Weekly Digest – 8 April 2020

The word “uncertain” has been thrown around a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic – and that’s because almost everything around it has been. We hope you’re going well and managing to get some time away from your business during these crazy times. Here’s a recap of what you should know.

Government support for businesses

The Government has announced a number of measures aimed at avoiding layoffs, improving access to credit, supporting financial stability, and increasing flexibility with taxes. The government’s official website has a more detailed roundup of these measures. It’s good to remember, as Finance Minister Morneau said, the government is implementing programs in a matter of weeks, that would usually take years to develop, so it may not be perfect from the start.

There are still a lot of questions around the finer details of programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), so please get in touch with us if you have any concerns.

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)

Some more details:

  • Funds for this program will not be available for at least 6 weeks.
  • It will be retroactive to March 15th 2020.
  • The federal subsidy will pay 75% of employee wages for up to 3 months up to a miximum of $847 per week per employee.
  • The 75% subsidy is based on what is actually paid to the employee.

To qualify you must:

  • Be a business, charity or not-for-profit.
  • Be experiencing a 30% revenue reduction resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Show you are doing everything you can to pay the 25% top up.
  • Apply through the online portal which will be set up in the coming weeks.
  • Reapply each month.

More details can be found here.

Until the subsidy is received, businesses may want to use the line of credit offered through the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), but please feel free to chat to us first.

What next? You may want to set up a CRA My Account, but be mindful the website has been overloaded recently.

New info on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

If you have stopped working because of Coronavirus, the CERB may offer you some temporary income support. This provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.

Some finer details:

  • Payment of $2000 per month, paid monthly
  • Starting April 6th 2020
  • Payment to be received in 3 business days for direct deposit
  • This will be taxable income.

To qualify for CERB, there are some criteria:

  • Have stopped working because of COVID-19
  • Earned $5000 in income in 2019 or 12 month period prior to application
  • Be at least 15 years old

There are answers to frequently asked questions about CERB on the official website.

Worried about cashflow?

If you’re worried about your cashflow, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We will do all we can to help you implement cash management processes and forecasting techniques to help. There are also some finance options available to you as well. Facilities may be provided quite quickly, so just ask if you need some help and we’ll work out what’s best for you. Remember, we are in this together.

Zoom security

Are you using Zoom for conference calls or online meetings? You’ll want to be sure to read this notification from Zoom about security settings, and consider requiring a password from participants. Without a password, anyone with the meeting ID can join. Because of this loophole, many meetings have been “Zoom bombed” by uninvited participants who post inappropriate images or disrupt meetings with annoying sounds.

Time for some good news

This week’s good news story comes out of the US where a college student – Ashley Lawrence – has been sewing face masks for those with hearing impairments who rely on lip-reading. These masks have plastic windows over the wearer’s mouth so they can still communicate.
Ashley is sewing and shipping these masks to dozens of hospitals for free, backed by a GoFundMe campaign. The campaign has since been deactivated as she reached her funding goal in 2 days.

What are your good news stories from the week?

All the best

We sincerely hope that you and your family are well and remain well. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are all in this together!

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