COVID-19

Information, Resources and Best

Practices for Registry Agents Updated: Sept 1, 2020

Please continue to visit alberta.ca/COVID19 for all the latest official information from the Government of Alberta. This website is constantly being updated with all the latest official information.

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Table of Contents 1. Alberta Health COVID-19 information updates ........................................................ 6

1.1 Workplace Plan Template .................................................................................. 6

1.2 Workplace Guidance for Business Owners ............................................................ 6

1.3 Biz Connect ........................................................................................................ 8

1.4 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/PPE Supply Program ................................ 8

• PPE requirements in the workplace ................................................................... 8

• PPE Procurement websites ............................................................................... 8

• PPE Supply Program [THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED] ........................... 9

1.5 Guidance on non-medical masks ......................................................................... 10

1.6 Waiving cost recovery fee to registries for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan .. 10

2. Quick facts ................................................................................................................. 11

2.1 Social Distancing ................................................................................................. 11

3. Mental Health Resources .......................................................................................... 11

3.1 Mental health immediate support ......................................................................... 11

3.2 Other Resources: ................................................................................................. 12

4. Service Alberta Updates ............................................................................................ 12

4.1 Extensions to motor vehicle expirations [EXTENSION IS NOW EXPIRED] ........ 12

4.2 Registries Assurance Telephone Support Changes ............................................ 13

4.3 Reduced hours/closure: ....................................................................................... 14

4.4 Alberta Registry Fact Sheet for Travelers ............................................................ 14

4.5 Interim GAM Policies Exceptions ......................................................................... 14

4.6 Motor Vehicle Program Changes ......................................................................... 14

4.7 Security, Investigator and Locksmith Licence Extension [EXTENSION IS EXPIRED] .................................................................................................................. 15

4.9 Alternative Service Delivery ................................................................................. 16

• COVID-19 Interim MV Policies ......................................................................... 16

• Questions and Answers about interim policies ................................................. 17

4.8 Service Alberta Question and Answer ................................................................. 18

5. Alberta Transportation Updates ................................................................................. 21

5.1 Road testing ......................................................................................................... 21

5.2 Medical Evaluation ............................................................................................... 22

6. Government of Alberta measures to address COVID-19........................................... 22

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6.1 Phased re-launched strategy ............................................................................... 22

6.2 Financial and other support for Albertans: ........................................................... 23

• Utility payment holiday ......................................................................................... 23

• Student loans repayment holiday ......................................................................... 23

• Education property tax freeze .............................................................................. 23

• 14-day Job-protected leave .................................................................................. 23

• 90-day protected leave for employees caring for children .................................... 23

• Emergency Isolation Support: $50 million [THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED]24

6.3 Financial and other support for employers ....................................................... 24

• Relaunch grants for businesses ........................................................................... 24

• Commercial rent freeze and bans on evictions .................................................... 25

• Temporarily Removing requirement of notice for changes to schedules and shifts ............................................................................................................................... 26

• Corporate income tax changes ............................................................................ 26

• Utility payment holiday ......................................................................................... 26

• Banks and credit unions: ...................................................................................... 26

• Education property tax deferral for business ........................................................ 26

• WCB premiums deferral for private sector businesses and support for small and medium businesses ............................................................................................... 27

• Vacation pay, leave or banked overtime .............................................................. 27

• Other temporary changes to Employment Standard Code................................... 27

6.4 Additional posters for your business .................................................................... 28

6.5 Enforcing measures to stop spread of COVID-19 ................................................ 28

6.6 Closure of non-essential businesses [NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES NOW REOPENING] ............................................................................................................ 29

6.7 Annual returns for corporations, cooperatives and organizations ........................ 29

6.8 Expanded child care for essential workers ........................................................... 30

6.9 Bits and Pieces Program ..................................................................................... 30

6.10 Business Link ..................................................................................................... 30

7. Government of Canada measures to address COVID-19 ......................................... 31

7.1 Resource for finding federal benefits ................................................................... 31

7.2 Financial assistance for individuals: ..................................................................... 31

• Canada Emergency Response Benefit ................................................................ 31

