The new Regulations to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act increase the maximum number of weeks that an individual can receive income support under the CERB from 24 to 28 weeks. The CERB program, which was due to conclude at the end of August, will run until September 26, 2020.
Corresponding Regulations to the Canada Labour Code provide for an extension of the job-protected leave related to COVID-19 for employees in federally-regulated private sector workplaces. In alignment with the extension of the CERB, employees will continue to be entitled to take a job-protected leave until September 26, 2020, if they are unable or unavailable to work as a result of COVID-19.
The federal government has introduced a variety of changes to the EI regime in order to assist Canadians in their transition from income support under the CERB to EI. We discussed these changes at length in a previous article.
The following changes are now in force:
If you have questions regarding changes to entitlements under the CERB or EI, please contact Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
Note to our Readers: Information regarding COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. We are working to bring you up-to-date articles as the legal issues develop and to keep our previous posts updated. Given that the legal issues related to COVID-19 are constantly changing, if you are looking for legal advice or are dealing with an issue in relation to COVID-19, please contact your Harris lawyer or a member of our COVID-19 response team: Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
To read our most recent articles and other updates on COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Updates page.
On August 20, 2020, the federal government announced that it would be extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) a further four weeks to a maximum of 28 weeks, and would be making temporary changes to the Employment Insurance (“EI”) regime. The Regulations and Interim Orders associated with these changes are now in force. CERB … Continued
On August 20, 2020, the Canadian Federal Government announced that it will be extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) for a further four weeks to a maximum of 28 weeks, and will be making changes to the Employment Insurance (“EI”) regime. The changes to the EI regime are expected to cost around $37 billion, … Continued
On May 8, 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) will be extended beyond June 6, 2020, when it is currently set to end. He explained that further details of the extension will be announced next week. The Prime Minister stated that the purpose of extending CEWS is to ensure … Continued
On May 4, 2020, the Employment Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 396/95 was amended to extend the length of a temporary layoff during the COVID-19 emergency. Prior to this amendment, a temporary layoff was limited to 13 weeks in a period of 20 consecutive weeks. As a result of this amendment, the temporary layoff period may … Continued
On April 29, 2020, the Federal government introduced legislation to create the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) – a new financial support for post-secondary students whose work or work opportunities have been impacted by COVID-19. Under the proposed legislation, students are eligible to receive $1,250 of income support per month for up to four months, … Continued