I lost my Husband. Now I might lose my farm.
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Hi my name is Angeline my husband, Paul, and I built our home ourselves on our land that we purchased 40 years ago. We raised our 3 children in the home we built, raised cattle, and grew our own vegetables on our land that we worked hard on to provide a living for ourselves and our children. We scrimped and saved and went without so we would not owe a mortgage or be beholden to any lenders. We did not build the big mansion on the hill we live a humble but independent lifestyle we don't have any fancy Quonset, garage, workshops, or 5 bedroom home. We built a 3 bedroom 1 bathroom log house and lived off the land that we worked and owned. As the years progressed and our children grew up and left the home we wanted to share our good fortune so we became foster parents and gave children in care a chance to live the good life. The children we brought into our home were welcomed and treated as our own, to this day we still have contact with many of them who call us mom and dad... well they used to.
My husband, Paul, managed all the finances and ensured we continued to live a good life he was the breadwinner, he worked the farm, and trapped during the winter months this lifestyle kept us fed, clothed, and paid our bills. In 2018 we got a loan from ATB bank so we could buy a used hay baler for the farm, we kept our payments and were in good standing. Sadly, my husband suffered a heart attack in 2019 and then was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, the cost to travel from our farm to Edmonton and the nearest hospital was expensive but we knew that we had to make the effort to keep him alive and hope for remission. While he was in palliative care in High Prairie hospital I spent every waking moment with him while my children and adult grandchildren managed the farm. Unfortunately, he lost his battle to cancer last year and whatever we had left went towards his funeral services.
When he first got sick I went to ATB in High Prairie to let them know he was sick and we needed to defer a payment they told me not to worry about anything and to take care of Paul and myself. I took them at their word and looked after my dying husband thinking we would be fine. Shortly after his burial I began to receive letters from the bank stating we were in default of our loan payments and that I needed to provide a payment plan which I did. I went to bank to withdraw the life insurance so I could pay the arrears only to be given the run around about his life insurance (which we paid every month and to date I have not received any monies). The letters kept coming and I kept going to the bank to work this out and was told many things many times from don’t worry there appears to be a mistake to you need to speak to our lawyer. There was never any mention of the payment plan I submitted nor any discussion to enact the payment plan. I made multiple efforts to communicate with the ATB lawyer who was not returning my phone calls, finally my niece sent him (their lawyer) an email last week (Feb 4/2022) to which he finally responded by stating they have a writ of enforcement and if i do not come up with the full amount owed by March 18, 2022 I will be in default and they WILL take my land and sell it way below its value. All my efforts at resolving this and making payment have been ignored. This feels like they are taking advantage of my lack of knowledge in the law and my grief over the loss of my husband, the courts have ordered a judgement at a hearing I was not at.
This is very hard for me to do my family and I have been self sufficient our entire lives and I have never relied on anyone to support me, but this along with my grief is overwhelming. My land is worth more than the amount I owe and I have been trying to sell our trapline but to no avail. These are tough times and people are looking at saving not spending. I am now in a dire situation and have no resources left. My children are grown and my grandson is helping me as much as an 18 year old can. This land is my husbands legacy to his grandchildren, to our great grandchildren, to our future generations.
My husband, Paul, managed all the finances and ensured we continued to live a good life he was the breadwinner, he worked the farm, and trapped during the winter months this lifestyle kept us fed, clothed, and paid our bills. In 2018 we got a loan from ATB bank so we could buy a used hay baler for the farm, we kept our payments and were in good standing. Sadly, my husband suffered a heart attack in 2019 and then was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, the cost to travel from our farm to Edmonton and the nearest hospital was expensive but we knew that we had to make the effort to keep him alive and hope for remission. While he was in palliative care in High Prairie hospital I spent every waking moment with him while my children and adult grandchildren managed the farm. Unfortunately, he lost his battle to cancer last year and whatever we had left went towards his funeral services.
When he first got sick I went to ATB in High Prairie to let them know he was sick and we needed to defer a payment they told me not to worry about anything and to take care of Paul and myself. I took them at their word and looked after my dying husband thinking we would be fine. Shortly after his burial I began to receive letters from the bank stating we were in default of our loan payments and that I needed to provide a payment plan which I did. I went to bank to withdraw the life insurance so I could pay the arrears only to be given the run around about his life insurance (which we paid every month and to date I have not received any monies). The letters kept coming and I kept going to the bank to work this out and was told many things many times from don’t worry there appears to be a mistake to you need to speak to our lawyer. There was never any mention of the payment plan I submitted nor any discussion to enact the payment plan. I made multiple efforts to communicate with the ATB lawyer who was not returning my phone calls, finally my niece sent him (their lawyer) an email last week (Feb 4/2022) to which he finally responded by stating they have a writ of enforcement and if i do not come up with the full amount owed by March 18, 2022 I will be in default and they WILL take my land and sell it way below its value. All my efforts at resolving this and making payment have been ignored. This feels like they are taking advantage of my lack of knowledge in the law and my grief over the loss of my husband, the courts have ordered a judgement at a hearing I was not at.
This is very hard for me to do my family and I have been self sufficient our entire lives and I have never relied on anyone to support me, but this along with my grief is overwhelming. My land is worth more than the amount I owe and I have been trying to sell our trapline but to no avail. These are tough times and people are looking at saving not spending. I am now in a dire situation and have no resources left. My children are grown and my grandson is helping me as much as an 18 year old can. This land is my husbands legacy to his grandchildren, to our great grandchildren, to our future generations.
Organizer
Angeline Jaycox
Organizer
High Prairie, AB