Category: Poverty Task Force

Dear Colleagues, 

Health equity issues continue to dominate the news and our meetings as we ride this Third Wave. Organizations continue to provide analysis on the Federal Budget 2021 such as the United Way Eastern Ontario and call on the government for more support. 

Medical professionals, policy makers and social service organizations are calling for paid sick days programs in Ontario that are universal, fully paid, adequate, permanent, and accessible.

• The Provincial government announced a $500 top up to the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB). You are eligible if you miss at least 50% of your work week. However, there remains challenges for workers: 
  • Taking a day or two off for a test or vaccine is not covered. 
  • Time delays to process and receive payment.  
  • Workers need 10 permanent sick days with an additional 14 for public health emergencies.
• The Provincial government has subsequently announced the Ontario COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Program to address part of the challenges. Itwill require employers to provide employees with up to $200 of pay for up to 3 days if they are missing work because of COVID-19.
  • Workers who are sick or are experiencing symptoms, who need to get vaccinated or have COVID-19-related mental health issues will qualify for the benefit. 
  • This program will be retroactive to April 19, 2021 and effective until September 25, 2021, the date the CRSB will expire.    
  • It will be administered by the WSIB and the provincial government will reimburse employers 100%  of the employee’s wage up to $200 a day.   
  • Employers and their workers can call a dedicated COVID-19 Sick Days Information Centre hotline at 1-888-999-2248 or visit Ontario.ca/COVIDworkerbenefit to get more information and updates about the proposed Ontario COVID-19 paid leave days.
• Non-Emergency Transportation Costs:  ICUs are full in the GTA and patients are being moved to any available ICUs in Ontario. Recently, a family in Toronto had to pay $1,062.00 for the return of a loved one who had passed away. For those who are uninsured, this cost along with funeral costs is a difficult one to bear. 
  • The Province has said they are taking steps to ensure other families don’t endure the same situation. This family will be reimbursed by the government. 
• Grey Bruce COVID-19 Vaccine App:  a new app has been developed in partnership with the Grey Bruce Health Unit, Bruce Power and NPX Innovation.
  • This application is now available free to download from the Google Play and Apple Stores for all mobile devices and tablets. To download, enter ‘gbvaccineapp’ into the search bar. You can also click these hyperlinks from your mobile device to take you directly to the App in the stores.:
  • The app aims to help you book your appointment, find locations and provide information on COVID19 and the Grey Bruce Vaccination Plan. 

FOOD SUPPORTS 

• Keeping Not-For-Profits Connected under COVID: This week, OSHaRE shared over 1,600lbs of food with 8 different community partners across Grey and Bruce County. All of this food came through Food Rescue from local businesses. Thank you to these local businesses – National Grocers (Owen Sound), Zehrs (Owen Sound), Shoppers Drug Mart (Eastside Owen Sound), Shoppers Drug Mart (Downtown Owen Sound) and Shoppers Drug Mart (Port Elgin).
• We track the amount of food rescued locally at: https://www.foodbrucegrey.com/
• Since May 2020, 50,628.12 kilograms of food has been rescued and turned into community meals;non-perishables have been donated to food banks. 
• Food Rescue is approaching almost 20 tons of food that has been diverted to meal programs and food banks since January 2021. To put that number in perspective, since the start of the pandemic, the food banks have distributed 82 tons of food throughout Grey/Bruce.  Not only does food rescue help feed our vulnerable clients; the environmental cost of wasted food globally would make it the third largest country in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.  
• Community Meal Programs:   March represented the highest number of meals distributed yet during the pandemic at almost 16,000, the need is not decreasing, in fact due to the skyrocketing price of housing and the lack of rental accommodation, the food insecurity may be getting worse.  
• Volunteer hours: since January 2021, almost 9,000 hours of volunteer time has been donated to community food programs.   
• Good Food Box: the Wiarton GFB will be running in May! Be advised that many of the GFB do not run in July/August due to the availability of fresh, local produce. 
• Bruce County has purchased a quantity of tokens and if you are working with clients that are connected with Bruce County supports you can coordinate the distribution of tokens. Contact Tania Dickson. 

