$82 billion federal government aid package – high points for employers
The Federal Government just announced various COVID-19-related measures in its Canada’s Covid-19 Economic Response Plan: Support for Canadians and Businesses. The full statement can be found here.
The following may be of particular interest to employers:
Emergency Care Benefit
The “Emergency Care Benefit provides up to $900 bi-weekly, for up to 15 weeks. This flat-payment Benefit would be administered through the Canada Revenue Agency and provide income support to:
- Workers, including the self-employed, who are quarantined or sick with COVID-19 but do not qualify for EI sickness benefits.
- Workers, including the self-employed, who are taking care of a family member who is sick with COVID-19, such as an elderly parent, but do not quality for EI sickness benefits.
- Parents with children who require care or supervision due to school closures, and are unable to earn employment income, irrespective of whether they qualify for EI or not.”
Small business relief
“To support businesses that are facing revenue losses and to help prevent lay-offs, the government is proposing to provide eligible small employers a temporary wage subsidy for a period of three months. The subsidy will be equal to 10% of remuneration paid during that period, up to a maximum subsidy of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer. Businesses will be able to benefit immediately from this support by reducing their remittances of income tax withheld on their employees’ remuneration. Employers benefiting from this measure will include corporations eligible for the small business deduction, as well as non-profit organizations and charities.”
Archive
*Last updated: March 31, 2020 Brian Tabor, QC, Matthew Newell, Colin Piercey and Madeleine Coats On March 27, 2020, Premier Stephen McNeil announced further business supports in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This includes…
Read MoreTwila Reid and Sarah Byrne On March 26, 2020, the Newfoundland House of Assembly met with a minimum quorum of members to table and pass Bill 33 – COVID-19 Pandemic Response Act (“Act”). This omnibus…
Read MoreBrent McCumber, P.Eng. On March 24, 2020, the Government of Canada introduced legislation to implement its economic response plan to COVID-19, namely, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act ( “Emergency Response Act”). This legislation received Royal…
Read MoreColin Piercey and Sam Ward During this unprecedented crisis, almost all businesses have been negatively affected. Some have been forced to shut down entirely while others have been severely curtailed in their ability to earn…
Read MoreDaniela Bassan, QC and Scott Pike The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Bracing for the strain on health-care systems, authorities have enacted drastic measures designed to…
Read MoreIn volume 35 of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review, Halifax partner Daniela Bassan, QC, has published an article regarding notable cases in Canadian copyright law. Daniela’s piece reviews the key themes and trends from 2019,…
Read MoreChristopher Marr, TEP and Lauren Henderson Each year in New Brunswick, millions of dollars sit in limbo: unpaid wages, forgotten security deposits, overpayments to debt collectors, and benefits from estates, pensions and employee benefit plans,…
Read MoreAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, our Firm is focusing on business continuity, including supporting the business continuity of our clients. Practice innovation investments we have made help our business to continue “as usual” even when the…
Read MoreJohn Samms and Amanda Whitehead This article sets out to summarize the Newfoundland and Labrador Government’s announcements in respect of its latest response to the COVID-19 pandemic as of approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 19,…
Read MoreBrent McCumber, P.Eng. On March 18, 2020, the Government of Canada announced a significant economic response plan to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 on Canadians and businesses. While this $82 billion plan contains many…
Read More