| Description (Service) |
Financial Relief Navigator (FRN)
- online tool that provides information and help to access emergency benefits, related to COVID-19, including Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), as well as other benefits and financial relief from governments, financial institutions, utilities, telecoms and internet providers
- Click HERE for more information
Federal Programs
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
Plan provides programs in the following three areas:
Support for Individuals Facing a Loss of Income
CERB has been phased out, in its place are the following:
- a simplified Employment Insurance (EI) program to provide income support to those who remain unable to work
* three new benefits, for people not eligible for EI
Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
* applications open Oct 12, 2020
* to apply see CRB Application
* for other questions about CRB see, CRB Questions
Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)
* to apply see CRSB Application
* for other questions about CRSB see, CRSB Questions
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB)
* to apply see CRCB Application
* for other question about CRCB see, CRCB Questions
EI Benefits
* Canadians already receiving benefits through Service Canada will be transitioned to the EI program once they have received the maximum CERB benefits for which they are entitled, if they are EI eligible and continue to need income support.
* Canadians who are currently receiving the CERB from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) who believe they are entitled to EI will need to apply through Service Canada after September 26
* to apply see EI Benefits and EI Sickness Benefits
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) - now CLOSED
* provided a taxable benefit of $2,000 every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks to eligible workers who lost income due to COVID-19
Return or Repayment of CERB
* When CERB was first introduced, the government accepted most applications without checking to make sure that people were eligible
* Canada Revenue Agency is now checking more closely and if someone received CERB when they should not have, they will have to pay it back
* CERB is taxable, T4A tax slips on the amount of CERB received will be issued
* to ensure that T4A tax slips are not issued improperly, the deadline to repay CERB is before December 31, 2020
For information on how to pay back the CERB, see:
* Repayment of CERB
* Paying Back the CERB
Support for Students
Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)
* provides emergency financial relief to post-secondary students, and recent post-secondary and high school graduates who are unable to find work due to COVID-19
* the benefit is for students who do not qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Employment Insurance (EI)
* How to Apply for CESB
Canada Student Loans
* no payments on student and apprentice loans required from Mar 30-Sep 30, 2020, any pre-authorized debits will be stopped
* increase in the Canada Student Grant for full-time and part-time students and for Students with Permanent Disabilities and Students with Dependants entering post-secondary school for the school year 2020-21
* see Canada Student Loans - COVID-19 for details
* see Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for Ontario Students
Support for Seniors
* one-time tax free payment of $300 for seniors eligible for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension, with an additional $200 for seniors eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
* seniors who are already receiving OAS and GIS will receive the one-time benefit automatically and do not need to apply for it, see COVID-19 One Time Payment for more information
Support for Businesses
The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) - Support for Businesses
* subsidy generally covers 75% of an employee's wages for employers of all sizes and across all sectors who have suffered a drop in gross revenues of at least 15% in March, and 30% in April and May.
* program will be in place for a 12-week period, from March 15 to June 6, 2020
* Apply for CEWS
Temporary 10% Wage Subsidy - Support for Businesses
* three-month measure that will allow eligible employers to reduce the amount of payroll deduction required to be remitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
* Frequently Asked Questions about Temporary 10% Wage Subsidy
Business Resilience Service
* guidance on government relief programs to support businesses
* see Canadian Business Resilience Network for more information
Provincial Programs
Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services - COVID-19 Emergency Assistance
* visit COVID-19 Emergency Assistance for up-to-date information and to apply online
* Ontario Works can help you with the cost of food and housing if you are in temporary financial need * this includes emergency assistance for those facing financial crisis due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) or other emergency situations (e.g., flood, fire)
* people who are not currently on social assistance can apply for COVID-19 Emergency Assistance
Ministry of Education
* This benefit is now closed, it operated from Apr 6-Aug 31, 2020
The Ministry of Education is provided financial support to parents to assist with the costs of educational resources during school and child care closures as a result of Ontario’s declared emergency to stop the spread of COVID-19
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Ontario (WSIB)
* if you believe you contracted COVID-19 while at work, you may file a claim to determine if you are eligible for WSIB coverage
* call 1-800-387-0750 or visit WSIB Benefits for more information
OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan)
* Ontario is waiving the three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage, additionally, the province will cover the cost of COVID-19 services for uninsured people who do not meet the criteria for OHIP coverage to ensure that no one will be discouraged from seeking screening or treatment for COVID-19 for financial reasons
* until further notice, the Ministry requests hospitals provide all medically necessary services to all persons who present at a hospital, regardless of whether the person presents a valid OHIP card, or does not have health insurance under OHIP or another provincial health insurance plan
* services for uninsured persons should be prioritized consistent with the prioritization of services for insured persons
* Hospitals should endeavour to collect payment for such services from private insurers, where applicable
* where payment from private insurers is not available for the services, at a later date, the Ministry, through its agencies, will provide payment to hospitals for both the physician and hospital services provided to all such patients
* see Ontario News Release for more details
Service Ontario
Service Ontario has extended validation to expired and expiringdriver’s licences, health cards, Ontario Photo Cards, licence plate stickers and many more products * people do not need to renew at this time
Utilities Relief
Fixed time of use Rates
* effective Jun 1-Oct 31, 2020 the Province of Ontario has suspended time-of-use rates to provide consumers with greater stability and predictability with their electricity bills
* electricity rates during this time will be held to the new fixed electricity price of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, see May 30, 2020 Ontario News Release
Ontario Energy Board
* Time-of-use pricing
* Electricity disconnection ban extended
* Low-income programs
* see Ontario Energy Board COVID-19 Update
Help for Low-Income Consumers
COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)
* for customers who are having difficulty paying their utility bills due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
* available to consumers who have fallen behind by at least two billing cycles, but whose accounts were in good standing when provincial emergency was declared (Mar 17, 2020)
* available for those unemployed on the date they apply for funding, and have received Employment Insurance or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit since March 17, 2020
* provides electricity customers with up to $230 in support if they primarily use electricity for heating, or if they use energy-intensive medical devices, and up to $115 otherwise
* provides natural gas customers with up to $160 if they reside in Northern Ontario, and up to $80 if they reside elsewhere
* those who have received support from the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) or the Ontario Electricity Support Program in the recent past are ineligible
Applications will be available through the utility providers’ websites and will be accepted by email, mail, on-line application or by phone as of July 13, 2020
Customers will be credited on their utility account
For complete details and eligibility, contact your utility provider
Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)
* provides low-income consumers with a monthly on-bill credit to reduce their electricity bill * provides ongoing help
Low-income Energy Assistance Program(LEAP)
* provides a one-time grant towards your electricity or natural gas bill if you are behind on your bill and may face having your service shut off* it is for emergency situations
Telecommunications Relief
* Bell COVID-19 Updates
* Telus COVID-19 Updates
* Rogers COVID-19 Updates
* Fido COVID-19 Updates
If your telecommunications company is not listed here, check their website or contact them directly to learn of any assistance they may be offering
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