Just as most essential support programs that have been helping many travel advisors and agencies survive were about to expire on 23OCT, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced a slew of new and updated or extended government support programs on Thursday.
While she made it clear that the government is preparing “for a full recovery and an end” to all subsidies, she nonetheless announced several streams of support that would be extended until MAY. From this point, support will be very targeted to industries that have not yet bounced back from the effects of the pandemic. And Freeland also announced that even the support programs that run til MAY will be reduced beginning in MAR.
As Open Jaw reported Thursday, details at the time of the announcement were scarce, but Ottawa has since released more information about several streams of support that may help the struggling travel industry survive until recovery takes place.
For Businesses:
Canada Recovery Hiring Program: Extended til 07MAY
Eligible employers with revenue losses above 10 per cent and increase the subsidy rate to 50 per cent. The extension would help businesses continue to hire back workers and to create the additional jobs Canada needs for a full recovery.
Tourism and Hospitality Program: Includes Travel Agencies
Wage and rent subsidy support of up to 75 per cent will be provided to hotels and hospitality businesses, tour operators, as well as travel agencies.
Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program: includes Local Lockdown Benefit
This program also provides subsidy support of up to 50 per cent for wage and rent costs for ‘other’ businesses with deep losses.
Qualifying businesses will need to show losses over the past 12 months of the pandemic, as well as in the current month.
Businesses facing “temporary new local lockdowns” will be eligible for the maximum amount for the duration of the lockdown, regardless of losses throughout the pandemic.
These subsidies will be available until 07MAY. From 13MAR to 07MAY, the subsidies will decrease by half.
More information from the government of Canada about these programs is available here:
For Individuals:
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit: Extended til 07MAY
In addition to extending the programs until MAY, Ottawa is also increasing the maximum duation of the benefits by two weeks.
The caregiving benefit is now extended from 42 to 44 weeks and the sickness benefit from 4 to 6 weeks.
Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit: New
This new program would provide $300 / week in income support “to eligible workers should they be unable to work due to a local lockdown anytime between October 24, 2021 and May 7, 2022,” the government release states.
For more information about the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, click here.
When news of the new Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit was originally released Thursday, ACTA made a statement asserting that current travel advisories against non-essential travel, as well as ongoing border restrictions, created a ‘lockdown’ scenario that should qualify travel advisors for the Lockdown Benefit.
As Open Jaw is reporting, a move by Ottawa late on Thursday relaxing many of the advisories against non-essential travel may impact advisors’ access to that income support.
