News * See our Resources page for more COVID-19 related info |
The Federal Government has announced
The Government of Canada is providing an update on travel restrictions put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19. Exemptions to the air travel restrictions will apply to foreign nationals who have already committed to working, studying or making Canada their home, and travel by these individuals will be considered essential travel for land border restrictions. The exemptions include
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Prime Minister announces more support for workers and business The Government of Canada is taking strong and quick action to protect our economy, and the health, safety, and jobs of all Canadians during the global COVID-19 outbreak. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a new set of economic measures to help stabilize the economy and help Canadians affected by the impacts of this challenging period. These measures, delivered as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will provide up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses, plus $55 billion to meet liquidity needs of Canadian businesses and households through tax deferrals to help stabilize the economy. Combined, this $82 billion in support represents more than 3 per cent of Canada’s GDP. This wide-ranging support will help ensure Canadians can pay for rent and groceries, and help businesses continue to pay their employees and their bills during this time of uncertainty. This plan builds on coordinated action taken since the beginning of this outbreak, including the more than $1 billion COVID-19 Response Fund, which provided funding to provinces and territories to strengthen critical health care systems. It represents over $500 billion in credit and liquidity support for people and businesses through cooperation between financial Crown corporations, the Bank of Canada, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), and commercial lenders to ensure businesses can continue to operate. |
Federal Work-Sharing Program If your workplace is feeling the impacts of COVID-19 due to a reduction of business, consider applying for the federal government’s Work-Sharing program. The Work-Sharing program aims to help employers avoid layoffs and provide employees with income support during times of temporary reduction in normal business activity that is outside of an employer’s control. Work-Sharing is available to employees eligible for Employment Insurance benefits and requires that employees agree to a reduced schedule of work. Employers and employees must apply for the program together, with union involvement as well if applicable. Applications must be submitted at least 30 days in advance and benefits will generally be available for up to 38 weeks. However, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the federal government has implemented special measures to address employers experiencing a downturn in normal business related to the outbreak. The changes include waiving the mandatory waiting period between Work-Sharing agreements and extending the number of weeks that benefits may be received from 38 to 76. These special measures are effective March 15, 2020 to March 14, 2021. What is a Work-Sharing Unit? A Work-Sharing unit includes a minimum of two employees who perform similar work and agree to reduce their hours by the same percentage, over a specific period of time. A unit must reduce its hours by 10%-60%. All employees in the same job description must reduce their hours of work, regardless of whether they are part of the Work-Sharing unit (i.e. one employee cannot refuse to join the unit and continue to work normal hours). Who is Eligible? Employers must be involved in a year-round business in Canada for at least two years in order to be eligible for the program. This includes private businesses, publicly held companies, or not-for-profit organizations. A business must be experiencing a recent decline in sales or production levels of at least 10% in the last six months to be eligible for a Work-Sharing agreement. An employer must be able to demonstrate that the recent decline is directly or indirectly related to impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and that the work shortage is temporary and beyond the employer’s control. In order to be eligible, the decline cannot be due to a recurring slow-down. Finally, employers must be willing to submit a recovery plan outlining measures that will be implemented to support the on-going operation of the business. In order to be eligible for the Work-Sharing program employees must be eligible to receive Employment Insurance benefits. Employees involved in the program must be year-round, permanent employees, and may be full or part-time as long as they perform the main functions of the business. Those employees eligible for the program are those which comprise the employer’s “core staff”. Finally, employees in a work sharing unit are employees who agree to reduce their normal working hours and share the work that is available at the workplace.
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Whole Foods Market’s top product trends predictions for 2020Meat-plant blends, new varieties of flour, West African foods, and zero-proof drinks are among the key areas Whole Foods Market says could take off in 2020.
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Atlantic Trade and Investment Growth Strategy SIAL Canada Food and Beverage Atlantic, working jointly with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, is seeking Atlantic Canadian companies to attend SIAL Canada in Montreal, Quebec from April 15 to 17, 2020. SIAL is now the only event of its scale in Canada, with more than 1000 national and international exhibitors hosting over 18,500 buyers from Canada, the U.S., and over 50 other countries. This project is being supported by the Atlantic Trade and Investment Growth Strategy, a partnership between the Government of Canada and the four Atlantic Provincial governments. SIAL Canada is the only national trade show that offers a complete range of food products under one roof to meet customers’ expectations. Buyers and decision makers across the whole industry, from grocery, wholesale and specialty retail to food service and manufacturing, will converge to uncover the hottest trends, latest product launches and the industry’s vision for the future. The 2019 SIAL Canada Show in Toronto had over 18,500 professional buyers from over 60 countries, and there were over 1000 exhibitors from these countries. The top 5 of the 60 plus countries and regions visiting SIAL include Canada, United States, Mexico, the European Union and China.
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Tammy Brideau, Food & Beverage Atlantic Tammy says the key to building a successful food and beverage industry is in partnerships and good communications. She cites the excellent relationship with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and partnerships such as the CTV News Atlantic segment, What’s For Dinner, that showcases members weekly. Not unlike the rest of the country, labour supply and workforce development is a top priority in Atlantic Canada. As a member and Director with Food and Beverage Canada, Tammy can rely on the organization to find policy and program solutions that will work for her members. One of Tammy’s greatest assets is her willingness to meet with people and businesses in the region and what she learns is making Food & Beverage Atlantic a top performing organization. To learn more about Food & Beverage Atlantic contact Tammy Brideau. |