INCOME SUPPORTS

• Income Taxes are to be filed by April 30th. If you have missed filing your taxes on time, you can still file but do so as soon as possible. Here are some things to know:
• If you owe taxes because of COVID-19 related benefits, the Canada Revenue Agency is giving people 1 year of interest relief. This means interest will not be added to your debt until April 30th, 2022. This gives you a year to pay all or a portion of the debt without penalty.
• If you are eligible for the GST/HST Credit or the Canada Child Benefit, it will not be garnished to pay tax debt for the foreseeable future. The only way to get these credits and benefits is to file your taxes.
• If you are receiving COVID-19 related benefits, like CRB, the Canada Revenue Agency will need your 2020 tax information to determine if you are still eligible for these programs. Missing the April 30th deadline could delay you receiving those benefits for up to 2 months. But you can still file after April 30th. Do so as soon as possible. 
• We encourage people to speak to an OW/ODSP worker or contact CRA to establish a repayment plan.
• Please note that the CRA does NOT text people regarding their income tax filing. Scams are going around right now regarding CERB, etc. so please advise people.
• Many of the FREE Community Volunteer Income Tax Clinics in Bruce County and Grey County continue past April 30th. Call 211 for more information about your closest income tax clinic or visit https://centraleastontario.cioc.ca/record/GRE0364.
• The Income & Employment Action Group is collecting stories of people’s challenges with income tax filing this year. 
  • This year we have seen challenges with people who applied for CERB and then received letters in December 2020 that they were not eligible. Some people on ODSP owe back upto $10,000. 
  • People are reluctant to file taxes despite a 1 year interest free offer from the government on the repayment.
• Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit: On April 26, the Ontario Government began issuing payments of:
  • $400 for each child or youth up to Grade 12
  • $500 for each child or youth up to age 21 with special needs.
  • If you received a payment through the Support for Learners program, you do not need to apply for this additional payment. If you missed applying for the Support for Learners program, you can apply for this new benefit between May 3rd and May 17th. 
• Disability Tax Credit: The Federal government announced as part of the Federal Budget 2021 it will make it easier to qualify for the disability tax credit (DTC) by expanding eligibility in the areas of mental functions and life-sustaining therapy.
  • For 2021, the value of the DTC is $1,299. A valid DTC certificate is required to access a variety of tax-related programs and benefits, such as the Registered Disability Savings Plan, the Child Disability Benefit and the disability supplement to the Canada Workers Benefit.
  • This may have a significant impact on eligibility for ODSP. 
• CLEO has just put out new Legal Rights Literacy Kits. These kits are free to download. They include resources on Employment Rights, Consumer Rights, and Tenants; Rights. https://cleoconnect.ca/learning-opportunities/lesson-plans-for-adult-learners/cleos-legal-rights-kits/

TRAUMA SUPPORT

• The Women’s Centre Grey Bruce is offering free counselling service for women and children in the community who have experienced abuse.  This includes women who have experienced partner abuse, mothers needing support in developing parenting skills, and youth who have experienced abuse or trauma. Contact Carlie  Freiburger at 519-376-0755 ext. 104 or carlief@thewomenscentre.org.

Stay well, Jill 

Dear Colleagues, 

This week is dominated by the release of the Federal Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience. The budget extends current emergency support programs as well as what the Federal government calls “generational investments”  such as the Canada-wide early learning and child care system. 

We list a series of budget analyses from different perspectives that all applaud the government for making important investments but also identify what more needs to be done:  

• OMSSA –  Municipal Social Services Analysis 
• ONPHA – Non-profit Housing Analysis
• Imagine Canada – Charitable Sector Analysis
• CCPA – Policy Alternative Analysis
• CAEH – Homelesness Analysis

Some quick highlights:  

