When the first-wave lockdowns happened in March 2020, writer @KBabstock was kept afloat by financial assistance from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Then, suddenly, the government demanded the money back. More here:
thewalrus.ca/when-death-is-… 1/5
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) wanted proof that @KBabstock’s 2019 income had been more than $5,000 to confirm eligibility for CERB. But it refused to count the arts grant he had received that year as income and asked him to repay $10,000. More here: thewalrus.ca/when-death-is-… 2/5
Like many writers, @KBabstock was already financially precarious. Then, COVID-19. His University of Toronto course was cancelled. Three residency/fellowship opportunities: cancelled. His next book: bumped from spring to fall. Prospects looked grim. thewalrus.ca/when-death-is-… 3/5
@KBabstock’s battle with the CRA took him down rabbit holes exploring Canada’s tax code. He was berated, put on hold, and passed from agent to agent—each more recalcitrant than the last. None of them was interested in helping. But he didn’t give up. thewalrus.ca/when-death-is-… 4/5
From the May 2021 edition of The Walrus, “When Death Is Preferable to Taxes” is a personal essay that explores @KBabstock’s frustrated dealings with the CRA during a pandemic. Read the full story here: thewalrus.ca/when-death-is-… 5/5
How are you dealing with your 2020 taxes? Do you find yourself in a unique circumstance after a pandemic year? Or did you benefit from CERB without incident? Comment below in the replies. 👇👇👇👇

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More from @thewalrus

7 Apr
Today is #WorldHealthDay. Over the past year, health care has been top of mind for everyone around the world. And it has been no different for the team at @thewalrus. Here are some stories, talks, and podcasts that we’re thinking about (thread ahead!)
Early in the pandemic, The Walrus team started Record of a Pandemic, which includes stories of what everyone is going through during this unusual time. Check out the series here: thewalrus.ca/covid-19/ #WorldHealthDay
In the #SlaightPrize–nominated article “Your Brain on COVID-19,” science writer Carolyn Abraham explains why our minds are not designed to process threats like the coronavirus pandemic. #WorldHealthDay thewalrus.ca/your-brain-on-…
Read 11 tweets
7 Apr
The term “fake news” entered the public lexicon circa 2016, during the US presidential election, when the internet was flooded with inaccurate information. Now, as @vivianefairbank explains, fact-checking is on the rise. More here: thewalrus.ca/how-do-we-exit… 1/7
In 2014, there were fewer than sixty initiatives around the world focused exclusively on checking others’ claims. Today, there are more than 300. Read about the rise of fact-checking here: thewalrus.ca/how-do-we-exit… 2/7
The growing instinct to fact-check isn’t particular to journalists either: it’s part of a growing cultural movement of revision and debunking. Podcasts like @revhistpodcast and @yourewrongabout get listeners to think of well-known stories differently. thewalrus.ca/how-do-we-exit… 3/7
Read 7 tweets
5 Apr
From the shared microphones to the passed-around laminated song lists caked in stale beer, a karaoke bar is a hotspot for viral transmission. Many jurisdictions have banned most karaoke-like activities. So when will karaoke be back? More here: thewalrus.ca/this-pandemic-… 1/6 #COVID19
Before the pandemic, @intothemelwoods would rarely go two weeks without a trip to a karaoke bar. Belting out songs can be both “a stimulant and an antidepressant” for some, or a means of self-discovery. thewalrus.ca/this-pandemic-… 2/6
But multiple studies have shown exactly how bad of an idea public singing is in this moment: when a person projects their voice, they also project those pesky respiratory droplets that can carry the coronavirus. Read @intothemelwoods’s article here: thewalrus.ca/this-pandemic-… 3/6
Read 6 tweets
1 Mar
In the US, nearly one in 100 people have OCD, with about half of those cases being severe. In Canada, 1 percent will experience an episode. And @nerdygirly is one of them. But, in media portrayals, the disorder often seems like a benign quirk. thewalrus.ca/ocd-is-not-a-j… 1/5
When she was thirteen, @nerdygirly started to notice she was acting in ways that resembled obsessive-compulsive disorder. These behaviours started to become part of her daily routine. More here: thewalrus.ca/ocd-is-not-a-j… 2/5
“I lose hours of every day to various checking rituals—making sure my bathtub tap isn’t dripping, or my hair straightener is off, or my apartment door is locked,” writes @nerdygirly. Read her full essay about living with OCD here: thewalrus.ca/ocd-is-not-a-j… 3/5 #Mentalhealth
Read 5 tweets
17 Feb
Thousands of migrants cross the southern US border every month. Since 2017, a new eye-scanning system has been used to verify their identities. But how regulated are these biometric technologies? More here: thewalrus.ca/when-border-se… 1/7
Canada has been researching and piloting facial recognition at its borders for a few years. Based on publicly available information, we haven’t yet implemented biometric identification on as large a scale as the US has. thewalrus.ca/when-border-se… 2/7
@HilaryBeaumont examines how quickly the use of these technologies is increasing at the southern US border, which is perhaps our best way of getting a glimpse of what may be in our own future. thewalrus.ca/when-border-se… 3/7
Read 7 tweets
16 Feb
Many of us have been living in lockdown, in some way or another, over the past year—from lockdown remote working to lockdown co-living to lockdown dating to lockdown parenting. But what does “lockdown” even mean? Copy editor @jonahbrunet finds out: thewalrus.ca/what-does-lock… 1/5
In the well-worn copy of the second-edition Canadian Oxford Dictionary that is used at @thewalrus, “lockdown” is defined as “the confining of prisoners to their cells, esp. to gain control during a riot etc.” thewalrus.ca/what-does-lock… 2/5
Online, the Oxford English Dictionary is more expansive, defining it as: “a state of isolation, containment, or restricted access” or “the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces.” thewalrus.ca/what-does-lock… 3/5
Read 5 tweets

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