April 13, 2020
On March 17, 2020, the Ontario government declared a state of emergency in response to the COVD-19 pandemic. Since then, a number of provincial and federal measures have been put in place to assist employers and employees, and also to keep Ontarians safe, during these challenging and unprecedented times.
Our collective new reality and employment legislation is changing day by day and sometimes hour by hour. In this article, we have highlighted some of the significant measures impacting the employment relationship in Ontario as of the date of publication. We also discuss temporary lay-offs and some of the benefits and risks worth considering during this time of crisis.
CANADA EMERGENCY RESPONSE BENEFIT
The new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) provides $2,000 per month, for up to 4 months (16 weeks) to qualifying individuals who have stopped working (including self-employed individuals) because of COVID-19 and are not receiving Employment Insurance (“EI”) benefits for the same eligibility period…