Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday released a statement thanking Canadian small business owners for their “dedication, perseverance, and innovation,” less than a week before a number COVID-19 pandemic financial support programs for businesses and individuals are scheduled to end.
On Oct. 23 – the last day of Small Business Week – the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are set to expire. Both programs have been extended several times since being implemented in 2020.
Over 200,000 business owners have leaned on CERS for help, and over 450,000 have received benefits from CEWS.
The passage of the Budget Implementation Act allows the government to extend CERS and the CEWS to Nov. 30. Beyond that timeline, new legislation would need to be introduced in Parliament.
But many businesses aren’t yet back on their feet, despite their doors being open again.
“We're still trying to recuperate from last year,” Marina Imperio, owner of 9Round Fitness in Aurora, Ont., told CTV News. “How are we able to function If all subsidies are cut and we're still running a deficit because of all the lockdowns and restrictions?”
Restaurant owners have been particularly hard-hit. According to a survey by Restaurants Canada, eight out of 10 restaurants across the country are either losing money or barely breaking even, while seven out of 10 are currently taking advantage of government subsidy programs.
Trystan Halpert, senior director of operations at Chop Steakhouse & Bar, told CTV News that these programs are “very helpful.
“It’s a little bit too early to discontinue those given the fact that most of our operations across the country have not been able to open up at full capacity,” he said.
As for individual benefits, the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) and the Canada Recovery Caregiver Benefit (CRCB) are also set to terminate on Saturday. These programs, too, can be extended into November by the government.
Brooke Gil had a full-time job until the pandemic hit. But now, her only income is the CRB, which is about to expire, putting the mother of three in a precarious position. Her youngest child is only six months old.
“We need help, this isn't fair, we worked for our hours, we deserve this time off, just as other mothers do,” she told CTV News.
More than two million Canadians have applied for CRB to date. Nearly 700,000 have applied for CRSB and over 450,000 for CRCB. Although all of the programs can be extended until November without introducing new legislation, there is still no word on if that extension will happen.
With files from CTVNews.ca’s Sarah Turnbull, Nicole Bogart, Alexandra Mae Jones and Brooklyn Neustaeter, and The Canadian Press
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.