• National Child Care: To bring more women into the workforce, the federal government announced $30 billion over 5 years and $8.3 billion a year afterward to create and sustain early learning and child-care programs. Anticipate a 50% reduction in child care costs by the end of 2022, and forecast that the average cost of daycare will be further reduced to $10 a day by 2025/26.
• Old Age Security: seniors 75 years of age or older are getting a one-time taxable grant payment of $500, to arrive in August. The federal government will boost Old Age Security for the same age group by 10% annually, starting in July 2022.
• Federal minimum wage: bring forward legislation to establish a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, rising with inflation. The minimum wage would stay higher in provinces where the hourly rate is already above $15 per hour,
• Sickness benefits: extending the EI sickness benefit from 15 to 26 weeks and continuing to offer COVID-19-prompted caregiving support in the short-term. 
• COVID 19 Emergency wage subsidy, rent subsidy and lockdown supports extended to Sept. 25, with plans to start gradually reducing support payments beginning in July. Those subsidies could be further extended to Nov. 20 if pandemic conditions demand it.
• Canada Recovery Benefit aimed at people who aren’t covered by employment insurance (EI), though the $500-a-week support will drop to $300 per week after July 17.
• Housing: an additional $2.5 billion over 7 years including $1.5 billion for the Rapid Housing Initiative, plus expansion of the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund and $315.4 million for the Canada Housing Benefit. 
  • $600 million over 2 years will be allocated from the Rental Construction Financing Initiative to help convert vacant office and commercial properties into rental housing. 
  • A national vacant home tax targeted to non-Canadian residents.
• Canada Recovery Hiring Program will provide qualifying employers with up to $1,129 per week for employees hired between June 6, 2021 and November 20, 2021. 
• Youth Employment: $371.8 million in new funding for Canada Summer Jobs. The program provides a 100% wage subsidy for youth employed in the nonprofit sector.
  • pledges to spend $5.7 billion on youth over the next 5 years to help them access education and find jobs.
  • The federal government is extending the 6-month moratorium on all student loan repayments to March 31, 2023, at a cost of $392.7 million in 2022-23. 
  • Extend the doubling of Canada Student Grants for a further 2 years until the end of July 2023.
• Indigenous people: plans to spend more than $18 billion over the next five years to try to narrow the socio-economic gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and help these communities fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • $31.5 million over 2 years for the co-development of an action plan with Indigenous partners to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund additional $200 million and a new $100 million investment in the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. 
  • These initiatives are important steps toward creating a more equitable nonprofit sector and reflect the important findings of the recent report Unfunded: Black Communities Overlooked by Canadian Philanthropy.
• Community Services Recovery Fund: $400 million to support the non-profit and charity sector due to the loss of fundraising; and the essential work of independent, small and medium organizations that serve targeted vulnerable populations. 
• Investment Readiness program: extended by another 2 years with a commitment of $50 million. 
• Universal Broadband Fund: an additional $1 billion over the next 6 years to accelerate the rollout of broadband projects and increase access to high-speed internet in rural and remote communities.  

While there are a lot of positive measures, there is some risk that money promised over multiple years or dependent on provincial negotiations may not become reality. So what are some gaps in the budget – what is missing? 

• Basic Income/Pharmacare: the budget did not deliver on universal basic income (UBI) or pharmacare, both of which were key areas of focus at recent federal political policy conventions. However, the government committed to engaging with willing partners on national universal pharmacare, though identified it as an initiative that can be advanced at the provincial and territorial level.  
• Affordable Housing: not enoughfunds to meet the rapidly growing need for safe, affordable housing across the country, due to pre-existing affordability challenges that have been compounded by the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on low-income and other marginalized communities.  
• Addressing rural and remote housing:according to the National Alliance to End Rural and Remote Homelessness, rural communities make up 30% of Canada’s population but do not have the same access to housing or homelessness funding through Reaching Home and the National Housing Strategy. Budget 2021 does make investments in northern housing, but it’s unclear at this point if new Budget 2021 investments will reach rural and remote communities. 
• Indigenous Housing: no dedicated funds to support an Indigenous-led strategy for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing to address the disproportionate rates of Indigenous core housing need and poverty, and advance along the path to reconciliation. 
• Strengthening Public Health:  health and socioeconomic circumstances are always connected, not just in pandemic circumstances.Transformative change for wellbeing and health equity demands a comprehensive vision for improving people’s living conditions and tackling inequities in money and power. 
• Sick Leave Benefits: the Provincial government is now considering a Provincial paid sick leave which will fill in ‘gaps’ in the Canada Sickness Recovery Benefit. Ontario’s Science Advisory Table has identified paid sick leave as a critical component of the Province’s third wave response, allowing ill front-line workers to isolate themselves if they experience symptoms of COVID-19.

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force welcomes the positive direction of this Federal Budget 2021 but will continue to advocate for equitable support to our rural communities and most vulnerable populations by advocating for and promoting: 

• safe and affordable housing,
• decent work and liveable wages,
• health equities, 
• diversity/inclusion of people with lived experience,
• and Indigenous-led strategies and programs.