• Wage top up for essential workers earning less than $2500 ................................ 32

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• GST Tax Credit .................................................................................................... 32

• Increasing the Canada Child Benefit .................................................................... 33

• Income Tax filing deferral ..................................................................................... 33

• Applying for the EI Sickness Benefit .................................................................... 33

• Applying for Regular EI (Temporary Layoff, Child Care etc.) ............................... 33

• Completing the Record of Employment (ROE) .................................................... 34

7.3 Financial support for businesses: ........................................................................ 34

• July 5 – November 21 Redesigned Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ............. 34

•March 15 – July 4 Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy 75% ................................. 37

• 10% Temporary Wage Subsidy ........................................................................... 38

• Work share program ............................................................................................ 39

• Business tax payments deferral to September 30 2020 ....................................... 40

• Defer GST/HST payments and duties/taxes owed until June .............................. 40

• Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) ................................................... 40

• Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) ...................................................... 41

• Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (CECRA) ................ 42

• Regional Relief and Recovery Fund RRRF .......................................................... 43

• Other measures of federal relief ........................................................................... 43

7.4 Self-Isolation Mandatory for Individuals Entering Canada ................................... 43

7.5 Canadian Business Resilience Network .............................................................. 44

8. Banking ..................................................................................................................... 45

9. Business continuity plans .......................................................................................... 45

10. Occupational Health and Safety .............................................................................. 45

11. Other Government of Alberta Resources ................................................................ 47

12. Best Practices: ........................................................................................................ 48

12.1 Best Practices Guidance .................................................................................... 48

12.2. Disinfectant ....................................................................................................... 49

12.3 Sneeze guard examples .................................................................................... 50

13. Municipal Information: (UPDATED) ......................................................................... 52

13.1 City of Calgary Mandatory Mask by-law ............................................................. 52

13.2 City of Edmonton Mandatory Mask by-law ......................................................... 53

13.3 Other Municipalities (UPDATED) ....................................................................... 54

14. Questions around Back to School, COVID-19 and Employee Management (NEW) 55

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15. Canada United Small Business Relief Fund (NEW) ................................................ 56

16. Additional Resources: .............................................................................................. 57

Appendix 1: Business Q&A ........................................................................................... 58

Q & A Quick Index: .................................................................................................... 58

Employee Management ............................................................................................. 59

EI, Temporary Layoff & Employee Income ................................................................ 62

• Employees & Canada Emergency Response Benefit .............................................. 62

• Employees & EI ....................................................................................................... 62

• Business Closures & Employees ............................................................................. 65

• Terminations and layoffs.......................................................................................... 65

• Record of Employment (ROE) ................................................................................. 67

• Other questions on employee compensation........................................................... 70

Dealing with Customers ............................................................................................. 72

Health and Safety ...................................................................................................... 73

Business Operations: ................................................................................................. 77

• 10% Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers ........................................................ 77

• Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy 75% ................................................................. 79

• Work-Sharing Program ............................................................................................ 81

• WCB Relief for Employers ....................................................................................... 84

• Other business operations topics ............................................................................ 85

Appendix 2: Pandemic Planning and Management Checklist – For Registry Owners ... 88

Appendix 3: Registry Pandemic Plan Template ............................................................ 90

Appendix 4 Comparison of wage subsidies and work-sharing programs ...................... 92

Appendix 5: Sections 62-64 of Employment Standards Codes which must be included in temporary layoff notices ................................................................................................ 94

Big thanks to all those who have provided information and content for this document.

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1. Alberta Health COVID-19 information updates

1.1 Workplace Plan Template

The Government of Alberta recommends that businesses implement policies and procedures to address COVID-19, including a plan to reduce the risk of transmission among staff and customers.

The Government of Alberta has developed a template for the work place plan here. You can use the General workplace guidance document for business owners re-opening or continuing operations to help you fill out the form. Please note that filling out this form is voluntary.

