Canadian government extends COVID-19 benefits and business supports

Ottawa – The federal government has extended wage, rent and lockdown support subsidies and other COVID-19 measures to support the gradual reopening of the economy.

The measures include:

• Extending the eligibility period for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support until Oct. 23, 2021, and increasing the rate of support employers and organizations can receive during the period between Aug. 29 and Sept. 25, 2021.
• Extending the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB), and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) until Oct. 23, 2021.
• Increasing the maximum number of weeks available for the CRB, by an additional four weeks, to a total of 54 weeks, at a rate of $300 per week, and ensuring it is available to those who have exhausted their employment insurance (EI) benefits.

In addition, the government is proposing to offer businesses greater flexibility when calculating the revenue decline used to determine eligibility for the wage and rent subsidy programs and the new Canada Recovery Hiring Program. It is also releasing draft legislation that provides further clarity on previously announced changes to the wage subsidy for furloughed employees.

More details on the extension and these proposed changes are available here.