Skip to content

Daily COVID-19 Update: April 3, 2020

Supports for Business

Canadian Business Resiliency Network Launches on Monday

The Canadian Business Resilience Network (CBRN), has been established in order to bring together a vast network of over 450 chambers and boards of trade, and over 100 of Canada’s leading business and industry associations, including the Business Council of Canada, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, to help Canada’s business communities prepare, persevere and, ultimately, prosper as we collectively face the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Supported by the Government of Canada, we will be executing a coordinated, business-led, inclusive campaign with the overarching goals of mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economy, our communities and our citizens and positioning business to help drive Canada’s economic recovery.

Through our coordinated campaign, we aim to: 

  • Provide tools and supports to businesses that will assist in their business continuity efforts – from development to implementation.
  • Provide a consistent and reliable flow of accurate, up-to-date, authoritative information.
  • Work closely with the government to ensure the right supports are in place, and to be a conduit for information from the government to the business community – wherever you are. 
  • Instill confidence in Canadian business and the economy. 

Stay tuned for the launch on Monday!

Getting Ready for Available Programs

The Government is urging all employers to sign on for direct deposit, as there are only about 50% of businesses currently on direct deposit with Revenue Canada right now. By doing so it will allow businesses to get money that much more quickly with deposits made to the business owner’s account

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will be open for applications on April 6 at canada.ca/coronavirus. Canadians who would generally be eligible for EI benefits will be directed to apply for the CERB through Service Canada through Appliweb. Canadians who would generally not be eligible for EI benefits will be directed to apply for the CERB through the CRA’s MyAccount or CRA’s automated toll-free line at 1-800-959-2019, which is a dedicated line for CERB applications.

Make sure to also connect with your commercial account representative at your Financial Institution to set up some time to review your financials and get additional information on the Canada Emergency Business account. This is a great interest free option for business that had between $50,000 to $1 M in payroll in 2019.

Community Supports and Resources

Increased funding to improve access to food

The Prime Minister announced an investment of $100 million to improve access to food for Canadians facing social, economic, and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada will provide funding to national, regional, and local organizations across Canada that are able to reach people and communities experiencing food insecurity. These organizations – including but not limited to Food Banks Canada, Salvation Army, Second Harvest, Community Food Centres Canada, and Breakfast Club of Canada – will work with partners to meet the urgent food needs of Canadians, including Indigenous peoples and Northern populations.

Alberta Bits and Pieces program highlights Albertan ingenuity, generosity

Over the past week, more than 1,100 offers of support have poured in from private and non-profit organizations through the Government of Alberta’s Bits and Pieces program. The offers include passenger and commercial vehicles, hotel rooms and mobile trailers, food and water services, hospital gowns, face masks, ventilators and other personal protective equipment. They also highlight innovation in local manufacturing, with several Alberta distilleries offering sanitizer they produced and a drapery manufacturer offering medical garments and bedding it produced.

The program is named after the “bits and pieces program” established by Canada’s Minister of Munitions and Supply during the Second World War, C. D. Howe. The program coordinated innovative production and procurement efforts from across the Canadian economy to support the war effort.

The Government of Alberta encourages individuals, private companies and non-profit organizations who can offer products and services, including personal protective equipment, to visit the offers webpage at alberta.ca/covid19.

Advocacy

Teleconference Town Hall with Minister Mélanie Joly

Chamber members and representatives are invited to join Hon. Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, for a town hall discussion hosted by the ACC. The teleconference will take place online on Monday, April 6 from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. MT.

New Resources

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Action Plan for the Workplace

Medicine Hat College Continuing Studies is offering a free online course called Coronavirus (COVID-19): Action Plan for the Workplace. It’s free until April 30, 2020. COVID-19: Action Plan for the Workplace course is designed to help employers and managers prepare and respond to exposure and illness caused by COVID-19. Organizational plans that take into account policies and procedures, human resources matters, and supply and production issues can help companies and employees prepare for the health pandemic. Being prepared, yet flexible enough to adapt to an ever-changing situation, supports an entire organization. Register here.

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety free resources

To help support workplaces during COVID-19, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has made its pandemic tools and resources free of charge.

Free Mental Fitness Webinar

The Alberta Municipality Health and Safety Association (AMHSA), Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and Howatt HR are putting out a free weekly webinar series on maintaining mental fitness during this time. Register online.

#YXH2Gether

Please share your stories with us, send us your questions or connect with us online.

 

"The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles." - unknown

 

For more resources visit our COVID-19 page

On Demand Webinars

The Importance of Human Resources & Being Strategic When Your Business is Being Temporarily Impacted. Watch Now.

How to cope with the impacts of COVID-19 on your business. Watch Now.

Destination Canada: The Visitor Economy: Watch Now.

Rent Relief in a World of the Coronavirus: Watch Now.

Webinars Series from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Watch Now.

Webinar Series from the Conference Board of Canada, Mental Health and COVID-19. Watch Now.

For the CPHR Alberta Webinar Series: HR Pandemic Essentials, click here.

For the Conference Board of Canada Webinar Series, Mental Health and COVID-19, click here.

Leading Through COVID-19: Institute on Governance offers this free webcast series. Subscribe to YouTube Channel.

Upcoming Webinars:

April 6: Thinking and Building Resilience. Register here.

April 7: Get Selling Online. Register here. 

April 7: Legal Best Practices during COVID-19. Register here.

April 7: Leading During a Crisis and Switching to Remote Work. Register here.

April 7: Managing a Remote Workforce. Register here.

April 7: Preparing Your Startup for the Impact of COVID-19. Register here.

April 8: COVID-19 Gov't Support for Business Owners. Register here.

April 8: Human Resource Planning. Register here.

April 8: A conversation with the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages. Register here. Register here.

April 9: Restructuring and turning around. Register here.

April 13: Business Development in Trying Times. Register here.

Scroll To Top