While preparing for an online training session, Nadia Vandal sighed.
“It’s stressful, not knowing what’s coming,” said the veteran fitness instructor and professional bodybuilder.
During previous COVID lockdowns, Vandal had been able to count on $ 500 a week in financial assistance from the federal government through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Now, as Ontario re-closes gyms to help reduce the spread of the Omicron variant, Vandal worries that CERB’s replacement, the Canada Workers’ Closure Benefit (CWLB), won’t be enough to cover basic expenses. subsistence. For workers who have lost at least 50 percent of their earnings due to a shutdown, the CWLB pays $ 300 per week. After tax? It’s $ 30 less.
“In downtown Toronto, $ 270 a week is nothing,” Vandal said.
Workers, labor advocates and some business owners are wondering why, with Omicron rampant and the economic outlook as uncertain as it has been over the course of the pandemic, the new profit is lower. For many affected workers, the lower amount will mean a heartbreaking choice of which necessities in life to do without.
“While I’m grateful for the $ 300 a week from the federal government, it’s no secret that it’s not enough to cover the cost of living, especially in Toronto,” said Ryan Duncan, a waiter at a restaurant who was fired after Ontario announced a prohibition. in the indoor dining room as part of its new partial closure, which began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
While Duncan would prefer to see federal support raised, he would also like to see some help from the provincial government for restaurant workers who have been on the front lines of enforcing mask mandates and vaccine QR codes.
“The provincial government should step up … especially after relying on many of us to enforce its carelessly implemented vaccine passport system, policing ever-changing rules for guests, and adhering to capacity limits and restrictions of ever-evolving service, ”Duncan said. .
Carly-Rae Williams, who was also fired from her job as a waitress at a restaurant, acknowledges that the federal government has been paying billions of dollars in financial aid. But that, he says, does not change a basic fact: life in the city is much more expensive than a CWLB payment.
“I understand the cost issue to the government considering that they have been providing aid for the better part of two years, but the cost of living doesn’t matter, especially in Toronto. Has risen. So for us who live and pay rent in the city, $ 300 before taxes is a joke, ”Williams said.
Deena Ladd, executive director of the Workers Action Center, called the CWLB “completely inappropriate” and said the federal government appears to be using an outdated playbook.
“It’s clear this is a program designed before Omicron, and when case counts were dropping and governments were looking to cut back on supports. It’s shocking, ”Ladd said.
The weekly amount offered under CWLB is so low that many workers will not be able to pay their rent, particularly in urban centers like Toronto, Ladd argued.
“This will make it impossible for some people to stay in their homes,” Ladd said.
Some also face a harrowing choice, he said: pay rent or buy food.
“People are absolutely choosing between rent and food,” Ladd said, adding that the Workers Action Center is seeing a huge increase in demand for the food boxes it provides. Food banks are also seeing an increase in demand, Ladd said.
A spokesperson for the federal finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, argued that the federal government’s aid has given Canada a stronger economic recovery from COVID than other countries, particularly the US. Still, given the nature. ” extremely unpredictable “of the virus, spokeswoman Adrienne Vaupshas said aid programs is something the government does not rule out.
“The federal government will continue to assist Canadians during the pandemic and will reevaluate support for individuals and businesses to meet the evolving public health circumstances,” Vaupshas said.
Reference-www.thestar.com