Dear Members,
Today, Wednesday, March 25th, the Government of Canada announced changes to the support programs for workers who experience a loss of income due to COVID-19:
- The introduction of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit – a taxable benefit that will provide $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be a simpler and more accessible combination of the previously announced Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit.
Yesterday, March 24th, the Workers Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island took the following step to support Island employers and employees:
- The deferral of all assessment due dates related to 2020 employer payrolls. This temporary change means that covered employers will not have to pay WCB premiums until June 30th, 2020. Neither interest nor penalties will accrue during this time. Read more here.
As always, the following resources are available to you and your business:
- Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan COVID-19 updates and resources
- A Chamber resources page that is updated daily
- Regular member updates as new information for business become available
- A special COVID-19 Chamber E-news
- Relevant links on Chamber Facebook and Twitter pages
- A provincial COVID-19 information for business page
- A federal COVID-19 businesses and employees page
As your Chamber, we continue to monitor this situation and the impact it is having on the local business community. To better understand the specific implications for members, we’ve created a COVID-19 Business Impact Survey. We ask you to take a few minutes to tell us about your experience since COVID-19 has hit our community, and what the Chamber can do to continue to support you.
Sincerely,
Dawn Binns, President
Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce