In the recent weeks, a number of Provincial and Federal benefits have been announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the sheer volume of information that has been released about these benefits, Rose Keith, QC thought it would be helpful to create an easy to navigate Chart to help simplify decisions for individuals ...
WorkSafe BC has published guidelines for employers on preventing exposure to Covid-19 in the workplace. The guidelines emphasize that the Orders from the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Centre of Disease Control are the minimum standards that must be met by all employers to comply with their duty to provide a safe work environment. ...
Further details were provided today by Prime Minister Trudeau and Finance Minister Morneau with respect to the 75% wage subsidy announced on Friday (the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)). The wage subsidy provides government funding for eligible businesses for a period of up to three months, retroactive to March 15. The wage subsidy is equivalent ...
Our Workplace Law Group is regularly receiving questions about employers needing to reduce their workforce during this difficult time. These questions tie into several of our recent blog posts about the different options available to employers. Here is a quick summary of those questions and our condensed/summary answers. Question 1- what are my options for ...
Today, Prime Minister Trudeau provided broad details regarding the support for Canadian businesses announced on Friday. Further details are anticipated tomorrow. The focus of the government is to help ensure that employees are receiving a pay check and maintaining their employment, even if they are not able to work right now. The goal of the ...
The government this morning announced major support for Canada medium and small businesses. There are limited details available today with Prime Minister Trudeau indicating that the details will be rolled out by Monday, March 30. The PM indicated that the plan is being put in place to ensure that businesses are able to continue to ...
On March 26, 2020, B.C. Public Safety Minister, Mike Farnworth, released a list of essential services as part of the government’s further measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. According to the province, essential services are “those daily services essential to preserving life, health, public safety and basic societal functioning. They are the services British ...
As part of the Federal Government’s relief plan, the government announced a wage subsidy equivalent to 10% of wages. The subsidy is not a direct payment to businesses but rather is a reduction in the amount of remittances that the employer must make to revenue Canada. To be eligible for the subsidy the Company must: ...
The Senate has approved the Coronavirus support package and the spending bill has received Royal Assent. The Bill, titled Covid-19 Emergency Response Act (the “Act”) includes broad new measures to support workers and businesses dealing with the impact of the pandemic. $52 billion of the package will be to provide direct support to Canadian workers ...
In light of the current crisis with COVID-19, the BC Legislature has introduced some changes to the Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113. These changes came into force yesterday and may have significant impact for employees who need to or have taken time off due to COVID-19. First, after 90 days of consecutive employment ...
