Bankruptcy Question & Answer Forum - Canada

Author:		Sue
Date:		April 25, 2005
Question:		I had a student loan 10 years ago, some was from the Alberta student loans centre and the other was from the government student loan. I was not aware that the two were different. About 2 years ago I recieved a court order to go to court as I could not pay the loans as I am a single mom. I took the court order to credit counceling services and now have an OPD. Now UI is paying for me to be retrained as I lost my job of 9 years. When I got the forms from the government saying they would pay for my course they noted my student loan on the form. But the amount was different from the amount that OPD said I owed, I have since found out that I was paying just the alberta part of the loan. and not the other part. (from the government) Can they still come to me for the rest of the money? Why have they not contacted me? I cannot afford to pay anymore and am scared that when I have finished paying the alberta loan that I will have to spend the next 10 yrs paying the other.
From:		Ann Clarke, Alger & Associates Inc.
Date:		April 25, 2005
Answer:		It sounds like you are going to have to deal with the Federal portion of your student loan even though they haven't contacted you. I'd suggest you contact Canada Student Loans via the www.canlearn.ca website to determine what the actual amount owing is. If you are unable to afford OPD once that debt has been added, and it has been more than 10 years since you completed your studies, then you may to look at going bankrupt. Ann Clarke phone: (403) 296-2972 aclarke@alger.ca