Already living paycheque to paycheque, some Canadians are being pushed over the brink by COVID-19

While some couples might be struggling with spending more time together during this time of social distancing, Adrian Rebucas and John C. Malcolm are used to seeing a lot of each other.

The long-time couple, who both work as actors and servers, not only live together but until recently worked at the same restaurant, and were even cast in the same advertising campaign last year.

"We do everything together," Malcolm said.

Now they're unemployed together, and their struggle lies in paying the bills.

Rebucas, 33, and Malcolm, 35, were both laid off two-and-a-half weeks ago when the Queen Street West restaurant that employed them was forced to close to help thwart the spread of the coronavirus.

Their acting gigs, sporadic at the best of times, have dried up, too. They have no savings and together are about $12,000 in debt.

"We were already kind of living paycheque to paycheque," Rebucas said.

They aren't alone. Of the 3.4 million Canadian households who rent and whose primary source of income is wages, salaries or self-employed income, 46 per cent have less than a month's worth of savings, according to research by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Recent surveys of all working Canadians by the Canadian Payroll Association have similar findings, with 47 per cent saying they're living paycheque to paycheque.

"People who had a hard time paying rent before will surely need more support now," Ricardo Tranjan, a political economist and senior researcher, wrote in his CCPA report, "The Rent is Due Soon," published March 23.

Rebucas and Malcolm are among millions of Canadians anxiously awaiting government assistance, which can't come soon enough. They were unable to pay this month's rent - nearly $2,000 for their downtown apartment - and they're behind on their other bills.

"I'm trying to keep a calm and cool attitude about it, but inside I'm definitely freaking out," Rebucas said.

They have also been confused by the government's income support process.

Following their employer's instructions when they were laid off, they immediately applied for employment insurance (EI). But shortly after, the federal government announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) - a direct payment of $2,000 per month for anyone who has lost work due to COVID-19.

They're worried that they won't be eligible for the higher CERB benefit because they already applied for EI. While the federal government's website suggests they should automatically be considered for CERB, they've heard from colleagues that's not necessarily the case.

Employment and Social Development Canada did not respond to questions for this story by deadline.

"It's just stressful," Malcolm said. "Nobody seems to know what's going on."

Given that most of their restaurant income was tips and therefore not included as taxable income for EI, the difference between the CERB and EI - about $1,400 each per month - is the difference between whether or not they will be able to pay their rent.

"It would definitely alleviate a lot of stress," Rebucas said. "I know there's a ban on evictions, but it's just that looming idea that we haven't paid our rent."

They normally make between $2,500 to $4,500 each per month at the restaurant, depending on the season, but they could get by on $2,000 apiece. "We would be able to pay all of our bills," Malcolm said.

Helping people cover their immediate expenses is the goal of the government aid package, said Lana Gilbertson, a licensed insolvency trustee and senior vice-president at MNP, a chartered accountancy and business advisory firm.

"Creditors are going to fall down the list at this point, and should. It's a time where people really need to prioritize their spending."

Rebucas said he was denied additional credit from his bank because he didn't have a job.

That's probably a good thing, Gilbertson said.

"I think now, more than ever, is the time for people to put their credit cards away and stop taking on any forms of unsecured debt at this time, because it's just going to make the problem worse."

Banks are allowing customers to defer some of their monthly payments during the course of the crisis. "But that's only going to last so long," Gilbertson said. "There really isn't any debt relief from the government or from the banks. They're just putting a pause on everything. So people at some point are going to have to deal with this."

For Rebucas and Malcolm, that's more of a long-term concern. For now, they're worried about making it through the month. Malcolm said he's still "holding out hope" that he and Rebucas will both qualify for the CERB and they'll be able to pay their rent and other bills at some point, so they don't fall further behind. For now, they wait.

"Maybe they'll call us for another commercial," Malcolm said. "That'd be great."