It’s been a couple of weeks, but we have some news on the financial supports that are being brought in and some news in general about what’s going on around the province and Canada.
First, the numbers:
-There are 28,379 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada with 1,010 deaths and 8,624 recovered
-BC has 1561 confirmed cases with 75 deaths as of today and 955 recovered.
Globally, the numbers of cases has exceeded two million (2,083,048) with 134,603 deaths and 510,187 recovered. The United States now has the most cases at 644,089 cases.
Announcements for Financial Support
Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the CERB eligibility requirements are being loosened to allow seasonal workers, those who have recently run out of EI and those making less than $1,000 a month due to reduced work hours all to be eligible. There is also a wage boost coming for essential workers who make less than $2500 a month, particularly targeting those who work in long-term care facilities for the elderly. There will be more information about this coming soon. More news about supports for post-secondary students and businesses requiring help with their commercial rent is coming too.
Applying for CERB
Applying for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit is quite simple, requiring the answering of only a few questions. This can be done through My Service Canada, the CRA website or through their automated phone system, though their call centre is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment, so I’d go online were I you.
Remember that in order to reduce the load on the infrastructure, applicants are asked to apply based on birth month:
- Monday: January, February, March
- Tuesday: April, May, June
- Wednesday: July, August, September
- Thursday: October, November, December
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Any month
Reports of speedy cash deposits can be found all over the internet with people saying they got their money in as few as three days. Keep in mind that it is $2,000 a month, paid monthly and you must reapply every month if you still require it, for up to four months. This income is also taxable come next year, so keep that in mind. The application itself is quite simple: you simply have to certify that you have reduced or zero income due to the covid, what period you are applying for, and your direct deposit information and that’s about it.
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In other news, we are pleased to announce that we have start dates for Gateway, DeNovo and a new program done in conjunction with Northern Health in Terrace, BC. This new program trains people to help them get employed in housekeeping or food services in medical clinics and hospitals.
You can contact us at 1-888-348-2207 to get more information and make an appointment for registration.
Stay safe everyone!
