Pandemic Advice

Businesses, non-profits, and charities that have experienced a decline in revenues while weathering the COVID-19 crisis are eligible for a variety of government support measures including direct subsidies to support workers and pay rent. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy helps employers retain and quickly rehire workers previously laid off. The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy provides...

The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (“CERS”) received Royal Assent last week and applications opened Monday through the CRA online system. This program is broader than the name implies – both renters and property owners may qualify for benefits to help offset their property-related costs including rent, mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance and even other costs....

During uncertain times, it is natural for people to wonder if their affairs are in order and if their assets are protected if anything should happen to them. While we feel estate planning should always be a priority, it is especially important during this unprecedented time. In this article, we will discuss just a few...

Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced proposed changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program to provide support to employers for employees wages since March 15 as part of the government’s overall COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. Originally in place until June 6, the CEWS was extended to August 29 and is now being proposed to...

The revised application process became available today for the expanded CEBA loan program initially announced in May. The initial loan eligibility criteria was restricted to businesses with payroll between $20,000 and $1,500,000 in 2019 and many businesses have already accessed the $40,000 interest-free, partially forgivable loan through their main banking partner. Businesses that remunerate their...

Update on Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program More information on the CECRA program (originally announced April 24, 2020) was provided today during the Prime Minister’s daily COVID update speech. This program will provide a forgivable loan to landlords for up to 50% of a commercial tenant’s monthly rent, if the landlord and tenants...

Thousands of employers have made claims under the CEWS application process that started this week and will remain open for claims until September 30th. The government anticipates releasing the first batch of funds to successful claimants later next week for claims made this week. The rules behind the eligibility and amounts of the potential claims...

The Federal government announced changes to the eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which provides $2,000 every four weeks to workers who have suffered reduced income due to COVID-19. The major change is that people who are still earning up to $1,000 per month will be able to also apply for the...

Since the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) legislation was passed on Saturday, there have been many questions from employers about how the calculation of the subsidy would be done for different workers – existing, newly hired, relatives of the owners, etc. We at Virtus Group have prepared a calculation tool that should provide some clarity...

The Saskatchewan government opened applications Monday for a new program that can provide up to $5,000 to businesses that were required to temporarily close or significantly curtail their operations due to the COVID-19 public health order – the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment Program (SSBEPP). The SSBEPP aims to provide cash flow to a wide...