If you need more information please visit alberta.ca/bizconnect or need help filling out the form you can email bizconnect@alberta.ca .

1.2 Workplace Guidance for Business Owners

All registries should review the workplace guidance document for business owners and the government encourages businesses to implement the recommendations including:

• Conducting a hazard assessment and controlling any hazards, for example if workers need to be less than 2 m apart placing barrier between workers or requiring that they wear face masks.

• Placing handwashing station or sanitizer at the points of entry. • Active daily screening of workers for symptoms of runny nose, sore throat,

cough, fever or shortness of breath.

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A reminder that Employers have the legal obligation to provide a safe workplace under Occupational Health and Safety legislation, for more information see Section 10 on Occupational Health and Safety in this document. Employees also play a role; but, employers have the overarching obligation. This includes following the guidance from public health officials which is all included in this document.

AHS Public Health Inspectors are also recommending the following practices for businesses, most registries have already put a lot of these measures in place:

1. Place signs around the store to remind staff and the public to wash their hands and to ensure they maintain social distancing from others

• Social distancing is a means to stop or slow the spread of a contagious disease by standing at least 6 feet away from others (or the length of a bicycle)

• Many retail stores including grocery stores have actually placed tape on the floor every 6 feet near the check-out lines. This allows the public to know where they should be standing to maintain social distancing.

2. Having a strict illness policy for staff

• For staff that may be sick, make it very clear that they should not be coming to work sick (especially if they have any flu-like symptoms).

3. Increase the frequency of cleaning for the facility (especially high touch areas such as doorknobs etc).

• Disinfectant to be used must be one that is affective against viruses

• Alternatively, a bleach water solution that can be made (1 part bleach in 9 parts water).

4. Stagger the breaks/ lunch times of your employees so they are not spending their lunch times together in the lunchroom which may hinder proper social distancing

5. Have sanitizer stations available throughout the store

6. Limit the number of people entering the store such that social distancing can still be practiced. If it gets too busy, please have customers line up outside the store.

• If possible, guards or other staff members can be situated at the door to complete head counts and to stop new customers from coming in if it becomes too crowded.

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• A health pre-screening can also be done here: if customers are looking ill (ie runny noses, coughing) , they may be prevented entry and denied service

AARA is collecting contacts for cleaning supplies, sanitizer and other products related to health and safety here.

1.3 Biz Connect

The Alberta Biz Connect web page provides business owners with information on health and safety guidelines for general workplaces and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch to ensure businesses can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Registries are encouraged to regularly check the website for the latest updates. There is also a useful Q&A on the website that may help answer questions you might have. For more information, visit alberta.ca/BizConnect

1.4 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/PPE Supply Program

• PPE requirements in the workplace

Businesses should conduct a hazard assessment to identify existing and potential hazards related to COVID-19.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is necessary when physical distancing of 2 metres or physical barriers cannot be maintained by administrative and engineering controls (like barriers or partitions, floor markings, limiting the number people in your business at one time).

Examples of PPE include gloves, eye protection, gown, face protections, procedure/surgical masks or NIOSH-N95 masks.

Masks must be worn properly to be effective. Find out how at alberta.ca/masks.

• PPE Procurement websites

The Government of Alberta has listed these procurement websites where business owners can purchase PPE:

Rapid Response Platform Canada

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ATB Nexus

• PPE Supply Program [THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED]

The Government of Alberta PPE supply program for businesses will end on June 30. With the PPE supply chain improving and with more companies now developing PPE, Alberta businesses have more options to source their own PPE.

If you are finding it difficult to find PPE locally or online to protect staff and customers, you may be eligible to receive supplies from the Government of Alberta. Requests will be prioritized depending on the supply available. You can request a variety of PPE including hand sanitizer, disinfectant, masks (N95 masks only available to healthcare workers), gloves and other supplies. You will be invoiced for the cost of the PPE requested:

To complete your request, fill out the PPE Request Form: https://ppe.sp.alberta.ca/Lists/Requests/New.aspx?IsDlg=1

Make it clear in your request that your registry is providing government services to the general public.