The Poverty Task Force shall discuss the Federal Budget 2021 on Friday, April 23rd at 10am.  

FOOD SUPPORTS

• HAPPY EARTH DAY! The Community Garden Network will be hosting a Healing in the Gardens workshop on April 26th. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87108727323
• The Good Food Box remains open for the majority of its 18 locations. The following locations are paused for April/May:  Wiarton, Meaford, Markdale, Thornbury, Port Elgin and Hanover. 
• Community Hot Meal programs are posted daily on 211. They can be accessed at: https://www.informationbrucegrey.ca/ There have been a few closures due to building maintenance, COVID19, etc. but the latest are posted. 
• The Wiarton Salvation Army will be closed for 10 days for maintenance work on their building. They will be providing a non-perishable food hamper and perishable items will be available from the Owen Sound Salvation Army. The Tara Food Bank distributed 20 people over the Easter Weekend and are anticipating more people during this lockdown. The Owen Sound Salvation Army is serving some 700 people on a regular basis. 
• SUSTAIN Ontario is preparing a report on Grey Bruce and innovative solutions to food security as part of a Best Practice Report. Interviews will be coordinated by our Grey Bruce Community Garden Network Coordinator, Simona Freibergova. 

INCOME SUPPORTS

• Community Volunteer Income Tax Program: while many clinics are not operating this year, there are several listed on 211 that will continue to do drop-offs/pickups or via phone/email year round such as the YMCA and South East Grey Community Health Centre.  ODSP are seeing many clients who collected CERB when they were ineligible and are fearful of filing their taxes. 
• There are several critical reason to file income tax on time 
  • you must file on time to continue any COVID-related benefits. 
  • you must file on time to obtain income statements to qualify for programs such as Geared To Income Housing, utility, financial and legal supports; Seniors’ Dental Clinics, etc. Note: GTI Housing clients can contact County Housing, if they have not filed or have difficulty obtaining an income statement. 
  • you must file on time to obtain child tax benefits and other benefits. Note: OW/ODSP clients can receive Transitional Child Benefits for upto 3 months if they don’t file on time. This can be extended monthly but they will need to manage the refund.  
  • CVITP partners will often check to ensure clients are also signing up for other support programs like CEAP. 
• The Income & Employment Action Group will work on social media messages via videos, etc. to encourage more people to file and provide a Q&A on filing this year.    

HOUSING SUPPORTS

• Safe ‘N Sound will be hosting a Women’s Life Skills Program every Thursday from 5pm-9pm starting April 22nd for 10 weeks. Topics include Mental and Physical Health. It is free and open to all women.
• Vaccination pop-up clinics: Housing partners have been actively involved in organizing vaccination clinics for congregate settings and those with limited access to phones/internet to access appointments. Staff were able to convince a lot of people at clinics to walk in the door and get vaccinated. There is still a lot of vaccine hesitancy and need for education. The pop-up clinics in locations where people go for services or motel/housing locations have been successful. 
• Giiwe Circle will be a panel presenter at the upcoming The End of Poverty national summit held by Tamarack Institute on May 5-6th. The Poverty Task Force still has free seats available for this event.

ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS

• The Trillium Foundation announced $531,700 was granted locally under its Resilient Communities Fund.  
• Grey County has endorsed a declaration of mutual commitment and friendship with M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre. They are vowing to strengthen their relationship and continue working together on ways to improve the quality of life of Indigenous people living off-reserve in the area. 

Stay well, Jill 

Dear Colleagues, 

A shout out to everyone that has stepped up to work the vaccination centres today that are continuing!! And for those continuing to work the frontlines. I am truly inspired by everyone!! 

What has changed? What is still on-going? 

• Please remember to update 211 with any significant changes. 

While most social services are already working remotely under the Provincial Stay-At-Home orders below are a few updates from various partners.

