Sheppard Law Blog

CEWS Extension to August 29, 2020 The federal government announced on May 15, 2020 that it will be extending the 75% CEWS wage subsidy another 12 weeks to August 29, 2020. Changes to the CEWS eligibility criteria can also be expected in about one month's time as the government will be consulting with key businesses and labour representatives with a particular focus on adjusting the 30% revenue decline benchmark for eligibility. Changes in this regard will likely be necessary to provide businesses with support while they start to reopen since businesses will hopefully start to see an increase in revenues over the coming months. Further, although it appears that they are not formally passed as of the date of this blog post, Bill Morneau announced that eligibility has been changed, retroactive to March 15, 2020, so that the following groups can receive the CEWS: Partnerships that are up to 50-per-cent owned by non-eligible members; Indigenous government-owned corporations tha

The CESB student benefit application is set to launch tomorrow , May 15, at 6 a.m. ET. Individuals who wish to apply are encouraged to set up an online account with the CRA . Eligible students will receive $1,250.00 for each four-week period from May 2020 to August 2020 for each four-week period he/she is eligible, while students with dependants or a disability will receive $2,000.00. Students will have to re-apply for the benefit every four weeks and must continue to seek work while receiving the benefit. For more information about eligibility, be sure to see our May 8 blog post . Note: while this blog and the information above provides general information, it does not constitute legal advice. The best way to get guidance on your specific legal issue is to contact a lawyer. For more information about the benefits available to you, or if you have any other questions regarding your employment issue, please contact our office for a consultation with one of our lawyers .

Bill C-15, the Canada Emergency Student Benefit Act , received Royal Assent on May 1, 2020. This Act establishes the eligibility framework for the previously announced student benefit. Eligibility Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and certain other individuals can apply for this benefit so long as they either: Are enrolled in a post-secondary education program that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate at any time between December 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020; or Graduated from secondary school in 2020, have applied for enrollment in such a post-secondary educational program scheduled to begin before February 21, 2021 and plan to enroll in that program if accepted.  Applicants who meet the above criteria are considered a "student" for the purposes of the Act. Next, that student qualifies for the benefit if he/she meets the following threshold: For reasons related to COVID-19, during the particular four-week period for which he/she applies for the benefit,