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$2,000/month for 4 months - Canada Emergency Response Benefit to help workers and businesses

$2,000/month for 4 months – Canada Emergency Response Benefit to help workers and businesses

To support workers and help businesses keep their employees, the government has proposed legislation to establish the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). This taxable benefit would provide $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CERB would be a simpler and more accessible combination of the previously announced Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit.

The CERB would cover Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19, as well as working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures. The CERB would apply to wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).

Additionally, workers who are still employed, but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation due to COVID-19, would also qualify for the CERB. This would help businesses keep their employees as they navigate these difficult times, while ensuring they preserve the ability to quickly resume operations as soon as it becomes possible.

The EI system was not designed to process the unprecedented high volume of applications received in the past week. Given this situation, all Canadians who have ceased working due to COVID-19, whether they are EI-eligible or not, would be able to receive the CERB to ensure they have timely access to the income support they need.

Canadians who are already receiving EI regular and sickness benefits as of today would continue to receive their benefits and should not apply to the CERB. If their EI benefits end before October 3, 2020, they could apply for the CERB once their EI benefits cease, if they are unable to return to work due to COVID-19. Canadians who have already applied for EI and whose application has not yet been processed would not need to reapply. Canadians who are eligible for EI regular and sickness benefits would still be able to access their normal EI benefits, if still unemployed, after the 16-week period covered by the CERB.

The portal for accessing the CERB would be available in early April.

Canadians would begin to receive their CERB payments within 10 days of application. The CERB would be paid every four weeks and be available from March 15, 2020 until October 3, 2020.

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2020 Financial Facts for Business Owners include Interest Rate, Corporate Tax Rates, Employment Insurance Premium Rates, CPP Contribution Rates, Corporate Investment, Income Tax Rate, Limits Insurance- Types that are needed, Lifetime Capital Gains Exemptions

2020 Financial Facts for Business Owners

2020 is here and we’ve put together numbers every business owner should know.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to see how we can help with your 2020 finances.

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The importance of a suitable travel health insurance policy

The importance of taking out a robust travel health insurance policy, which is appropriate for your needs cannot be underestimated if you plan to travel outside of Canada, no matter where to or for how long. Naturally, there are many different types of product on the market and therefore decisions have to be made in relation to the type of cover that you require but, as a minimum, you should consider taking out health, life and disability coverage so that you don’t get caught out for medical treatment in other countries, should an accident or illness strike. Additionally, it is worthwhile taking out insurance for flight disruptions, lost luggage and documents etc. if you are flying, as such incidents can be costly and inconvenient.

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Charitable Gifting with Shared Ownership Universal Life Insurance

Many individuals have realized their charitable aspirations by donating a life insurance policy to the charity of their choice. In situations where that donation is a Universal Life policy, the use of a Shared Ownership strategy could prove to be a viable investment for the donor.

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