Government measures in key jurisdictions 2nd edition final pages - Flipbook - Page 21
Canada
2
Employment
What financial
support is the
government
providing to
businesses and
to individuals
on employment
issues?
As part of the CERP, the federal government has implemented the Canada Emergency
Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program, providing a 75% wage subsidy to eligible employers
for up to 12 weeks, retroactive to March 15, 2020. Eligibility is assessed based on the
degree of revenue lost in the relevant 4-week eligibility period.
•
Eligible Employers: Eligible employers can include individuals, taxable
corporations, registered charities (other than public institutions such as school
boards, colleges, or hospitals), and partnerships (all members of which are eligible
employers). Eligible employers must demonstrate a qualifying drop in revenue
during the eligible period. Notably, the lost revenue threshold for eligibility for the
CEWS in March of 2020 was lowered from 30% to 15% to reflect the fact that the
most significant consequences of the pandemic began in mid-March. Employers
will be required to re-apply for the CEWS each month.
•
Eligible Employees: An eligible employee is an individual who is employed in
Canada other than those who have been without remuneration for 14 or more
consecutive days in the eligibility period.
More information on the CEWS can be found here and further details on the Canada
Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and support for essential workers are discussed here.
The federal government has also amended the Canada Labour Code by creating a new
job-protected leave of absence of up to 16 weeks for employees in federally-regulated
workplaces who are unable or unavailable to work for reasons related to COVID-19.
Several Canadian provinces have similarly amended the applicable provincial
employment standards legislation to create job-protected leaves of absence for
employees who are unable to work due to COVID-19.
For more information regarding the amendments to the Canada Labour Code and
provincial employment standards legislation, please visit the Cassels Comments
located here and here.
The Ontario government recently announced a “Framework for Reopening our
Province,” a document setting out the public health principles behind its decisionmaking respecting the gradual reopening of the economy in the wake of COVID-19.
The document outlines a three-stage reopening process with progress from one stage
to the next based on whether the criteria in the preceding stage are met. Although
there is no timeline for the commencement of the first stage, it will involve opening
“select workplaces that can meet public health guidelines.”
The Ontario government has also published resources for employers on its website,
including sector-specific workplace safety guidelines and posters. At present,
guidelines and posters have been published for the construction, food processing,
restaurant and food services, agriculture, manufacturing, and long-term care sectors,
suggesting that these will be the first “select workplaces” permitted to reopen.
Further information on the Ontario workplace safety guidelines can be found here and a
discussion of the reopening plans for each province can be found here and here.
Government measures in key jurisdictions
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