Month: April 2020

A multitude of measures have been tabled by the provincial and federal governments to prop up workers and an economy reeling from mandated closures of businesses brought about by physical distancing measures. Spring 2020 will be a period economic historians will be writing about for decades to come. Most economists were encouraging significant fiscal and… View Article

On April 2, the BC government announced emergency financial support for some of the most vulnerable British Columbians: an extra $300 per month for people  receiving income and disability assistance and some very low income seniors, for three months. This necessary and welcome measure can’t come fast enough.  BC is now only the second Canadian… View Article

Hon. Harry Bains Minister of Labour Government of British Columbia Dear Minister Bains: The COVID-19 pandemic is having the greatest social and economic impact on workers who rely on wages from employment for their survival, this is particularly so for workers who are engaged in precarious employment and without the benefit of a union. The… View Article

The federal government announced new details yesterday regarding the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) that will flow to employers facing significant revenue declines amid the COVID-19 crisis. CEWS applies to businesses, non-profits and charities of all sizes (including large, highly-profitable corporations) if they are facing a decline in revenue of at least 30 per cent… View Article

MISE À JOUR – 8 avril 2020 : Aujourd’hui une lettre a été envoyée à des fonctionnaires clés afin de demander que le nouveau programme de Subvention salariale d’urgence du Canada soit disponible à tous les organismes communautaires à but non lucratif ainsi qu’à ceux de bienfaisance sans qu’on leur exige une perte de revenus en… View Article

UPDATE—April 8, 2020: Today a letter was sent to key government officials requesting that the new Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program be made available to all charities and community non-profits, without the requirement to experience a revenue loss before becoming eligible. All the organizations which added their name at the bottom of this blog… View Article

Manually skilled migrant workers contribute vitally to the Canadian food chain, including to agricultural and seafood industries. But food security cannot be achieved on the backs of workers who are denied equal access to social protections and benefits, and made uniquely vulnerable to coronavirus transmission. With news about this week’s community outbreak among migrant agricultural workers… View Article