Young Quebecers are increasingly represented in bankruptcy proceedings in Quebec. Our Bureau of Investigation and the JE program met several young people who became bankrupt before the age of 25.
TOTAL DEBT: $4737
- SURNAME : Audrey Vallieres
- AGE : 22 years old
- CITY : Repentigny
- BANKRUPTCY : March 2023
- CAUSE : insufficient income, return to study
A problematic love affair with an older man is said to have completely ruined Audrey Vallières, who went bankrupt in her early twenties.
“I, if I love, I would do anything for that person. […] “He dragged me into his financial problems,” she complains.
Audrey was 18 when she left school. Despite having less than ideal financial circumstances, she concluded a contract with her then-partner to enable him to finance a vehicle, she says.
Her lover is also said to have asked her to move several times because he was changing jobs.
“Well, I had to follow him,” she explains.
Although she had a stable job in a camp, she eventually realized that she couldn’t imagine doing this for the rest of her life. So she quit and signed up for welfare.
However, she would not have declared the income she earned through odd jobs here and there with social welfare. And she got caught.
Debts
“I have a lot of social welfare debt,” she complains.
Before she regained control, Audrey says she went through a very dark time.
“They are truly unimaginable sources of stress! I didn’t sleep, I experienced it there before I did business with Raymond Chabot [un syndic]it’s disgusting,” she explains.
“You no longer have credit and are no longer accepted anywhere. “You want a loan, that’s impossible,” she says of the bankruptcy process she’s in.
To get back on her feet, Audrey returned to her grandmother. Her bankruptcy is costing her $100 a month, an improvement over the $133 a month a proposal she thought about but ultimately didn’t come to fruition cost her.
The dropout says she is taking steps to resume her studies. She would like to get into automotive mechanics soon.
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