COVID-19 Updates | Daily Workplace Round Up for April 24, 2020
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Below are the key announcements from the Federal, Ontario, Alberta and BC governments that touch on workplace issues for April 24, 2020.
Federal
75% Rent Relief for Small Businesses through Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA)
Today, Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government has reached an agreement with all provinces and territories to implement the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses.
The federal government gave the following details about the CECRA program:
- CECRA will provide a loan retroactive to April 1 to qualified commercial property owners supporting 50% of rent for April, May, and June of this year.
- The loan will be forgivable if the property owner and tenant come to a rent forgiveness agreement that lowers the eligible small business’s rent by 75% for the three months and includes a moratorium on eviction.
- The program is anticipated to be running by mid-May and will be administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
- Qualifying small businesses will be required to:
- pay less than $50,000 in rent
- have been asked to close, or near-close their operations due to COVID-19
- be experiencing at least a 70% decrease in revenues
- CECRA will also be available to non-profit and charitable organizations.
For further details, read this news release from the Prime Minister.
News! $145 Billion is the projection for Federal spending on direct supports due to COVID-19 hits
$145.6 Billion - This is the federal government's latest projection of how much it will spend on direct support for Canadians to get through the COVID-19 crisis.
Ottawa estimates that when you include measures to protect Canadians health and safety, business and tax liquidity support, and direct support for individuals, businesses and sectors — the over all total amounts to more than $817 billion. However, majority of that spending won't end up on the books.
A few of the most significant emergency funding and support measures include:
- $73 billion: Canada emergency wage subsidy
- $35 billion: Canada emergency relief benefit
- $15.3 billion: Canada emergency business account
- $5.5 billion: GST credits
Trudeau said more measures are likely to be announced going forward, including support for seniors.
For more information, check out this news release.
Ontario
$241 Million Invested in OCECRA Program
The province of Ontario is partnering with the federal government to provide urgent relief for small businesses and landlords affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The province is committing $241 million through the new Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (OCECRA), while the total amount of provincial-federal relief to be provided to the province is more than $900 million.
The OCECRA will provide forgivable loans to eligible commercial property owners experiencing potential rent shortfalls because their small business tenants have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Details on the CECRA program are mentioned above.
For more information, check out this news release.
$2.5 Million Invested to Grow Agri-food e-Business
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $2.5 million to help the agri-food sector expand online. Funding will be provided through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership) to provide more opportunities for producers to grow their business and offer more food choices online.
The Agri-Food Open for E-Business initiative will help food producers, farmers markets, retailers, garden centres, greenhouses, nurseries, and agricultural associations develop online business, providing consumers with greater access to a wide variety of food and agriculture products.
Online applications that feature two funding streams, are now open:
- Bring Your Business Online. Eligible organizations and businesses can apply for a grant of up to $5,000 to establish an online e-business and marketing presence. Funding under this stream will be quick and responsive for those needing immediate solutions.
- Develop Online Business Opportunities. Eligible organizations, businesses and collaborations can apply for cost-share funding of up to $75,000 to implement high-impact projects.
More information about targeted intake and the program guidelines can be found on the Partnership webpage.
For more information, check out Ontario's official news release.
Alberta
$67 Million Invested in CECRA Program
Alberta has joined other provinces, the territories and the federal government to implement the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) Program for small businesses.
The province expects to commit up to $67 million, with the remaining and majority of costs being covered by the federal government.
Details on the CECRA program are mentioned above.
For more information, check out Alberta's official news release.
$1 Billion Invested in Site Rehabilitation Program to Create 5,300 Jobs
The Site Rehabilitation Program, which is mainly funded by the federal government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will allow the energy industry to create around 3,500 jobs, providing grants to oilfield service contractors.
The Program will provide grants of between 25% and 100% of total project costs, and will be paid directly to the oilfield service company completing the work.
Application and eligibility information, as well as the online application portal, is available on the Site Rehabilitation Program webpage.
For more information, check out Alberta's official news release.
British Columbia
$80 Million Invested in CECRA Program
Similar to other provinces and territories, BC has partnered with the federal government to implement the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) Program for small businesses.
B.C. small businesses will receive a total of over $300 million in federal-provincial relief, with B.C. contributing an estimated $80 million.
Details on the CECRA program are mentioned above.
For more information, check out BC's official news release.
$50 Million Allocated to Improve Rural Internet Connectivity
The Connecting British Columbia program helps pay for infrastructure required to deliver high-speed Internet connectivity to rural and remote areas of the province.
The $50 million program is funded by the Province of British Columbia (Network BC) and is administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust.
Applications are now being accepted by Northern Development Initiative Trust.
Learn more from BC's official news release.
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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.
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