On May 4, 2020 the BC government announced that it has amended the BC Employment Standards Act to extend the maximum allowable period for a temporary layoff. Previously, a temporary layoff could only extend to 13 weeks in a 20-week period before being considered a permanent layoff/termination. Now the Act allows for a maximum of ...
Provinces throughout Canada are now creating plans for a gradual resumption of activities. British Columbia’s plan is expected to be released this week. Now is the time to begin thinking about what that looks like for your workplace. You can expect that the resumption of activities will happen in stages and will continue to require ...
On April 21, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $350 million Emergency Community Support Fund to help charities and non-profit organizations support Canadians who are most vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These vulnerable populations are experiencing a disproportionate impact of the pandemic in terms of health, social, and economic impacts. They ...
On April 24, 2020, Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program. This program aims to assist small businesses, charities, and nonprofits who have seen at least a 70% decrease in revenue by providing forgivable loans to commercial property owners. Under the program, qualifying tenants will have their rent lowered by 75% from ...
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 ...
In November 2018, amendments to the Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c 210 (the “Code”)came into force, allowing for the creation of the Human Rights Commission in BC (the “Commission”). Although BC previously had a Human Rights Commission, it was done away with in 2002, leaving a void in the BC human rights landscape. The ...
The Federal government has announced approximately $9 billion in aid for post-secondary students impacted by COVID 19. This aid signals recognition by the government of the potential significant negative impacts of COVID19 on post-secondary students. Students may have their ability to continue their studies impacted by COVID-19, they may be unable to secure and retain ...
Employers can begin applying the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy beginning April 27. The wage subsidy has been put in place to enable employers to rehire workers who were previously laid off as a result of COVID-19, to help prevent further job losses and to put employers in a better position to resume normal operations after the ...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced more measures to help Canadian businesses survive the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased measures include expanding eligibility for the previously announced loan program for small businesses and assistance with commercial rent. The loan program provides businesses with access to a loan of up to $40,000, backed ...
The government is announcing changes to the eligibility rules for the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit). The CERB was established to support workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CERB provides $2,000 every four weeks for up to four months to workers who lose their income as a result of the pandemic. The CERB covers ...
