December 22, 2021

With the rapid rise in COVID-19 infections over the past week and subsequent measures restricting business operations, the government of Ontario and Canada have both announced programs to provide new and/or expanded support to effected businesses and workers.

The Ontario government is introducing a new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program as well as a six-month interest-and-penalty-free period to make payments for most provincially administered taxes.

The federal government is temporarily expanding eligibility for two programs – the Local Lockdown Program for employers and Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit for employees, both of which were included in Bill C-2, passed last Thursday, December 16, 2021.

I have provided you with brief summaries of all the measures and programs followed by links to the full announcements.

Ontario
The new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will provide rebate payments to eligible businesses equivalent to 50 per cent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to the current capacity limits. 

Examples of businesses that will be eligible include restaurants, smaller retail stores and gyms. A full list of eligible business types will be made available through a program guide in mid-January 2022.

The province is also providing a six-month interest-and-penalty-free period for businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes. The six-month period will begin January 1, 2022 and end July 1, 2022.

Taxes in the program include:

• Employer Health Tax
• Beer, Wine & Spirits Taxes
• Tobacco Tax
• Insurance Premium Tax
• Fuel Tax
• International Fuel Tax Agreement
• Gas Tax
• Retail Sales Tax on Insurance Contracts & Benefit Plans
• Mining Tax
• Race Tracks Tax

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Canada
Local Lockdown Program
For employers, the temporary expansion of the Local Lockdown Program, means a business can now qualify if:

• one or more of its locations is subject to a public health order that has the effect of reducing the entity’s capacity at the location by 50 per cent or more, and
• activities restricted by the public health order accounted for at least 50 per cent of the entity’s total qualifying revenues during the prior reference period.

The government also intends to temporarily lower the current-month revenue loss threshold from 40 per cent to 25 per cent.  Employers would continue to need to demonstrate current-month losses only, without the requirement for a historical 12-month revenue decline.

Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit
For employees, Bill C-2 included a new Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to provide income support when employment is interrupted by a government-imposed public health lockdown order.

The federal government intends to temporarily expand the definition of a lockdown order to also include provincial and territorial orders involving capacity restrictions of 50 per cent or more – from December 19, 2021 to February 12, 2022. 

The minimum number of days a lockdown order needs to be in place to meet the new definition would be reduced to 7 consecutive days, down from 14 consecutive days.

After February 12, the definition will revert to the original definition as set out in Bill C-2.

I hope you find this information helpful and that you, your fellow workers and employees, families and loved ones follow the measures advised by our public health authorities and stay safe and healthy during the holiday period and the weeks ahead.

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