COVID-19 Update – Further Details on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

In our March 30, 2020 bulletin, we reviewed the federal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.  We detailed which businesses are eligible for the subsidy (businesses that have experienced a decline in revenue of 30 percent or more due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the maximum entitlement an eligible business can expect to receive (75 percent of wages on the first $58,700 in earnings or a maximum of $847 per week) and the effective date of the subsidy (March 15, 2020).

On April 1, 2020, Finance Minister Bill Morneau provided further details about when the subsidy will be available and how it will be delivered to employers.  In a press conference this morning, Minister Morneau clarified that the subsidy will be available to eligible businesses in approximately six weeks.  A business must apply for the subsidy each month.

Today’s bulletin contains information on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, as well as additional details shared by the federal government on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).  It also covers today’s announcement by the provincial government regarding options for relief on electricity bills for B.C. businesses impacted by COVID-19.

To read the April 1, 2020 information bulletin, please see the link below:

COVID-19 Update – April 1, 2020

For further information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it may impact your workplace, please look to our previous bulletins, which can be found on Roper Greyell’s COVID-19 resource page.