WAGES

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

Eligible small businesses can receive a 75 per cent wage subsidy for employees. The subsidy applies to the first $58,700 in salary earned for a maximum of $847 a week. Eligible companies must have suffered at least a 15 per cent revenue loss as a result of COVID-19 (in March; 30 per cent or greater loss in April and May), and include those already eligible for the small business deduction, as well as non-profit organizations and charities. Businesses can benefit immediately by reducing their remittances of income tax withheld on their employees’ remuneration. The wage subsidy will be backdated to March 15. CEWS was original set to expire at the end of June, however the Government of Canada will be announcing shortly a revised end date to the subsidy.

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

Additional CEWS details from the Department of Finance

Small businesses can hire and keep the workers they need so they can continue to deliver essential services.

• An increase to the wage subsidy, so that private and public sector employers can also receive up to 100 per cent of the provincial minimum hourly wage for each employee
• An extension to the end date for employment to Feb. 28, 2021
• Allowing employers to adapt their projects and job activities to support essential services
• Allowing employers to hire staff on a part-time basis

Canada Summer Jobs

Student Work Placement Program provides wage subsidies to employers that offer post-secondary students paid work experience related to their field of study.

• Up to $5,000 for every student hired through the program
• Up to $7,000 for every student hired that is in their first academic year or is from an under-represented group including women in STEM, persons with disabilities, newcomers and Indigenous students

Changes to the program until March 31, 2021 include:

• Post-secondary institutions now qualify as SWPP employer partners.
• Employer partners will have the flexibility to postpone the start date of work placements to avoid rescinding placements.
• Work placements may be shorter than 12 weeks.
• Remote working may now qualify as suitable work-integrated learning experience.
• Small and medium-sized employers and not-for-profit organizations may qualify to receive a percentage of the total wage subsidy (per student per term) as soon as the student(s) start their work placement, if there is an operational cash flow need.

Student Work Placement Program

Youth Employment and Skills Program

The Government of Canada is providing $9.2 million to enhance the Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP) and fund up to 700 new positions for youth in the agriculture industry. This additional funding will help the agriculture industry attract Canadian youth, ages 15 to 30, to their organizations to assist with labour shortages brought on by the pandemic. This program aims to provide youth, and particularly youth facing barriers to employment, with job experience in agriculture that will provide career-related work experience.

The YESP will provide agriculture employers up to 50 per cent of the cost of hiring a Canadian youth up to $14,000. Indigenous applicants and those applicants hiring a youth facing barriers are eligible for funding of up to 80 per cent of their costs.

Eligible applicants include producers, agri-businesses, industry associations, provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous organizations and research facilities. Employers may apply for this funding retroactive to April 1, 2020, with projects to be completed by March 31, 2021.

Youth Employment and Skills Program

WORKERS

EI Eligible

The one-week waiting period for sickness benefits is removed for those who have been told to self-isolate or quarantine. Applicants can be paid for the first week of their claim. The maximum amount paid out for EI is $573 a week.

EI Ineligible (includes self-employed)

Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)- Taxable benefit providing $2,000 a month for up to four months.

Who's eligible?

• Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19, as well as working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
• Wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for EI.
• Workers who are still employed, but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation.

Recent changes to CERB eligibility also allows:

• People to earn up to $1,000 per month while collecting the CERB.
• CERB to be extended to seasonal workers who have exhausted their EI regular benefits and are unable to undertake their usual seasonal work as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• CERB to be extended to workers who recently exhausted their EI regular benefits and are unable to find a job or return to work because of COVID-19.
• A temporary top-up to the salaries of workers deemed essential in the fight against COVID-19, who make less than $2,500 a month (details to be announced).

EI eligible applicants - Apply for EI benefits by visiting the website. Afterwards, you can apply to have the one-week waiting period waived by calling 1-833-381-2725.

EI ineligible applicants - Canada Emergency Response Benefit applications are currently open. CERB payments are issued within 10 days of application. The CERB would be paid every four weeks from March 15, 2020 until October 3, 2020. Apply through the CRA website.

EMPLOYERS

Employers may be entitled to an EI premium reduction through the Short-Term Disability Benefits - Premium Reduction Program.

Short-Term Disability Benefits - Premium Reduction Program

Work Sharing COVID-19 Changes

INCOME TAX

Flexibility for businesses filing taxes

GST/HST

CREDIT

Increase credit available to small, medium and large Canadian businesses. The Business Credit Availability Program will provide additional support to businesses experiencing cash flow challenges through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Export Development Canada (EDC).

BDC relief measures for qualified businesses include:

• Working capital loans of up to $2 million with flexible terms and payment postponements for up to 6 months for qualifying businesses
• Postponement of payments for up to six months, for existing BDC clients
• Reduced rates on new eligible loans

BDC COVID-19 Support

EDC Covid-19 Support

Canada Emergency Business Account - Banks are offering $40,000 loans which will be guaranteed by the government and interest free for the first year. To qualify, businesses will need to demonstrate they paid between $20,000 to $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019. Repaying the balance of the loan on or before December 31, 2022 will result in loan forgiveness of 25 percent (up to $10,000).

Expanded eligibility (announced May 19, 2020)

The program will now be available to a greater number of businesses that are sole proprietors receiving income directly from their businesses, businesses that rely on contractors, and family-owned corporations that pay employees through dividends rather than payroll.

To qualify under the expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 would need:

• a business operating account at a participating financial institution.
• a Canada Revenue Agency business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return.
• eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.

The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) provides finterest-free loans to help support fixed operating costs of SMEs, where business revenues have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund, valued at more than $962 million nationally, is delivered by Canada’s six regional development agencies.

