What it's like without internet during the COVID-19 pandemic

As governments urge people to stay connected online during theCOVID-19 pandemicrather than in person low-income Ottawans like Chris Prefontaine don't havethat luxury.

Prefontaine, 37, is stuck in a small Caldwell Avenue apartment with ablocked-off balcony, and since he can't affordinternet, he has little in way of home entertainment.

Nor has it been easy to stay in touch with loved ones, Prefontainesaid.

"I've been having a rough time, being [unable]to contactfamily," said Prefontaine, adding he can't afford a phone, either.

"They worry about me, and I worry about them. I have to sometimes ask friends in my building if I can use their wi-fi to contact people because I have no other way of doing that."

'Out of my reach'

Vanier resident Ray Noyes also says he can't afford the internet, and feels left out by officials' current messaging.

A recent tweet from Ottawa Public Health, for instance, says that virtually connecting with others is one of the keys to physical distancing.

"What I often hear on the radio is how important it is for people who are isolated to stay connected and get online and have Zoom and virtual parties," said Noyes.

"That's all out of my reach. I just can't have that, and it's all very frustrating."

Noyes has been working with ACORN Canada, which advocates for low-and-moderate-income families, to pressure the federal government to deem internet access a basic right for all Canadians,regardless of how much they make.

Noyeslives alonein a high-rise apartment building and feels that being able to go onlinewould help him cope withbouts of depression.

"I'm sure I would be less lonely if I had access to the things most people take for granted these days," he said.