• Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, introduced Bill C-9, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy), which would implement new, targeted support to help hard-hit businesses. These measures are designed to help businesses get through the second wave of the virus so they can protect jobs, continue to serve their communities, and be positioned for a strong recovery. As previously announced, the business supports include:
  • The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, which would provide direct and easy-to-access rent and mortgage interest support to tenants and property owners until June 2021 for qualifying organizations affected by COVID-19. The new rent subsidy would support businesses, charities, and non-profits that have suffered a revenue drop by providing support up to a maximum of 65 per cent of eligible expenses until December 19, 2020. The government is proposing to allow claims retroactively for the period that began September 27 and ended October 24, 2020.
  • The new Lockdown Support, which would provide an additional 25 per cent through the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy for qualifying organizations that are subject to a lockdown and must shut their doors or significantly limit their activities under a public health order issued under the laws of Canada, a province or territory (including orders made by a municipality or regional health authority under one of those laws). Combined, this would mean that hard-hit businesses subject to a lockdown could receive rent support of up to 90 per cent.
  • The extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy until June 2021, which would continue to protect jobs by helping employers keep employees on the payroll and re-hire their workers. The wage subsidy would remain at the current rate of up to 65 per cent of eligible wages until December 19, 2020.
• Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced today that the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program will be extended until November 30, 2020. The decision follows the Government of Canada’s announcement to extend the Quarantine Act to the same date. The Act requires anyone arriving from outside Canada, including temporary foreign workers, to undergo a mandatory 14-day isolation period upon arriving in Canada. The $50-million Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program is helping employers in the farming, fish harvesting, and food production and processing sectors with some of the incremental costs incurred to support the safety and health of foreign workers during that 14-day period. Under the Program, the federal government will provide a maximum support of $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker, to employers who are required to isolate workers under the Quarantine Act. The funding is conditional on employers not being found in violation of the mandatory 14-day isolation protocols or any other public health order. More information on the Program, including how to apply, can be found here.
• Solicitor General Sylvia Jones has tabled a report in the Legislature providing details of the emergency measures put in place by the province to stop the spread of COVID-19. The report focuses on the 47 emergency orders made between March 17 and July 24, 2020 when the Declaration of a Provincial Emergency was in effect under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). The EMCPA requires that the government table a report in the Legislature within 120 days after a provincial emergency ends. The Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) came into force on July 24, 2020. Many of the orders made under the EMPCA were continued and remain in effect under the ROA.

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