel mental effects from the pandemic, which Coletto attributes in part to the long-term worries but also to the fact that they may be more likely to live alone or in unstable situations.
“It’s a generally anxious period of your life,” he said. “You’re trying to figure things out, you’re trying to create some stability.”
The pandemic is creating that much more uncertainty, Coletto said.
Andrew McAllister is one of the thousands of Canadians who was laid off due to COVID-19. A 29-year-old stagehand in Toronto, he’s concerned his job may never be the same. After all, as he puts it, his work is all about large gatherings of people.
McAllister has been on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and is taking courses to diversify his skill set. He suspects streaming and other forms of digital production will continue to grow in popularity and he wants the skills to work digitally.
“I don’t think anything is going to be quite the same again,” he said.
That’s how photographer Giancarlo Pawelec feels, too.
All his bookings were cancelled in a matter of days in March and he believes small businesses like his have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
While he wants to continue working as a photographer, he will likely have to give up his studio space.
“Life as we know it is over,” said Pawelec.
What’s most difficult of all is not knowing what’s next.
Jenn Dunstan, 33, has fortunately continued to work during the pandemic — she does digital advertising, which hasn’t taken the same hit print has — but her two school-aged children have been home the entire time.
Things are a little easier now that school is out, she said, but when they were doing remote learning, she was “hanging on by a thread.”
Dunstan feels her generation is in limbo, unable to plan for the future.
“It almost feels like everything is paused, like we’re all just in survival mode,” she said.
Many post-secondary students say their degrees and career plans now seems far-fetched. Online learning is difficult, and some graduations have been delayed thanks to cancelled work placements.
Bilal Abowat, 23, is doubtful he’ll succeed in his plan to graduate in 2021, get a job and move into his own place. The internship he needs to complete to graduate will likely now be online, and he’s concerned the job opportunities that were there before no longer exist.
Anushka Yadav, 22, is facing that same doubt. The international student is set to graduate from journalism at Humber College in September. Her program also required internship hours to graduate. When her placement was cancelled, she cobble together two different placements to make up the hours, all while working part-time and completing her program. But, at the same time, the media industry has seen its own rounds of layoffs as the pandemic affects advertising revenue.
“It just kind of seems bleak at this point,” Yadav said.
Amin Ali, a 19-year-old student in public policy who just transferred universities for his second year, is concerned the pandemic could impact his future co-op placements.
The pandemic makes it impossible to plan ahead and the “constant low-grade stress” it emits is compounded by the difficulties of working and studying remotely, he said.
Ashleigh Thomas, a 25-year-old freelance writer, has been applying to jobs “anywhere and everywhere” but with no luck so far. She said her friends don’t feel secure either.
“A lot of my friends ... just left school and were going to look for jobs in their fields and the field is decimated or on pause,” she said.
She feels young Canadians are being portrayed as leeching off CERB, when in reality her generation has been put on pause indefinitely after already being dealt a rough hand — she said the pandemic is highlighting issues like the need for a higher minimum wage.
At the same time, Thomas is dealing with anxiety, exacerbated by the stress of the pandemic and not knowing what’s next.
“I don’t really know how to plan ahead,” she said.
Rosa Saba is a Calgary-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rosajsaba