April 27 COVID-19 Update

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Applications Now Open

As of 6:00 a.m. this morning, businesses who qualify for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are able to apply for the 75% payroll subsidy online.

We’ve mentioned this program many times over the past several weeks in this space, and encourage all our members who qualify to apply for the subsidy.

You can click here to apply for the subsidy. Funds are expected to hit bank accounts on May 7 for those who apply.

If you have questions about the application process, or whether you’re eligible, you can call the Manitoba Economic Support Centre at 1-888-805-7554.

Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance

On Friday, we got more information on the federal government’s commercial rent assistance program (CECRA). It’s designed to lower rent by 75% for small businesses who have been affected by COVID-19.

The program will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50% of three monthly rent payments that are payable by eligible small business tenants who are experiencing financial hardship during April, May, and June.

The loans will be forgiven if the mortgaged property owner agrees to reduce the small business tenants’ rent by at least 75% under a rent forgiveness agreement, which will include a term not to evict the tenant while the agreement is in place. The small business tenant would cover the remainder, up to 25% of the rent.

Impacted small business tenants are businesses paying less than $50,000 per month in rent and who have temporarily ceased operations or have experienced at least a 70% drop in pre-COVID revenues.

It is expected that CECRA will be operational by mid-May, and further details will be announced soon.

FREE Webinar: How To Keep Employees Engaged And Productive During Stressful Times

It’s hard enough for supervisors and managers to keep employees engaged when things are going well. One of the hardest challenges for anyone in leadership is to manage and lead employees that are not engaged or motivated to do their job. This is especially challenging during these times with the uncertainty and emotional turmoil with COVID-19.

Join WCA for a free webinar presented by Wendy Hofford on Friday, May 8 from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. to learn strategies to increase employee engagement and productivity during a turbulent time.

More details and registration is available here.