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When filling out the form, please ensure you complete all mandatory fields. It is very important that you only order for a two week period so that all who require PPE have access to it. They understand your urgency and will work with our colleagues to procure items to meet your submitted requests.

If your request meets the criteria and there is available stock, the request will be filled. They cannot provide an ETA on your order, however, you will be contacted once confirmation is received that your goods are ready for shipment.

Note: PPE is being shipped as it comes in, so you may receive a partial order. PESS is tracking all shipments to ensure requests are properly filled.

1.5 Guidance on non-medical masks

The Government of Alberta has released a guidance document on non-medical face masks that can be found at alberta.ca/masks. Medical masks and respirators must be kept for health-care workers and others providing direct care to COVID-19 patients. Those who choose to wear a nonmedical face mask should:

• continue to follow all other public health guidance (staying two metres away from others, wash hands regularly, stay home when sick)

• wash their hands immediately before putting it on and immediately after taking it off (in addition to practising good hand hygiene while wearing it)

• ensure it fits well (non-gaping) • not share it with others • avoid touching the mask while wearing it • change masks as soon they get damp or soiled

1.6 Waiving cost recovery fee to registries for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan

Alberta Health has advised us that to assist with business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta Health will temporarily waive the cost recovery fee related to the provision of Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) registration services for the period January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, inclusive.

The quarterly invoices will be mailed this week and will indicate a zero balance for the period of January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020. Any outstanding cost recovery in arrears is not waived. Alberta Health will revisit the waiving of fees in June 2020.

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2. Quick facts

The most important measures that you can take to prevent respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is to practice good hygiene.

This includes cleaning your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately, and staying home and away from others if you are sick. Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.

For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community, visit alberta.ca/COVID19.

2.1 Social Distancing

Social distancing measures continue to be an important way to minimize the spread of COVID-19. A tip sheet is available to help Albertans understand ways to minimize close contact with others in community settings.

3. Mental Health Resources

3.1 Mental health immediate support

• Mental Health Hotline

Many people are feeling anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. If you need support, you can call the mental health hotline.

1-877-303-2642 or 1-866-332-2323

Provides toll-free, 24/7 telephone service, which offers help for mental health concerns for Albertans:

o confidential, anonymous service o crisis intervention o information about mental health programs and

services o referrals to other agencies if needed For more mental health resources please visit: AHS Help in Tough Times.

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• Text4Hope

Free daily text messaging services, evidence-based tool that helps people identify and adjust the negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours a pandemic might be expected to provoke

To subscribe text COVID19HOPE to 393939.

• Kids help phone

You can reach a Kids Help Phone counsellor 24/7 at 1-800-668-6868 or for text and online support please visit: https://kidshelpphone.ca/

• Employee Benefits

Some employee benefit plans have access to mental health resources like the Employee Assistance Plan. If you aren’t sure of your benefits, check with your employer.

3.2 Other Resources:

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has a great FAQ, tips, coping strategies, self assessments and resources to manage your mental health during the pandemic here.

• Alberta Health Services:

o COVID-19 and your mental health printable tip sheet.

• Mental Health Commission of Canada

o Mental Health First Aid: COVID-19 Self-Care & Resilience Guide. o Tips available to help Canadians protect their mental health as they strive

to safeguard their physical well-being and that of their loved ones.

4. Service Alberta Updates

4.1 Extensions to motor vehicle expirations [EXTENSION IS NOW EXPIRED]

• The Registrar of Motor Vehicles has extended the expiration of all Alberta motor vehicle documents until May 15, 2020. This includes: Driver’s licences, vehicle registrations, validation tabs, permits or any other vehicle document prescribed by the regulation.

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• New Albertans can continue to use their existing driver’s licences from other jurisdictions for up to 90 days. This information will be posted to RAnet when ready.

• The temporary extension of the expiry of Motor Vehicle Documents will end at 11:59 PM on May 15, 2020. Albertans are being reminded to renew on or before May 15 if a driver’s licence, ID card, or vehicle registration expiry date falls from March 17 through May 14.

