Who n apply for the new COVID Lockdown Benefit? Are there other Income Supports?

Here are just a few resources you may be eligible to access.

Federal COVID benefits have been extended to May 7, 2022.

• Lockdown and Federal EI Benefits January 2022
• Prestation nadienne pour les travailleurs en s de confinement lié à la COVID-19

Fix EI and Extend CRB.

58 organizations including the Good Jobs for All Coalition are lling on the Federal Government to extend COVID Recovery Benefits and move quickly on permanent EI reforms. The attached Open Letter was sent to key Ministers and Opposition critics. Other groups are invited to forward the letter to their area MPs (Click here for MP email ‘contact’).

On April 8, 2021, the Good Jobs for All Coalition joined with 75 community and labour organizations from across nada in signing on to a brief to the HUMA Parliamentary Committee for its study of EI. The brief “Employment Insurance for the 21st Century: How Do We Make E.I. Work for Workers?” was submitted by the Inter-provincial EI Working Group and makes 15 recommendations focused on:

• Better EI Financing,
• Better EI Access for More Workers,
• Better EI Benefits and
• Better Supports and Access to Justice for EI Claimants.

On April 22, Pam Frache of the Workers Action Centre spoke to the brief during the HUMA hearings (15:43:22 time mark).

Cross-nada Statement lls on Government to Extend Recovery and EI Benefits, and Make Lasting Reforms

CRB-EI Extension and Reform – English

PCRE-d’assurance emploi – Fran?ais

The Transition – Post CERB Benefits and EI.

Take a look at this presentation about how the transition is expected to happen. It is a joint project of the GJFA EI Working Group and the Ontario Legal Aid Clinics EI Working Group.

Building a New Unemployment Insurance System

Among other things, COVID-19 put a spotlight on long-standing shortcomings of nada’s EI system. Good Jobs for All’s EI Working Group worked hard to address the immediate needs of workers affected by the health and economic crisis (see April 13 and March 9 postings).

Now, the Working Group has identified proposals for rebuilding EI in the immediate and longer term. These include:

• Waiving qualifying hours
• Eliminating disqualifition for those who quit “voluntarily” during the pandemic
• Adjusting Work Sharing as a tool for a phased return to work
• EI and EI-CERB costs must be assigned to general revenues, not EI
• Many more elements

Please read Building a New Unemployment Insurance System for details.

Support the ll for change! Write to your MP; the Hon. rla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion; and to the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Chair, binet Committee on the federal response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

GJFA’s EI Working Group

Good Jobs For All’s EI Working Group has worked hard to shape nada’s approach to supporting workers affected by the pandemic. The EI Working Group, along with partners such as West Srborough Community Legal Services, was responsible for many recent victories regarding income support by the federal government including the following:

• Waiving the one week waiting period for people collecting EI Sick Benefits
• Removing the requirement for a medil note
• Creating a new benefit for those who are ineligible for EI, including workers without enough hours (lled the nada Emergency Response Benefit or CERB)
• Setting a higher rate for the CERB
• Reducing complexity
• Speeding up the applition and payment processes

For information about applying for the CERB visit nada.

To help people navigate through the system as well as deal with other COVID-19 issues, take a look at the following documents and YouTube videos from West Srborough Community Legal Services (and subscribe to the channel so you get information about new videos):

• Who is eligible for the expanded CERB?: PDF | video
• Understanding which benefit you should apply for?: PDF
• COVID-19: New nada Emergency Response Benefit
• COVID-19: EI Sick Benefits and changes
• COVID-19: Housing Protection for Tenants

Labour Council also has related information on its website:

• Visit labourcouncil. to participate in the nadian Labour Congress mpaign to get real credit rd relief now!
• Help for individuals during COVID-19
• Priorities for action during COVID-19