COVID-19 Updates | Weekend Workplace Round Up for May 2, 3 & 4, 2020
Sign up for COVID-19 EMAIL Updates
If you receive our newsletter,
you're already signed up!
Below are the key announcements from the Federal, Ontario, Alberta and BC governments that touch on workplace issues for May 2, 3 & 4, 2020.
Federal
$240.5 Million Invested in Virtual Care & Mental Health Tools
On May 3, 2020, Justin Trudeau announced an investment of $240.5 million to develop, expand, and launch virtual care and mental health tools to support Canadians. This investment will be used to create digital platforms and applications, improve access to virtual mental health supports, and expand capacity to deliver health care virtually.
The investment will support Wellness Together Canada, an online portal that provides Canadians with free resources, tools, and professional support services to help with wellness and resilience, as well as mental health and substance use.
It will also support a growing family of digital products that includes the Canada COVID-19 App, which helps people track their symptoms, receive the latest updates, and access trusted resources.
Learn more from this news release.
Canada & International Partners Launch the Coronavirus Global Response
On May 4, 2020, Justin Trudeau joined other global leaders to launch the Coronavirus Global Response, an international online pledging event co-hosted by Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia as the current G20 presidency, and Italy as the future G20 presidency.
- The initiative seeks to:
- kick-start an unprecedented global cooperation between scientists and regulators, industry and governments, international organizations, foundations, and health care professionals;
- raise more than $8 billion (USD) by the end of the pledging period to support the development of rapid coronavirus diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines; and
- work with the World Health Organization to coordinate and prioritize efforts to vulnerable countries.
The funds collected will be channelled into three principal strands: diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. Funds may also be used to strengthen health systems.
Learn more from this official news release.
$175.6 Million to Fund AntiBody Discovery Technology
On May 3, 2020, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced a contribution of $175.6 million to AbCellera Biologics, a Canadian biotechnology company that researches and discovers next-generation antibody drugs to fight infection and disease.
This contribution is part of Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Science to fight COVID-19, announced on March 23, 2020. The project will "leverage AbCellera’s world-leading drug discovery technology, which searches and analyzes blood samples of recovered patients to rapidly find naturally produced antibodies that can be used to fight and prevent viral infections".
This funding is instrumental in accelerating and expanding AbCellera’s capabilities to combat COVID-19. In just a few short weeks, AbCellera has identified over 500 antibodies directly from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 and clinical trials are expected to begin in July 2020 or earlier.
Learn more from this official news release.
Additional $2 Billion Invested in Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
On May 3, 2020, Justin Trudeau announced that families receiving the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), will get $300 extra per child in May to help them deal with the added pressures of COVID-19.
Eligible families will automatically receive this one-time increase as part of their scheduled CCB payment in May, so there is no need to re-apply.
This increase will deliver almost $2 billion in extra support across the country to help families with the high cost of taking care of their kids during this challenging period.
Learn more from this official news release.
News! Ottawa weighing whether to produce a 2020 budget amid pandemic uncertainty
Justin Trudeau said his government is weighing whether it should release a 2020 budget in light of the rapidly changing economic landscape because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister said, “Right now, we’re in a situation where there is a tremendous degree of uncertainty as to what the economy could look like six months from now, what the economy will look like three months from now, what’s going to happen in the coming weeks. So while we are continuing to be open and transparent, the reflection on at what point we might be able to present a budget – or even just an economic update – is ongoing.”
The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported last week that this year’s federal deficit could exceed $252.1 billion, before accounting for the possibility that Ottawa may approve additional spending later this year to stimulate the economy.
CIBC senior economist Royce Mendes released a report today stating this year’s deficit could ultimately come in around $300 billion if additional programs are announced.
Learn more from this news release.
Ontario
Ontario Develops an Integrated Laboratory System to Increase Daily COVID-19 Testing
In partnership with Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, local public health units, and hospital and community laboratories, the Ontario government has developed an integrated laboratory system which has established the province as a national leader in daily testing volumes per capita.
The new integrated laboratory system will support the province's health care system and laboratory network far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The provincewide testing network consists of more than 20 organizations and is coordinating and leveraging the diverse expertise located throughout the province.
To date, Ontario has conducted over 342,000 tests, with testing results being made available to patients through the user-friendly online portal.
Learn more from Ontario’s official news release.
Alberta
Alberta Modifies Regulations to Strengthen Care for Nursing Home Residents
Alberta is modifying regulations to allow nurse practitioners to provide expanded care to nursing home residents during COVID-19. Changes to the regulations will increase access to quality care for nursing home residents while reducing red tape and duplication for health professionals, service providers and operators.
These changes will:
- Allow nurse practitioners to act as primary care providers in nursing homes, admitting and assessing residents, as well as offering follow-up care.
- Enable nurse practitioners and other qualified health professionals to prescribe medication and order treatments in nursing homes, according to their scopes of practice.
- Remain in effect until August 14, unless the ministerial order is terminated earlier or the public health emergency is reduced or extended.
Read the official Ministerial Order.
Learn more from Alberta's official news release.
British Columbia
B.C. Government Extends Temporary Layoff Period to 16 Weeks
To provide increased flexibility to employers and employees who mutually wish to extend a temporary layoff related to the COVID-19 emergency, British Columbia has extended the maximum length of a temporary layoff to 16 weeks.
Previously under the Employment Standards Act (ESA), a temporary layoff longer than 13 weeks in any 20-week period was considered a permanent layoff. With a permanent layoff, employers are required to provide employees with written working notice of termination and/or pay severance to qualifying employees, based on their length of service.
This change to the ESA aligns B.C.’s temporary layoff provisions with the federal Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) period. The federal period provides 16 weeks of financial support, allowing employees to take full advantage of those benefits.
For more information on employment standards around temporary layoffs, visit the Employment Standards website.
See BC's official news release for details.
News! B.C. to relax COVID-19 rules later than most other provinces — but it had fewer to begin with
Nothing will "reopen" this week. However, this Wednesday, Premier John Horgan is expected to outline the strategy and timeline for easing B.C. restrictions put in place to combat COVID-19.
B.C.'s strategy for opening up the province will differ from much of Canada. It won't be until the middle of the month before things take effect. And, rather than delivering a long list of which stores should open, the province will instead give guidelines to industries that may have voluntarily closed over the past two months.
For more information, check out this news release.
Sign up for COVID-19 EMAIL Updates
If you receive our newsletter,
you're already signed up!
Sarah Visca is the Operations Manager at ConnectsUs HR, a company that provides tools & resources to quickly set up a Human Resources department.
You can contact her here.
Categories:
