Updates for April 2, 2020
- The province announced that public exams for this school year are cancelled
- Students will receive a grade to reflect their work to March 13
- Discussions have been held with the province’s public post-secondary institutions regarding entrance requirements for the September 2020 term and the process for determining scholarship requirements
- Both Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic recognize the need for flexibility so that students are not disadvantaged when applying for post-secondary studies
- The province announced a $1,000,000 fund for residents who may not qualify for existing support programs
- Residents can call 1-833-533-9333 to apply for support under the fund, which will be available until June 16, 2020
- More details on the recently announced Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit
- The Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit will provide $1,000 per household to help cover the cost of rent for a three month period
- Eligible renters will receive $500 in the first month they apply and $250 the next two months
- The province also announced a new $300,000 partnership with Loblaw Companies Limited to create a Community Champions Initiative
- Community organizations across the province will receive gift cards which can be used at any Loblaw store to support the food-related needs of their populations
- The province also announced the new COVID-19 Business Adaptation Advice Program
- The program will cover the entire cost for businesses and entrepreneurs, up to $2,500, to hire a professional to provide advice and support on how to adapt or recover from the impacts of the pandemic
- Professional services may include human resources and financial planning, digital or IT solutions, or even marketing
- New measures announced today to help employers, businesses and citizens
- a $20 million Worker Emergency Bridge Fund to help the self-employed and those laid-off workers who do not qualify for Employment Insurance. The Government will provide a one-time, $1,000 payment, to bridge the gap between layoffs and closures and the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- $20 million to fund a new program – the Small Business Impact Grant. Eligible small businesses and social enterprises will receive a grant of 15 per cent of their gross revenues – either from April 2019 or February 2020, up to a maximum of $5,000
- Schools will not be reopened to students and the school calendar will not be extended
- All Grade 12 students who, as of January 2020, were on track to graduate in June 2020 will graduate on time and receive a New Brunswick high school diploma
- The government will work with post-secondary institutions to ensure this crisis does not prevent students from being eligible for admission to post-secondary studies in the upcoming school year
- The Red Cross is administering the provincial government’s one-time $900 income benefit for workers or self-employed people in New Brunswick who have lost their jobs due to the state of emergency
- The province announced new emergency supports for province’s most vulnerable, including people on income or disability assistance and low-income seniors
- For people in B.C. currently receiving income assistance or disability assistance, the province will temporarily exempt federal employment insurance benefits, including the new $2,000 Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
- For residents on income assistance or disability assistance who are not eligible for the emergency federal support programs, including the CERB, the province will provide an automatic $300-monthly COVID-19 crisis supplement for the next three months
- The province recently provided a $3-million emergency grant to Food Banks BC to distribute among food banks provincewide. The grant will support immediate needs to buy and distribute food, pay employees and cover other costs essential to the delivery of their food programs