B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Extending both the sickness and caregiving benefits into next spring – as proposed in Bill C-2 – will cost the government approximately $873.6 million, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) estimates.
New costing reports published Tuesday states that prolonging the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) by 28 weeks, or until May 7, 2022, and expanding the claim period from four to six weeks would come with a price tag of $507 million.
Meanwhile, extending the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) to the same time frame and the claim period from 42 to 44 weeks will cost $366.6 million.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland formally introduced the new “targeted” pandemic aid bill, prolonging some benefits and revamping others.
Freeland said she hopes this is the last round of extensions.
“I see this legislation as very much the last step in our COVID-19 support programs. It is what I really hope and truly believe is the final pivot,” she said on Nov. 24.
Members of Parliament have begun debate on the proposed legislation – the Liberals hope to have it passed before the House rises for the holidays on Dec. 17.
The PBO also costed out the expected support that will flow through the new Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program.
The office predicts an additional $676 million in subsidies will be paid out beyond those already approved. Of that amount, it’s expected that $134 million will flow through the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery program and $542 will flow through the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program.
“With this extension, we expect the gross cost of the [Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy] to be $8.3 billion. This represents a net cost to the federal government of $7.2 billion after accounting for corporate income tax recoveries,” the report reads.
The CRSB provides income support to employed and self-employed Canadians who are unable to work because they are sick with COVID-19 or having to self-isolate. Eligible applicants can receive $500 for a one-week period.
The CRCB provides income support to employed and self-employed Canadians who are unable to work because they are caring for a child under 12-years-old or a family member who needs supervised care. Eligible applicants can receive $500 for a one-week period.
The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program applies to hotels, tour operators, travel agencies and restaurants with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent, while the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program applies to other businesses that have faced “deep losses,” with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent.
In order to qualify for the former, businesses would have to show a 12-month revenue loss of at least 40 per cent and a current-month revenue decline of the same amount. For the latter, businesses would have to show a 12-month revenue loss of at least 50 per cent and a current-month revenue decline of the same amount.
The government is also proposing a Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, replacing the popular Canada Response Benefit. It’s geared towards those whose work is directly impacted by lockdowns and would provide a benefit of $300 a week. The PBO did not individual cost out this program.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
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The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.