Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
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.
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.