Worker Income Protection Benefit

Paid infectious disease emergency leave is available for certain reasons related to COVID-19, including:

• going for a COVID-19 test
• staying home awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test
• being sick with COVID-19
• getting individual medical treatment for mental health reasons related to COVID-19
• going to get vaccinated
• experiencing a side effect from a COVID-19 vaccination
• having been advised to self-isolate due to COVID-19 by an employer, medical practitioner or other specified authority
• providing care or support to certain relatives for COVID-19 related reasons, such as when they are:
  • sick with COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19
  • self-isolating due to COVID-19 on the advice of a medical practitioner or other specified authority

Employers are generally required to pay employees the wages they would have earned had they not taken the leave, up to $200 a day for up to three days.

For more information, please visit, https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-worker-income-protection-benefit

Some of our members are awaiting news on the Provincial Government’s COVID-19 Temporary Pandemic Pay. This payment is aimed at helping frontline staff who are experiencing severe challenges and are at heightened risk during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Pandemic pay will be effective for 16 weeks, from April 24, 2020 until August 13, 2020. The government has advised funding to employers will begin rolling out in early June.

Eligible employees in workplaces may receive:

• $4/hour premium
• Monthly lump sum payments of $250 for four months who work over 100 hours per month

For more information, please visit Ontario.ca or download and reference the Ministry of Health: Pandemic Pay Implementation Guidelines presentation. 

The CERB will pay out $2,000 per month for the next 4 months, backdated to March 15th.  CERB will cover members who: 

• Are sick or quarantined 
• Parents who must stay home without pay to care for children  
• Workers who have no income due to the COVID-19 slowdown, but who haven’t yet been officially laid off  

To keep updated as this changes, the following links will provide you with information regarding the CERB: 

• CUPE National: CERB Q&A 
• Government of Canada – CERB Site: includes who is eligible, how to apply, and getting started 
• Government of Canada – CERB Q&A: further details on CERB  

• An increase in the Canada Child Benefit with a top-up of up to $300 per child.  
• An increase in the GST/HST Credit to low income Canadians with up to an additional $300 per adult and $150 per child.  
• The federal government will waive the one-week waiting requirement for EI Sickness Benefits in cases of quarantine and waive the requirement to provide a medical certificate for EI Sickness Benefits.  

To keep updated as this changes, the following links will provide you with information regarding federal income supports: 

• CUPE National: backgrounder on federal income support announcements 
• Government of Canada - Benefits site: includes Employment Insurance, pensions and benefits for housing, education, training, family and people with disabilities.