Admittedly out of total desperation, I did this post on Facebook. I got a lot of responses, mostly sympathy and one offer to invest which turned out to be bogus.
A friend recently wrote a very lengthy post about her health challenges and she generated a huge amount of support, which I’m sure she appreciated. Partly because you never know who is reading your posts, but mainly because I find myself in a desperate situation, I am making the difficult decision to lay out my cards in the hopes that someone can help.
In making the decision to move to Ecuador I did a lot of research on gaining my residency. Working with the Ecuadorian Embassy in Ottawa I had all the required documents prepared to submit my application. When I turned 65 in October I would be receiving two pensions which met the minimum income requirements for residency. I would also be receiving another pension, called the GIS. Last September I spoke directly to a lady at the GIS processing centre who confirmed that I would receive $455 a month starting in November; however, they were running sixteen weeks behind in processing so the money would be deposited in my account by the end of January. I asked her if I should wait until I actually received this money before traveling in Ecuador and she assured me that there would be no problem and told me to “have a good time”.
I sold everything I owned and came to Ecuador December 2nd. I knew that with the lower cost of living here I could survive on my two pensions and I had some extra funds as a safety net. I planned to file my residency application in February; however, I took sick and my landlady made the unfortunate decision to bypass the public hospital in Otavalo and instead take me to a private hospital in Ibarra. When I went to check out four days later I was shocked to be presented with a $1,200 bill. There went my money to file for residency but I figured I could file after I had received the GIS pension. I needed to file in February because of the three month waiting period for my medical coverage.
January came and went and no deposit. Thus began more than a two month process of phoning them every week, but getting no response. They threw all kinds of new requirements at me and at one point said they would not approve any funds until I returned to Canada. Finally I got my local Member of Parliament involved and she had a way of speaking to the GIS people directly, so she got some answers, none of which were good. They said that the information I had been given back in September was all wrong and they approved a payment which was a fraction of the $455 I had been told. This has left me with no way to fund my residency application and my current six month Visa expires May 29th, forcing me to return to nothing in Canada. I have nowhere to live and will be homeless trying to get into scarce space in shelters. My limited pensions mean that I will need geared to income housing; however, the wait list in Toronto is currently two years.
The saddest part of being forced to return to Canada is losing the website business I have worked on day and night for eight months. Before I came to Ecuador I registered WelcomeToEcuador.ca, a website designed for Canadians who were looking to visit or relocate to Ecuador. After arriving here I also registered domains for Banos, Cotacachi, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Quito and Vilcabamba. In addition to display advertising I was also developing business directories, events calendars and forums. My primary site is coming up on page one of search results now, plus 144 people have subscribed to the site without any promotion. Working with the Ecuadorian Embassy in Canada I got approval to use the official tourism logo, the only site that can, plus they said they would keep me informed on any developments by the government.
Accepting that returning to Canada will destroy my business I am willing to sell an interest in the business to be able to stay here and grow the business. I am proposing a forty percent interest for five thousand dollars, far less than it’s worth, but I must accept the reality of my situation. I would expect a ten times return on this investment within a short period. Anyone familiar with the business of websites knows that growth can be exponential if you have the right formula. International Living just voted Ecuador the number one country for retirement and there is huge interest from Canadians right now. Over half of the sixteen hundred lots available at Mirador San Jose have been sold to Canadians.
On a personal level I love Ecuador and I love Cotacachi, where I live. Everything from my research about the country has proved to be true and I don’t want to leave. My plan was to travel the country, taking photos and writing articles for the websites. I was about to hire a Sales Director to handle business directory listings and advertising sales. I know the business is there and will be profitable. I just hope that someone shares my faith in Ecuador and will join me in growing this business.
Thank you.