Relief Measures for Canadians

Below is a list of links for relief measures for Canadians

Guidance on Health and Safety for
Television Hosts, Technical Crews and other TV and Film Employees during COVID-19
Government of Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html 
  • An extra $300 per child through Canada Child Benefit (CCB), starting May 2020 payment
  • One-time special GST payment of $400 per individual and $600 per couple for low and modest income families
  • Deferring income tax filing due date until June 1, 2020
  • Deferring GST/HST payments until June for all businesses, including self-employed individuals
  • Any new income tax balances due, or instalments, deferred until August 31, 2020 without incurring interest or penalties
  • CERBwill be accessible on MyAccount through the CRA web portal in early April, choose direct deposit for faster access to funds
  • EI benefits
  • EI sick benefits which waives a medical certificate
  • For seniors – reducing required minimum withdrawals from RRSPs by 25%
  • Canada Student Loans – no payment for 6 months, no interest will accrue
Government of Ontario
https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2020/03/ontarios-action-plan-responding-to-covid-19.html
  • One-time payment of $200 per child, up to 12 years of age
  • One-time payment of $250 per child, with special needs
  • Setting electricity prices at the lowest rate, aka off-peak price, 24 hours/day for 45 days
  • Expanding eligibility for low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
  • Expanding access to the emergency assistance program through Ontario Works
  • Six months of Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) loan & interest accrual relief
  • 5 months of interest & penalty relief for businesses to file & pay majority of provincial taxes
CITY OF TORONTO
https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/economic-support-recovery/economic-support-recovery-for-individuals-families/
  • Suspension of all automated withdrawals for the next 60 days
  • All post-dated cheques will be held and not cashed for 60 days
  • Extension of property taxes payable for 60 days, ie April 1stpayments will be due June 1st
  • Late payment penalties will be waived for 60 days
  • Extension of all utility bills by an additional 60 days
  • All property owners are strongly urged to help tenants stay in their homes

Toronto Hydro will be charged at off-peak rates for 45 days as of March 24, 2020

REVISED DUE DATES FOR PROPERTY TAX AND UTILITY BILLS FOR CITY OF TORONTO

The 60-day grace period for property tax, utility bill payments and late penalties extended by the City during the COVID-19 response ends on May 15. There are important changes to instalment amounts and due dates for customers on all payment schedules. All customers will receive a mailed notification of their revised interim bill due dates. Final tax bills will be mailed in mid-May as usual.

 
Property taxes for the remainder of 2020 will be due on the following dates:
  • Two-instalment plan: August 4
  • Six-instalment plan: June 1, July 2, August 4, September 1 and October 1
  • Eleven-instalment plan: June 15, July 15, August 17, September 15, October 15, November 16 and December 15.
Customers on the 11-instalment plan will have their original May and June interim instalment amounts combined with the final billing and spread evenly over July through December payments.
Customers who are already enrolled in the City’s pre-authorized payment plan don’t have to re-enroll – payments will start again automatically on the new due date. Customers who have sent the City post-dated cheques do not need to re-send cheques for the revised due dates, as any cheques previously submitted will be processed on the new due dates. Any cheques received after April 1, 2020 will be cashed according to the date on the cheque.
 
Those who pay their taxes via their mortgage payment should contact their mortgage company or financial institution to understand how this grace period will affect their mortgage amount and/or mortgage payment schedule.
 
Customers who paid their property tax and utility bills during this time will see any payments made reflected on their account. Property owners can access their property tax account details by using the online Property Tax Lookup tool available at https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/property-tax/.
 
For utility bill customers, due dates appearing on utility bills have been automatically adjusted to reflect the 60-day grace period.
Click here for more information from the City of Toronto COVID-19 page.

ONTARIO CREATES LEARNING RESOURCE PAGE

Ontario Creates has put together a learning resources page for the film and television industry.  This page will be refreshed regularly, so check in if you’re looking for information on additional training opportunities.
BANKS
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/03/canadas-covid-19-economic-response-plan-support-for-canadians-and-businesses.html#Role_of_Financial
  • BMO, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank and TD have committed to provide flexible solutions including 6-month deferral for mortgages and relief on credit products. Please contact your bank directly to discuss options.