Updates for the week of June 22, 2020
Federal Government:
- The federal government announced the launch of the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), which will support post-secondary students and recent graduates as they volunteer to serve in their communities’ COVID-19 response and gain valuable experience
- The federal government is also helping young Canadians find paid work placements and gain valuable experience. View the full list of initiatives
Newfoundland:
- The province is now accepting applications from not-for-profit organizations and local governments that wish to sponsor projects funded by the Community Enhancement Employment Program
- The Community Enhancement Employment Program provides funding to eligible sponsors, including towns, Inuit Community Governments, regional municipalities, local service districts, community and economic development organizations, and other non-profit organizations
- Individuals can be employed for up to 400 hours in order to become eligible for employment insurance benefits
Prince Edward Island:
Nova Scotia:
Manitoba:
- Eligible Manitobans looking to return to work can now apply for up to $2,000 in direct payments from the Manitoba Job Restart program
- The Manitoba Job Restart program will accept applications until July 31
Alberta:
- The province launched a new fund to help Indigenous-owned community businesses
- The Aboriginal Business Investment Fund (ABIF) will provide eligible Indigenous community-owned businesses with up to $500,000 in funding for ventures that demonstrate social and economic benefits for their communities
- The closing date for applications is September 30, 2020
- Starting June 29, eligible small- and medium-sized businesses, co-ops and non-profits can apply for funding
- The Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant offers financial assistance to Alberta businesses, cooperatives, and non-profit organizations that faced restrictions or closures from public health orders, and experienced a revenue loss of at least 50 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic
British Columbia:
- Engaging youth to work on community service projects so they can help their communities “build back better” from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is the goal of a new $5-million Youth Community Partnership program
- Communities around B.C. can apply to fund a community-service project of their choosing – like trail building, beach clean-up or invasive species removal, upgrading local parks or working for a local charity. In turn, they provide skills and work experience to young people who are unemployed, between 15-29 years of age, through the project
Nunavut:
- The Government of Nunavut is expanding the Nunavut Essential Workers Wage Premium
- Through this program the province funds employers in eligible sectors so they can pay their employees more for the work they do
- Employees who earn less than $25 per hour may be eligible to receive an extra top-up of up to $5 per hour
- When the program was launched June 1, it targeted essential workers in health and social services, as well as licensed day cares
- The province is expanding the program to include more sectors, including essential infrastructure, transportation, food, accommodation, retail and professional services