CRISIS SAPPING CANADIANS’ CASH

One in five Canadians would burn through all their available cash sources within a month if put out of work by efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new online survey conducted by DART & maru/blue.

Governments have been shuttering an increasing number of non-essential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19. The survey asked respondents to consider all the personal money they could tap into, such as investments and lines of credit.

“The immediate future would be bleak for at least one tenth (10 per cent) of Canadians who indicate they have no financial reserves or wherewithal to tap into to pay for the basic necessities of life,” the polling group said. Another one in 10 “would join that group as they run out of money after the first month.”