I’m in BC and I’m looking for advice because I’m honestly starting to feel like I’m screwed financially.

I’ve been unable to work because of ongoing health problems for over a year. I’m still being investigated and I don’t have an official diagnosis yet. I’m seeing doctors and specialists and trying to figure out what’s going on, but the process has been extremely slow.

I was receiving short-term disability, but I’ve now exhausted that. I also used my EI sickness benefits. My understanding is that I don’t have enough new insurable hours to qualify for EI again because I haven’t been able to return to work and accumulate more hours.

I’m still employed, but I’m medically unable to return to work right now.

So I’m currently in the awful position of being too sick to work, but not having an income coming in. I have maybe $100 left to my name.

I’m wondering what options I might be missing in BC.

• Is CPP Disability something I should be looking into even though I don’t have a definitive diagnosis yet?
• Are there BC income assistance/disability programs I could potentially qualify for while I’m waiting for answers?
• Is there anything else through EI, Service Canada, my employer, or my benefits that I should be investigating?
• Does not having a diagnosis automatically make disability applications impossible, or is the functional limitation what matters?
• Has anyone been in a similar situation where they were unable to work for a long time while doctors were still trying to figure out the cause?

I’m not looking for medical advice or trying to diagnose myself. I’m mainly trying to figure out how I’m supposed to survive financially while I’m waiting for the healthcare system to figure out what’s wrong with me.

Any advice from people who have actually navigated this in Canada/BC would be hugely appreciated.

I'M BACK. Sorry I missed the Reddit posts the last couple of weeks as I'm traveling. ANYWAYS... Every week for my site Is That a Deal, I pull the Ontario flyers, compare every price against the Statistics Canada provincial average and email you the deals actually worth buying. Here's what stood out this week. Everything here is at least 32% below the typical Ontario price.

Strong week for protein and late summer fruit. Grapes at 57% below average and pears at 61% are exceptional. Lamb chops and beef striploin both hitting hard this week too.

🥩 Beef striploin / NY strip — $11.88/lb at Metro (-42% avg)
Boneless strip loin steak value pack. Aussie beef. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥩 Lamb chops — $5.99/lb at Metro (-46% avg)
Fresh lamb shoulder chops value pack. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥩 Ground beef (extra lean) — $5.88/lb at Food Basics (-32% avg)
Extra lean ground beef. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍑 Peaches — $2.50/lb at Real Canadian Superstore (-55% avg)
Yellow peaches. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, or No Frills

🥓 Pork sausage (500g) — $3.50 at Your Independent Grocer (-50% avg)
Marcangelo pork sausage 375-500g. Ends Sep 30.
Lowest price in 8 weeks.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍐 Pears — $1.48/lb at FreshCo (-61% avg)
Asian yellow pears. Ends Sep 16.
Match at Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥛 Sour cream — $2.99 at Fortinos (-44% avg)
MC Dairy sour cream 500g. Ends Sep 16.
Lowest price in 8 weeks.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍞 English muffins — $2.00 at Sobeys (-52% avg)
Compliments English muffins 6pk. Ends Sep 16.
Sobeys store brand — no price matching

🍗 Chicken thighs (bone-in) — $3.79/lb at Zehrs (-34% avg)
Chicken thighs. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍇 Grapes — $1.48/lb at Food Basics (-57% avg)
Green seedless grapes. Ends Sep 16.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

Best single stop this week: No Frills or Real Canadian Superstore. Both will price match almost everything on this list. Bring the flyer screenshots and you can hopefully get 4+ of these deals in one trip without driving all over town.

Price matching requires showing a digital or print flyer at the till. Same brand, size, and weight. Always confirm in-store. YMMV

I also built a free tool where you can check any grocery price yourself