In southern Ontario, $252.4 million is available as follows:

• $213 million for SMEs facing financial pressure; (for businesses located in the city of Windsor - apply online)
• $39.4 million to provide rural businesses with access to capital and business support, delivered by southern Ontario’s Community Futures Development Corporations (for businesses located in Essex County - contact Business Resource Centre of Essex)

Funding options: up to a $40,000 conditionally repayable contribution (interest-free loan); or up to a $500,000 unconditionally repayable contribution (interest-free loan). The RRRF supports SMEs that do not qualify for, or have been declined for, current Government of Canada COVID-19 relief measures. Priority may be given to SMEs in the manufacturing, technology, tourism and other sectors key to the region, that are major employers in small communities or that support the government’s commitment to underrepresented groups.

Regional Relief and Recovery Fund details and application

Futurpreneur COVID-19 Support

Farm Credit Canada COVID-19 Support

This targeted application intake features two funding streams:

• Bring Your Business Online - Eligible organizations and businesses can apply for a grant of up to $5,000 to establish an online e-business and marketing presence. Funding under this stream will be quick and responsive for those needing immediate solutions.
• Develop Online Business Opportunities - Eligible organizations, businesses and collaborations can apply for cost-share funding of up to $75,000 to implement high-impact projects.

Agri-Food Open for E-Business funding details and applications

Additional Government of Canada funding supports announced April 16, 2020:

• $675 million to give financing support to small and medium-sized businesses that are unable to access the government’s existing COVID-19 support measures, through Canada’s Regional Development Agencies (contact FedDev Ontario).
• $287 million to support rural businesses and communities, including by providing them with much-needed access to capital through the Community Futures Network (contact Business Resource Centre of Essex County). 
• $500 million to establish a COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations to help address the financial needs of affected organizations within these sectors so they can continue to support artists and athletes.
• $20.1 million in support for Futurpreneur Canada to continue to support young entrepreneurs across Canada who are facing challenges due to COVID-19. The funding will allow Futurpreneur Canada to provide payment relief for its clients for up to 12 months.
• $250 million to assist innovative, early-stage companies that are unable to access existing COVID-19 business support, through the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.

COMMERCIAL RENT

Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA)

CECRA will provide forgivable loans to commercial property owners who in turn will lower or forgo the rent of small businesses for the months of April (retroactive), May, and June 2020. Eligible businesses are those that have to pay less than $50,000 per month in rent, have had to temporarily cease operations, or have experienced at least a 70 per cent drop in pre-COVID-19 revenues. The program is also available to non-profits and charities. The program will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50 per cent of three monthly rent payments. The loans will be forgiven if the property owner agrees to reduce eligible businesses’ rent by at least 75 per cent for the three months. The businesses renting their space would still be required to pay up to 25 per cent of their monthly rent. The program also includes a rent forgiveness agreement, which includes a moratorium on eviction.

CECRA will be operational by mid-May, with commercial property owners lowering the rents of their small business tenant’s payable for the months of April and May, retroactively, and for June.

CECRA details and application requirements, visit Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

MORTGAGES

CMHC COVID-19 Update

FLEXIBILITY

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL ELECTRICITY

The Ontario government is taking steps to defer a portion of Global Adjustment (GA) charges for industrial and commercial electricity consumers that do not participate in the Regulated Price Plan for the period starting from April 2020. This initiative is intended to provide companies with temporary immediate relief on their monthly electricity bills in April, May and June 2020. The government intends to keep this emergency order in place until May 31, 2020, and subsequent regulatory amendments would, if approved, provide for the deferral of these charges for June 2020 as well.

This relief will prevent a marked increase in Global Adjustment charges due to the low electricity demand caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Without this emergency order, a small industrial or commercial consumer (i.e., Class B) could have seen bills increase by 15 per cent or more. This emergency order will hold GA rates in line with pre-COVID-19 levels.

LOCAL MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS

City of Windsor Deferral of Property Taxes

The third installment for the 2020 Interim Property Taxes has been changed from April 15, 2020 to June 30, 2020. There will be no late payment charges in either form, penalty and/or interest, through the period ending June 30, 2020.

ENWIN Utilities - Moratorium on Electricity Disconnection for Small Businesses

Interest on unpaid accounts will not be charged, for bills produced between April 1 and June 30, for water, electricity and wastewater services. Additionally, EnWin is suspending disconnections on low-volume small business customers (annual usage of less than 150,000 kWh) until July 31, 2020. Collection action is also suspended indefinitely.

ENWIN Utilities - Moratorium on Disconnections and Waived Interest for Businesses

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has extended the provincially mandated electricity moratorium to low-volume, small business customers who annually use less than 150,000 kilowatt hours.

Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund

The City of Windsor has released an additional $60,000 for the creative community. Applications are open for grants up to $1,000 for local musicians, comedians, storytellers, dancers, singers, theatre artists, poets, filmmakers, visual artists, designers and artisans.

CANADIAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Canada's six largest financial institutions (Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank and TD Bank) have made a commitment to work with personal and small business banking customers on a case-by-case basis to provide flexible solutions to help them manage through challenges. This support will include up to a six-month payment deferral for mortgages and the opportunity for relief on other credit products.

EPIC NIMBLE PROGRAM

EPIC Nimble program details and application form

WINDSOR-ESSEX ARTIST MICRO GRANT

Grant appliction and donation details

MITACS ACCELERATE INTERNSHIP

Accelerate Internship

DISTANTLY

Distantly.ca

SHOPIFY CAPITAL

EBAY UP & RUNNING

AD CREDITS FOR GOOGLE

Visit Google Ads for details

FACEBOOK SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS

Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where we operate. Full details have yet to be release. Facebook has also launched a Business Resource Hub website with guides, tips, groups and more to support businesses during COVID-19.

Visit Facebook for Business to sign up for updates