Temporary Expansion of Lockdown Programs and Benefits
The federal government announced expanded access to the Local Lockdown Program and the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit today. Access to these programs was expanded to ensure the protection of both workers and businesses regarding health restrictions related to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The temporary changes to the programs and benefits will apply from December 19, 2021, to February 12, 2022.
Access to the Local Lockdown Program has been expanded in the following ways:
-Inclusion of employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50% or more
-Reduction of the current-month revenue decline threshold requirement from 40% to 25%
-Eligible employers will receive wage and rent subsidies from 25% to 75% depending on the degree of revenue loss
The Local Lockdown Program became law on December 17, 2021, and is available from October 24, 2021, to May 7, 2022.
Access to the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit has been expanded in the following ways:
–Inclusion of workers in regions where provincial or territorial governments have introduced capacity-limiting restrictions of 50% or more.
-This benefit will provide $300 per week in income support to eligible workers who are directly related by a COVID-19 lockdown and who have lost 50% or more of their income as a result.
The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit became law on December 17, 2021, and is available from October 24, 2021, to May 7, 2022.
Additional New Measures
-The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) have both been extended until May 7, 2022. Further, the duration of benefits for the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit has been increased from 42 to 44 weeks and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit has been increased from 4 to 6 weeks.
-The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program (THRP) has been officially launched. This program provides support through wage and rent subsidies to hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, and restaurants with a subsidy rate of up to 75%.
-The Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program (HHBRP) has been officially launched. This program provides support through wage and rent subsidies to other businesses that have faced significant losses with a subsidy rate of up to 50%.
-The Canada Recovery Hiring Program has been extended until May 7, 2022. This program enables eligible employers with revenue losses above 10% to a subsidy based on increased wages from prior periods.
For more information about these subsidy programs please contact our office at 780-532-4641 or e-mail office@fulcrumgroup.ca
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