Latest news with #GaleUhlmann
CBC
17-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
This I believe: Getting personal with the story behind your vote
As political divisiveness becomes the new norm, it can get harder to see the other side, and understand why people vote the way they do. But instead of demonizing those on the other end of the political spectrum, why not lean in and get curious as to why people believe what they do? On this special election edition of Now or Never, hear from five different Canadians — an 18-year-old, a pastor, a Panamanian-Canadian immigrant, a gun enthusiast, and a senior citizen — about the personal experience shaping the way they'll be voting in this federal election. Gale Uhlmann has had a job since she was 15, working as a trucker, waitress, and office worker. Now at 74, Gale's still working -- but not by choice. She doesn't have enough savings to retire, or to pay $10 000 for the new teeth she needs: "You're a statistic. And they don't - how can I put it nicely - they don't give a damn about what we're encountering." Firearms were a big part of what brought Patrick Osborne and his wife Tara together. After she passed away from cancer in 2022, it's also shaping how he's planning to vote in this election. Although he's been a Canadian citizen for 20 years, Fernando Ameth Pinzon has never voted in a federal election. But Donald Trump's comments about his home country have shifted something in him, bringing him back to a place he hasn't been in a while: his childhood in Panama. When Jason McAllister and his family moved into their new neighbourhood in Prince George, B.C., bail reform wasn't even a thought. After five years of living near a home where he frequently witnessed drug use and police raids, it's become a key election issue. 18-year-old Harman Banga is casting her first vote in a federal election, something she's been looking forward to since she was a kid. But recently, voting has become even more personal for Harman — her parents both work in the auto industry and their jobs are threatened by tariffs.
CBC
28-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
These regular Canadians share the personal experience that shapes how they will vote
Social Sharing What's the one issue that matters the most to you in this federal election? CBC News asked Canadians to share the personal experience that shaped how they will vote in 2025. And you responded in overwhelming numbers. We heard from hundreds of people from across the country. Now, we've selected several of them to share their perspectives with you, in their own words. Among the writers are students, farmers, seniors, parents, office workers, oilpatch workers, truck drivers — just regular people from across the country and the political spectrum. Not the same political talking heads, but real people with real stakes. You might not agree with some of them. But perhaps after reading their pieces, you might understand why they intend to vote the way they do. Over the next four weeks of the federal election campaign, we'll add more columns to this page as they're published. Keep in mind, these pieces should not be taken as endorsements of any particular political party by CBC News. Rather, they are expressions of the writers' points of view at the time of publication, and a look at how those perspectives came to be formed. CBC News was involved in fact-checking and editing their writing efforts. For more background, check out our website and FAQ here. Take a read and consider, was there a perspective that helped you understand Canadians better? I'm 74, still working and can't afford new teeth. Dental care is my election issue In January, Gale Uhlmann had to have all her teeth pulled, a procedure that cost $5,400. Though the Canadian Dental Care Plan would cover the costs, she didn't qualify because she still works — to make ends meet — and has a small, employer-covered insurance plan. The Ontario woman wants a federal party that will see the program expanded to include people like her. Read her column. My son and I live with the constant threat of being homeless. Housing is my election priority The Liberals announced a national housing strategy, but progress has been hard to see for Anna-Ise Dutka-Stainbrook. The Saskatoon resident was unhoused for several months and the experience has left her unsettled about voting. She's waiting for a federal party to deliver a platform she thinks will meaningfully address Canada's housing crisis for low-income renters. Read her column.
CBC
28-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
I'm 74, still working and can't afford new teeth. Dental care is my election issue
Social Sharing This First Person article is the experience of Gale Uhlmann, a superintendent in Stirling, Ont. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ. Most people assume I wear a mask to places like the gas station, the bank and the grocery store because of COVID. But for me, it's something far more personal. Something I am too ashamed to reveal. I wear it to hide the fact that I have no teeth. I will turn 75 this July, and I'm still working — not by choice, but by necessity. Despite dedicating over 60 years of my life to the workforce, my pension is not enough for me to survive. But financial hardship is only part of my struggle. In December, I got the devastating news that I needed to have all my teeth removed. The pain of losing my teeth was difficult enough, but what followed was even worse. I believed the new Canadian Dental Care Plan would cover most of the cost. A few weeks later, I learned I was being denied my claim. The reason? I don't qualify for assistance because I have health insurance through my job. That leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place. Much of my career was spent working different jobs, including driving a truck in the U.S. I receive a reduced monthly amount from the Canada Pension Plan, and I don't have a lot of savings to rely on. My husband recently passed away, and while I have children, I refuse to become a burden. I have always been independent. As a mother, my role has been to take care of them, not the other way around. People often ask why I still work. The answer is simple: the rising cost of living leaves me no other option. Groceries, rent, and basic necessities have skyrocketed, and without my job as a superintendent in an apartment building, I have no idea where I would live or how I would even be able to afford the rent. The dental insurance my employer provides is minimal — just 60 per cent of a $750 maximum for all my benefits per year. My first bill alone for extractions was $5,400. After that, I need an additional nearly $4,000 for dentures. The cruellest irony? If I were fully retired, had no private dental insurance, and made up to $90,000 a year, my procedure would have been covered. But because I work — because I am trying to survive and contribute to looking after the community of the buildings and the occupants I take care of — I receive nothing. That is a disgrace. Since Jan. 4, I have been toothless, unable to eat solid food, surviving on soup, and avoiding social gatherings out of embarrassment. I had to rely on a line of credit just to eat and to pay for the dentures. I endured the excruciating pain of having my teeth removed, only to face the humiliation of living without them for months. I have shared my story with other seniors, and they were appalled that my dental expenses were not covered. One friend was so convinced there must have been a mistake that they urged me to call the program administrators and clarify. I only wish they were right — that this was simply an error. Despite sending outraged letters from myself and my sister to the Prime Minister, the Health Minister and others, I remain ineligible for this coverage. I have worked my entire life, yet I am left struggling to afford basic healthcare. No senior should have to endure what I have been through. This is why seniors' dental care must be on the federal election agenda and our government must do better. I want to vote for a federal party that supports and plans to expand the dental care program. Even though the Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will keep the federal dental care program, I don't know if that promise is genuine, since his party has openly criticized the dental plan previously. He's also not committed to expanding dental coverage to seniors like myself who don't have coverage. WATCH | NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Poilievre is just playing politics on the election campaign: Singh says Poilievre is lying about keeping dental care 2 days ago Duration 0:56 NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying Poilievre's comments that he would keep programs like dental care and pharmacare were lies — pointing to the Conservative leader voting against the legislation. He said Poilievre is just playing politics 'on the eve of an election.' My sister and her husband recently visited and brought me my favourite crispy egg rolls from Ottawa. I froze them, waiting for a day that's felt painfully far away — when I can finally enjoy them again.
