| Dear Ward 4 Neighbours, While not really my area of responsibility I did want to make sure you know what other levels of government are doing to assist people in these very trying times. This letter is mainly update you on the latest developments on COVID-19 and the Government of Canada’s response. What’s New: Ministers provide update on Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Yesterday, Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance, and Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, provided Canadians with an update and more details on the 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Here are the key points: The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will apply at a rate of 75% of the first $58,700 normally earned by employees.For workers: if you work for a company that has been impacted by COVID-19, the Government will cover up to 75% of your salary on the first $58,700 that you earn. That means up to $847 a week.The program would be in place for a 12-week period, from March 15 to June 6, 2020.Businesses will be eligible for the wage subsidy if their gross revenues suffer a drop by at least 30% in March, April or May, when compared to the same month in 2019. The wage subsidy will be available to companies both big and small and across all sectors of the economy, with the exception of public sector entities.For non-profit organizations and registered charities similarly affected by a loss of revenue, the Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure the definition of revenue is appropriate to their circumstances. The Government is also considering additional support for non-profits and charities, particularly those involved in the front line response to COVID-19. Further details will be announced very soon.An eligible employer’s entitlement to this wage subsidy will be based entirely on the salary or wages actually paid to employees. All employers would be expected to at least make best efforts to top up salaries to 100% of the maximum wages covered.Eligible employers would be able to access the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy by applying through a Canada Revenue Agency online portal. More details regarding how to apply for the program will follow. The government knows for workers, businesses and entrepreneurs, the last few weeks have been difficult, and you have had to make some incredibly hard decisions. You have been forced to make those hard decisions because the business you have built has seen operations slow down or even have to close in some cases. And you have had to make those gut-wrenching decisions because you don’t want to let people go who have helped make your business a success, but you cannot afford to keep them on payroll. As your City Council I will keep fighting for workers and businesses so that we get through this difficult time. We will do this together. Canadians will be able to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit from April 6 Canadians need help during this unprecedented and challenging time. No one should worry about putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. As only one part of our COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the Federal government recently introduced the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which will provide Canadians who have lost their income because of COVID-19 $2,000 a month for up to 4 months in direct support. Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, along with Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, announced that Canadians will be able to start applying for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit starting April 6, 2020. Applications for the CERB will open on April 6, 2020 at Canada.ca/coronavirus. Applicants for the CERB will be directed to apply through one of two service options: Canadians who would generally be eligible for Employment Insurance benefits will be directed to apply through Service Canada through Appliweb (a Service Canada specific web application tool for EI applications); orCanadians who would generally not be eligible for Employment Insurance benefits will be directed to apply through the Canada Revenue Agency’s MyAccount or CRA’s automated toll-free line at 1-800-959-2019. The CERB will be available to workers: residing in Canada, who are at least 15 years old; who have stopped working because of COVID-19 or are eligible for Employment Insurance regular or sickness benefits;who had income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application; and who are or expect to be without employment or self-employment income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period. Please note that: The income of at least $5,000 may be from any or a combination of the following sources: employment, self-employment, maternity and parental benefits under the Employment Insurance program.The Benefit is only available to individuals who stopped work as a result of reasons related to COVID-19. If you have stopped working for reasons not related to COVID-19, you are not eligible for the CERB. |
| Please note, below is information on other very recent developments and announcements made in just the past few days. |
| Canada providing $2 billion to purchase more protective personal equipment On March 31, the Federal government announced they are investing $2 billion to purchase more protective personal equipment, including things like more masks and face shields, gowns, ventilators, test kits and swabs, and hand sanitizer to help ease the pressure on our health care facilities. Some of the key details: The Government has ordered 60 million N95 masks – a type of mask designed and fitted to filter out particles that carry the COVID-19 virus. These masks are expected to begin arriving this week. The Government has also ordered an additional 1,570 ventilators – a crucial piece of equipment to help patients with COVID-19, a respiratory disease, and having difficulty breathing – and is working to secure 4,000 more. We have also ordered more than a million COVID-19 test kits. And more supplies are coming. Since the Federal government launched Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Industry to Fight COVID-19, Canadian businesses and manufacturers have been stepping up to fight the pandemic. They are working with these companies to ensure our health care workers have the tools they need to care for Canadians across the country. Some of the key developments: The Government has spoken directly with almost 3,000 Canadian companies that have offered their expertise and capacity to meet the country’s need for personal protective equipment and critical health supplies. They have signed new procurement agreements with Canadian companies Thornhill Medical, Medicom, and Spartan Bioscience to purchase and boost capacity to manufacture equipment and supplies including portable ventilators, surgical masks, and rapid testing kits. They have signed letters of intent with five companies – Precision Biomonitoring, Fluid Energy Group Ltd., Irving Oil, Calko Group, and Stanfield’s – to produce additional test kits, hand sanitizer, and protective apparel including masks and gowns. Canada Announces Major Increase in Emergency Support for Businesses On March 27th, Canada announced it is increasing its emergency support to businesses to help alleviate the pressure they are facing. Here are some of the key features from the announcement: Increasing the temporary wage subsidy businesses to 75%, up from the previously announced 10%. This subsidy will be backdated to March 15. This subsidy is meant to help companies keep people on the payroll, so that workers are supported and the economy is positioned to recover from this.Launching the Canada Emergency Business Account. With this new measure, banks will soon offer $40,000 loans, which will be guaranteed by the government, to qualifying businesses. The loan will be interest free for the first year, and if you meet certain conditions, $10,000 will be forgivable.The Government will also provide an additional $12.5 billion through Export Development Canada and the Business Development Bank to help small and medium-sized businesses with their operational cash flow requirements.Deferral of GST/HST payments, as well as duties and taxes owed on imports, until June. This is the equivalent of giving $30 billion in interest free loans to businesses. I hope every finds this information useful and informative. If you have any issues or concerns please contact my at 416-396-7222 or email councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca All my Best, Paul |