The Government of Canada says it is taking “immediate, significant and decisive action to help Canadians facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.”
The government in recent weeks has announced numerous programs for both individuals and businesses who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and are now facing dire financial challenges.
For example, people can start applying as of today for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
“If you stopped working because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support. The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks,” says the government on its website.
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan with all the programs announced by the government can be found here.
In Alberta, provincial government says it will provide immediate financial relief to Alberta’s families and vulnerable populations.
Over $7.7 billion has been committed so far, including:
- $500 million for the health system
- $60 million for community organizations, including emergency and homeless shelters
- $50 million for emergency isolation support
- $3.6 billion to date in total loans to consumers and businesses that qualified for deferrals through the ATB Financial customer relief program
- $45 million to waive interest on student loans
Full details of that can be found here.
The Alberta government has also announced several initiatives to help employees and employers with the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
All those initiatives can be found here.
And to keep abreast of how the City of Calgary has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, details can be found here.
City of Edmonton information can be found here.
