Daily COVID-19 Update - March 25, 2020
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Here are the essential updates available relating to COVID-19 for Wednesday, March 25.
Emergency Legislation
After several hours of debate, Canada’s Parliament has passed emergency legislation to free up $82 billion to help Canadians weather the COVID-19 crisis, including both financial aid and tax deferrals. Once the bill was approved by the Commons, the Senate approved the bill today, followed immediately by royal assent.
Updated Details on Financial Measures
The Government of Canada announced details of the emergency financial support measures available as a result of COVID-19. These measures will offer support to RMTs across Canada.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will replace the two benefits announced last week – the Emergency Support Benefit and the Emergency Care Benefit. This was done in order to simplify the process. Prime Minister Trudeau announced today that people who have been laid off, those who are sick, caretakers and self-employed workers can receive $2,000 a month for four months.
The application for this benefit is not yet available, but it’s expected that an online application system will be available at some point in early April. It is expected that you should receive benefits within 10 days of your application once it becomes available.
Read more about the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
Hotline for Ontario Businesses
The province has launched a toll-free line 1-888-444-3659 to provide support to Ontario businesses who have questions about the province's recent emergency order to close at-risk workplaces following recommendations by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.