• The SOAHAC vaccine clinic scheduled for Friday, held at Bayshore, will proceed as planned. However, if people are symptomatic, they will need to cancel their appointment. If they have any questions or concerns please call SOAHAC at 519-376-5508.
• Aged-based public vaccination clinics will be closed on Saturday but targeted vulnerable clinics are still going on.
• OSHaRE will be open today from 11:30-1 and 4:30-6 for those in our community who need meals. They will be putting extra precautions in place for at least the next 48 hours including handing out meals outside so that guests don’t have to enter the building (less contact surfaces) and decreasing the number of volunteers in the building. OSHaRE office will be closed so they can focus all their efforts on getting meals ready.
• Meal2Motels will be delivered as long as OSHaRE is producing meals. The United Way have a skeleton crew working for the next 48 hrs and all other staff are working remotely.
• Saugeen First Nation has closed all non-essential offices for the next two days. Housing and health supports are down to a skeleton crew. No new intakes and reduced supports are available.
• Indigenous Housing Support program:  staff will be remaining at home and abiding by Public Health directives. Following a return to our regular-stay-at-home order staff will continue to work remotely but can deliver items of need such as donations, hygiene products, good food boxes, groceries, etc to direct service users via curbside drop-offs. Contact Rachel for emergencies @ 226-568-5242.
• Attached is the Grey Bruce Community Housing List of Services under lockdown conditions. Please let me know of any changes/updates that I might have missed.
• Targeted emergency child care for school-aged children of first responders, health care professionals, and other eligible workers will remain available through Bruce County and Grey County.
• Grey County has closed all forests and trails for 48 hours.
• While all Grey County-owned public spaces are closed until Saturday, all services will continue to be offered remotely via email or by calling 1‑800‑567‑4739.
• While Bruce County offices remain closed to the public, they continue to provide services to all clients via email or by calling 1-800-265-3005. 

Please let us know if there are updates we can share out!

Stay well, Jill

Dear Colleagues, 

Changes continue to be announced under the lockdown by the Ontario government. And yesterday the Grey Bruce Health Unit announced we are at a critical threshold of COVID19 cases and requested people to close down for 48 hours in an attempt to manage the rise in numbers. This is in addition to the Stay-At-Home order. 

• The closure of schools after the April school break, closures of before and after school care. Daycares will remain open.
• Health unit staff are shutting down the COVID-19 information line in order to free up resources to follow-up with contacts who may have been exposed. 
• The large vaccine clinic scheduled for Saturday has been closed. The vaccine clinics for the remainder of this week will continue, but consideration is being given to closing next week’s clinics in order to minimize the risk of people gathering as well as allowing public health staff to be redeployed.
• Everyone across Grey Bruce needs to consider themselves a carrier for the next 48 hours until the Health Unit reaches all cases and their contacts. It is a priority that everyone stay at home except for essential travel.
• Individuals who are symptomatic are asked to attend assessment clinics: https://bit.ly/2ZNbYls

Four County Labour Market Planning Board has released a new Precarious Employment Report 2021.   Some key findings concerning the prevalence of precarious employment in the four county area are as follows: 

• Between 2010 and 2019, the four county region had a greater proportion of part-time workers than the Ontario average; 
• Long-term (60+ months) part-time employment with the same employer is more prevalent in the four county region than it is on average across Ontario; 
• The number of individuals and families living in low income situations varies in each of the four counties, with Grey County having the greatest incidence of low income families and individuals; 
  • The incidence of low income couple families ranges from 6.2% in Grey County to 4.9% in Perth County, considerably lower than 10.6% in Ontario; 
  • The incidence of low income lone parent families ranges from 33.3% in Grey County to 24.5% in Perth County, compared to 32.2% in Ontario;  
  • The incidence of low income non-family persons (individuals) ranges from 29.6% in Grey County to 23.4% in Perth County, compared to 34.7% in Ontario.  

COMMUNITY SERVICES SUPPORTS

As part of the Government of Canada’s pre-budget consultations, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, National Association of Friendship Centres, United Way Centraide Canada, YMCA Canada and YWCA Canada have come together to call on the federal government for the establishment of a Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund.

• The 2021 federal budget will be tabled on April 19, but there is still time to advocate for the vulnerable people we serve. Please use this tool to quickly and easily send a letter directly to Prime Minister Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Freeland, Minister Hussen, MP Ben Lobb and/or MP Alex Ruff calling on the federal government to support charities and nonprofits in Budget 2021.  

HEALTH EQUITY

A lot of partners are working to ensure that vulnerable populations are able to access opportunities to be vaccinated.  

