Young Quebecers are increasingly represented in insolvency proceedings in Quebec. Our investigation and show office I he met several young people who went bankrupt before they turned 25.
TOTAL OBTAINED: $20,750
- NAME : Noémie Paradis
- AGE : 21 years
- CITY : Terrebonne
- BANKRUPTCY : March 2023
- CAUSE : cheated by a loved one
Noémie Paradis could never have guessed that someone from her family, who was very dear to her and with whom she signed the lease, would not pay the rent as she promised.
“She told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll pay, it’ll be fine,'” says the 21-year-old young woman.
She was therefore very surprised when a bailiff showed up at her apartment one day, informing her of a large unpaid rent balance and telling her that she had to be evicted.
“I cried a lot at the time, but then (there was) a lot of anger that kicked me in.”
“A certain anxiety also because it’s a lot of money (that was owed),” says a young woman who studies CEGEP full-time and works part-time today.
How do you repay over $20,000 when you have a small income yourself? After speaking with the trustee, she concluded that the best course of action was to file for bankruptcy.
“I was advised to declare bankruptcy because the person who defrauded me will not give me any money because he has problems with his own payments…” she explains.
Naivety
Looking back, Noémie Paradis feels very naive for not asking more questions or doing more checks on the lease payments.
“When I think about it, when I got out of that situation, I’m like: let’s see, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. We’re taking advantage of people’s kindness!” he laments.
If Noémie Paradis learned anything from this experience, it’s that you have to be able to say no sometimes, even to the ones you love.
“Come to think of it, renting my name should never have happened. I should have said no. But at the same time, I blindly trusted this person. Since it’s someone close to me, I saw it less,” she sums up.