COVID-19: Cross country update (August 20-21, 2020)

August 24, 2020

Federal

The Government of Canada announced the following measures:

New Investment to Secure Made-in-Canada Supply of N95 Respirators to Protect Health Care Workers

Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier Ford of Ontario announced an agreement with 3M Canada to expand a facility for manufacturing N95 respirators in Brockville, Ontario.  Each of the federal and provincial governments is contributing $23.33 million to the expansion.  The facility will produce 25 million N95 respirators per year for each of the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario over five years.  For more information, see the Prime Minister’s News Release.

Prohibition of Entry into Canada from the United States

An Order in Council was passed that will continue to prohibit the entry of foreign nationals for an optional or discretionary purpose from the U.S. until September 21, 2020.

For more information, see the Order.

Supporting Canadians through the Next Phase of the Economy Re-opening: Increased Access to EI and Recovery Benefits

The Federal Government announced an extension of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to a maximum of 28 weeks of benefits. As well, the program will be transitioning to a new year-long EI program starting on September 27, 2020.

The revised EI program will allow more generous rates and less stringent requirements than the pre-pandemic program. There is a minimum benefit rate of $400 per week for at least 26 weeks. In addition, there will be three new benefits:

  • The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) – $400/week for up to 26 weeks for workers who are self-employed or not eligible for EI;
  • The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) – $500/week for up to two weeks for workers who are sick or must self-isolate; and
  • The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) – $500/week for up to 26 weeks per household for eligible Canadians who cannot work and must care for a child under 12 due to school closures, provide care for a family member or dependent because their regular care is not available due to closures, or provide care for any of the above individuals due to that person being at high risk if they contract COVID-19.

For more information on the extension of the program and changes to EI, visit the Government of Canada’s website.

For a more in-depth look at how the new EI rules may apply to individuals, see the Government of Canada’s explanation and examples.

 

British Columbia

The Government of British Columbia announced the following measures:

Province Introduces New Measures to Enforce COVID-19 Public Safety

Police and other provincial enforcement officers can now hand out $2000 tickets to owners or organizers contravening the public health officer’s order on gatherings and events.

Officers will also be able to issue a $200 ticket to individuals who refuse to comply with requests from police or enforcement staff at events or to follow the public health officer’s orders or safe operating procedures.

For more information, visit the B.C. Government Website.

 

Manitoba

The Government of Manitoba announced the following measures:

Pandemic Response System Moves to “Restricted” for Prairie Mountain Health

The province’s public health officials have elevated the Pandemic Response System level to Restricted (orange) for the region.  As of August 24, 2020, masks will be mandatory in all public indoor spaces.  They will also be required at all public gatherings (whether indoors or outdoors), which will be limited to maximum of ten people.  These restrictions will be in effect for at least two weeks.

 

Ontario

The Government of Ontario announced the following measures:

Ontario Extends Orders under the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020

On August 20, 2020, the Government of Ontario announced that it is extending orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA). All orders under the ROA have been extended to September 22, 2020, with the following exceptions:

  • The Education Sector order will end on August 31, 2020; and
  • The Limitation Periods order will end, and suspended time periods will resume running, on September 14, 2020.

For more information, see the Ontario Government’s News Release.

 

Quebec

The Government of Quebec announced the following measures:

State of Emergency Renewal

On August 19, the Québec Government adopted an Order to renew the state of public health emergency throughout the Quebec territory and extend the measures provided for by Orders in Council until August 26, 2020.

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Le gouvernement du Québec a annoncé les mesures suivantes :

Renouvellement de l’état d’urgence

Le 19 août, le gouvernement du Québec a adopté un décret pour renouveler l’état d’urgence sanitaire sur tout le territoire québécois et prolongé les mesures prises par arrêtés ministériels jusqu’au 26 août 2020.

 

New Brunswick

The Government of New Brunswick announced the following measures:

Renewal of State of Emergency

On August 17, 2020, the Government of New Brunswick announced the renewal of the state of emergency for a 14-day period beginning August 20, 2020.

Return to School Plans

All students in kindergarten through Grade 8 who are not medically vulnerable will attend school full time. Many high school students will be attending classes every other day.

Educational Support Services teams will contact families identified as having medically vulnerable children to develop their child’s personalized learning plan.

Any student whose family has decided the student will not be attending school must complete the annual home-school request form.

For more information, see the Government of New Brunswick News Release.

 

Nova Scotia

The Government of Nova Scotia announced the following measures:

State of Emergency Renewed

The Government of Nova Scotia announced an order for the renewal of the state of emergency, starting August 23, 2020. The order will last until September 6, 2020 unless the government terminates or extends it.

COVID Testing for Post-Secondary Students Entering Province

The Government of Nova Scotia announced August 20, 2020 that post-secondary students entering the province from outside Atlantic Canada will be required to be tested for COVID-19 and to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Universities and the Nova Scotia Community College are contacting students directly with more information. For more details, see the Government of Nova Scotia’s News Release.

 

Nunavut

The Government of Nunavut announced the following measures:

Public Health Emergency Extended

The Government of Nunavut announced an extension of the current public health emergency order, with the new end date being September 3, 2020.

Disclaimer

This publication is provided as an information service and may include items reported from other sources. We do not warrant its accuracy. This information is not meant as legal opinion or advice.

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