• Maad’ookiing Mshkiki/Sharing Medicine put out this conversation about vaccine hesitancy from a culturally informed and safe perspective: First Nations, Inuit and Metis Perspectives and knowledge sharing on COVID19 Vaccines.  
• Please contact Shannon Marchand at SOAHAC for a booking for any Indigenous People to get vaccinated (519-376-5508 ex. 2045). 
• YMCA Housing has been actively supporting clinics for people being sheltered. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced just how foundational medicare is. Many Canadians forgo routine care because they can’t afford it, leaving small problems to fester and grow. Our current system not only stresses our individual wallets, it also puts additional strain on our health-care system.

• 1 in 3 Canadians lack dental care insurance.
• 55% of Grey Bruce adults have no dental care insurance. 

As we recover from the effects of the pandemic, we must strengthen oral health care. 

HOUSING SUPPORTS

• Residential eviction ban has been announced under the stay-at-home order but with no detailed directives. 
  • The first time the province introduced a stay-at-home order, back in January, an eviction enforcement ban was implemented and sheriffs could not actively enforce evictions for a period of 28 days. 
  • But the virtual eviction hearings that had been taking place at record speed at the Landlord Tenant Board were allowed to continue despite the ban, and it appears this time around is no different.
  • According to the latest rental evictions moratorium order, the ban once again only applies to enforcement, meaning landlords can still seek eviction orders, virtual eviction hearings at the LTB will still be held and tenants will presumably be removed from their homes as soon as the moratorium is lifted.
• The Town of South Bruce Peninsula reminded residents that short-term rentals are banned in Ontario during the stay-at-home order except for those who have no other available housing.
• North Bruce Peninsula Municipality has released its Recommendations on Short Term Accommodations in October 2020.  A Special Council meeting on March 22nd spoke to whether the municipality would consider regulation of short term accommodations at this time or not. They have agreed to hold more public consultations. 
• Housing challenges remain for many seasonal workers living and working on the Bruce Peninsula. SPARKS Initiative Report and other articles. 
• And we are seeing housing challenges for people released from prison who require an address to go to or face more time in jail. 
• M’Wikwedong Indigenous Housing Support Program has had a lot of people struggling with the stigma of homelessness as well as individuals unsure if they are experiencing housing insecurity.  These are especially difficult times and there is NO shame in a lack of housing stability. Please share out these infographics to create more awareness on what is Indigenous Homelessness? 

FOOD SUPPORTS

• We saw a spike in the use of community food programs in December but we have remained steady from January to March 2021. April numbers are not yet calculated. (https://www.foodbrucegrey.com/public-dashboards)  
  • 12 out of 18 Community Meal Programs reported a total of 152,952 meals by the end of March 2021. An average of 380 meals/day.
  • 17 out of 22 Food Banks reported 135,596 kilograms of food distributed to 8,955 households (17,333 people).    
• Eat Local Grey Bruce is now offering free memberships under their Solidarity Model Fund. For every 40 memberships purchased, Eat Local will donate one free membership to the Solidarity Model Fund. This includes yearly membership renewals. 

INCOME SUPPORTS

• Disconnection ban: Effective immediately, the OEB is prohibiting electricity distributors from issuing disconnection notices to residential customers for the duration of the provincewide stay-at-home measures that took effect on April 8, 2021. Please visit https://www.oeb.ca for more information. 
• COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP): this program is currently closed right now but it is anticipated that the Ontario government will provide more funding. 
• You must apply for CEAP through your utility or USMP (Unit Sub-Metering Program – suite meter). Contact your utility or USMP directly as each may have a unique approach for application in-take. 
• Residential electricity and gas customers are now eligible for CEAP if they meet the following criteria: 
  • The customer has an account with an electricity distributor, a USMP or a natural gas distributor. Only the customer who is the account holder can submit an application for CEAP. 
  • The customer has overdue amounts owing on the day they apply from one or more electricity or gas bills since March 17, 2020. 
• Eligible customers may qualify for CEAP credits for the electricity or natural gas charges that are overdue on the date of their application for CEAP, up to a maximum of $750. 
• SCAM ALERT:  A home visit is not required to qualify for CEAP. The Ontario Electricity Board (OEB) does not phone consumers offering rebates, nor do we ever schedule home visits.
• Bag Tag Requirements: while many municipalities/towns/cities waived these under the last lockdown we have only seen an announcement from Georgian Bluffs. 
• Sobey’s has announced they will reinstate pandemic pay – a “lockdown bonus” for its frontline workers. 
• Sobey’s will be paying a COVID19 bonus to its front line workers under this lockdown. 

Stay well, Jill