Dear friends,
I hope that you and your families are doing well and staying safe. As we enter into another phase of health restrictions, a reminder that federal resources including EI, sickness & caregiving benefits, as well as business supports remain available to help you. A list of these programs is available at the bottom of this newsletter.
On Wednesday, May 26 at 7:00 PM, I will be hosting a town hall where I’ll be answering questions from residents in our community. If you would like to join us, please RSVP at the link, here.
Earlier this month, I was grateful to receive my Covid-19 vaccine. I’m encouraging everyone who is eligible to book your appointments and get vaccinated.
Recently expanded vaccine eligibility includes many of our neighbourhoods in Winnipeg South. This information is included below, as well as on the provincial website or by phoning 1-844-626-8222.
Last week, our government released Budget 2021 – our plan to finish the fight against Covid-19 and begin a strong recovery in Canada. The budget has ambitious plans to support Manitobans, whether it be our commitments to childcare, new incentives for small businesses, or immediate support for our long-term care homes.
Check out our Budget 2021 highlights below to see which measures will be most impactful for our community.
As always, if I or my team can be of any help to you, don’t hesitate to respond back to this email or give us a call. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
Sincerely,
Terry Duguid
Member of Parliament
Winnipeg South
Budget 2021 Highlights
Child Care
Budget 2021 commits up to $30B over five years to build a high-quality and affordable early learning and childcare system across Canada.
This funding will reduce fees by 50 percent across the country by next year. In the next five years, Canadian parents will have access to early learning and childcare for an average of $10-per-day.
This commitment would not have happened without the tireless activism of parents, early childcare educators and childcare advocates across Canada. Last week, I was able to meet with a few individuals who are doing this advocacy work in MB to share this exciting news.
Read more about our plan for accessible childcare, here: https://bit.ly/2PrxMSv.
New Support for Small Businesses
Our small businesses have gone through tremendous difficulties over the past year.
We’ve continued to provide help through the CEBA program, as well as the rent and wage subsidies, both of which are being extended through to September 25, 2021.
Alongside these measures, two new programs will be made available to help support businesses and spur new employment:
The Canada Recovery Hiring Program will provide eligible employers with a subsidy to offset a portion of extra costs as they reopen, either by increasing wages and hours worked, or by hiring more staff. This funding will make it easier for businesses to hire back laid-off workers or bring in new employees.
The Canada Digital Adoption Program is dedicated to helping small businesses buy the new technologies they need to grow, go digital and take advantage of e-commerce to become more competitive. Eligible businesses will receive microgrants to help offset the costs of going digital – and receive support through digital trainers from a network of up to 28,000 well trained young Canadians.
These measures will be important to fulfilling our goal of creating one million new jobs and bringing employment rates back to pre-pandemic levels.
Read more about our commitments to support small businesses, here: https://bit.ly/32SGv3l.
Strengthening Long-term Care Facilities
The pandemic has laid bare many gaps in our social systems, and particularly so in our long-term care facilities. In efforts to immediately improve this situation, our government is providing $3B over five years to ensure a high standard of care in long-term care homes across Canada.
In addition to this, we’ll be investing $90M over three years to launch the Age Well at Home initiative, meant to assist community-based organizations in providing practical support that helps low-income and vulnerable seniors age at home.
Increasing Old Age Security Payments for Canadians 75+
Budget 2021 fulfills our commitment to increasing Old Age Security payments for seniors 75 and older, providing up to $766 more for eligible seniors in the first year, and growing with indexation.
OAS pensioners over 75 can also expect a one-time payment of $500 in August of 2021.
A Healthy Environment
Budget 2021 will invest $17.6B towards a green recovery focused on job creation, building a clean economy and fighting against climate change. Actions we’re taking include:
Vaccine Updates
To date, we’ve delivered more than 13 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the provinces and territories, with another 1.9 million doses set to arrive this week alone.
The federal government has delivered 516,450 vaccines to Manitoba alone, so that the province can administer them to Manitobans.
I was pleased to receive my Covid-19 vaccination recently, and I encourage all who are eligible to do the same.
Vaccine eligibility has been expanded to residents who are 18+ in the following neighbourhoods: Richmond West, Fort Richmond, University Heights, Waverly Heights, Bridgwater Forest, Lakes and Trails, South Pointe, Prairie Pointe and St. Norbert.
To book your vaccine appointment, please visit: https://bit.ly/2Q8FNM7.
If you’re a senior or have mobility issues, you can phone 211 and they will provide you with transportation options.
COVID-19 SUPPORT PROGRAMS
For Individuals
Canada Recovery Benefit provides income support to employed & self-employed individuals who have been impacted by Covid-19 and are not eligible for Employment Insurance. For eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the link, here.
Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit provides income support to employed & self-employed individuals who are unable to work because they are sick or need to self-isolate due to Covid-19. For eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the link here.
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit provides income support employed & self-employed individuals who are unable to work because they must care for their child under 12 years old or a family member who needs supervised care. For eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the link, here.
For Businesses, Charities and Non-profit Organizations
Canada Emergency Business Account provides eligible businesses with a $60,000 loan, with $20,000 being forgivable if repaid by December 31, 2022. For eligibility requirements and details on the CEBA, visit https://ceba-cuec.ca/ or call the CEBA Call Centre at 1-888-324-4201.
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy provides eligible businesses and non-profit organizations with subsidies to cover part of their employees’ wages, retroactive to March 15, 2020. For further details on this program, visit the link, here.
Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy provides a direct rent and mortgage subsidy of up to 65% for qualifying businesses, charities and non-profits. An additional 25% in rent support is available for organizations that have been restricted by a mandatory public health order. For further details on the rent subsidy program, visit the link, here.
The Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program provides business heavily impacted by Covid-19 with access guaranteed, low-interest loans of $25,000 to $1 million to cover operational cash flow needs. For further details on this program, visit the link, here.
LOCAL RESOURCES
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MORE INFORMATION
For all the latest news, please visit: canada.ca/coronavirus