• Vehicle registrations expire on the last day of an assigned month based on the registrant’s surname or company name. Albertans and companies with vehicle registrations expiring in March and April (including those whose last names begin with B, D, G, Y) were eligible for the expiry date extension and need to renew on or before May 15.

• Driver’s licences and ID cards expire on the holder’s birthday in the year noted on the card. Albertans who have birthdays from March 17 through May 15 and whose cards expire this year need to renew on or before May 15.

• Drivers who require a medical evaluation to apply or renew their licence will still have 90 days from the date of renewal or issuance to provide their completed medical form. Please refer to the RAnet for more information.

4.2 Registries Assurance Telephone Support Changes

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure continued support for agents, effective March 24, 2020 and until further notice, Registries Assurance will be suspending telephone support through the 1-800-727-9221 number and transitioning to enhanced email support. A process has been put in place by which registry agents can request a call back from a Registries Specialist via email when an Albertan is at the office and immediate approval is required or the immediate processing of a mandatory request is required.

To request a call back from a Registries Specialist, registry agents must send an email to registries.assurance@gov.ab.ca. This email must comply with the following guidelines:

Subject Line: CALLBACK P### CRA##### Body: Reference (MVID, Plate, VAC, etc.) CRA’s direct call back phone number Attachments (if applicable):

Should your requested call back require the review of documentation, please ensure you attach a copy of the documents to your email request

The hours of operation will remain unchanged: Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:30pm.

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4.3 Reduced hours/closure:

Some of you have indicated the need to reduce hours, and are even possibly considering a full or partial closure. Our registry agent contract doesn’t dictate your hours of operation, but it does specify that if you are closed for more than four business days, you may be in breach of your contract unless prior approval is received. Also given the current situation regarding COVID-19, Service Alberta is requiring all office closures or reduction of hours to be reported.

If you are considering a full or partial closure or reduced hours, please contact Service Alberta at SA.Contract.Admin@gov.ab.ca.

4.4 Alberta Registry Fact Sheet for Travelers

Service Alberta has posted a fact sheet for recent out of country travelers who are seeking health care coverage and motor vehicle documents. This document can be found on RAnet here.

4.5 Interim GAM Policies Exceptions

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, effective immediately and until further notice, the following are temporary policy extensions related to 3rd party record checks and ROADS re-enrollment after extended absences.

As a result of potential delays in obtaining a Police Information Check (PIC), Service Alberta will extend the validity of 3rd party record checks to 90 days from the date of submission and require a PIC obtained directly through a police agency within Canada within 90 days of submission of the 3rd party record check.

For any extended absences including lay-offs of registry agent personnel, Registry Agents can now submit the Notice of Change to Registry Agent Personnel Account Information (REG11266) (pdf) form to ROADS Administration for absences longer than 90 days rather than 60 days.

4.6 Motor Vehicle Program Changes

Given the current pandemic and noting that the registry agent network is operating at a reduced capacity, Service Alberta has extended time periods on some registry services, including updating addresses after moving and the transfer of registration in some cases.

Changes have also been made to the Access to Motor Vehicle Information Regulation to help law enforcement and public bodies enforce public health orders:

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Vehicle registration and demographics information may be requested by a public body or a law enforcement agency in attempting to enforce a public health order. This modification would allow that information to be released without an agreement being in place. This provision is limited to the entities most likely to require this information to limit the risk of misuse. Registry agents are requested to refer these requests directly to DACMU.

A six-month extension of all existing agreements is justified due to the difficulties in concluding new agreements that arise from the disruption of regular business.

For details please visit RAnet here.

4.7 Security, Investigator and Locksmith Licence Extension [EXTENSION IS EXPIRED]

To allow continued service of individuals and businesses licensed under the Security Services and Investigators Act, the expiry dates will be extended on all business and individual licences expiring between March 9, 2020, and July 1, 2020.

The extension deadline is subject to change as Alberta’s public health response changes. Licensees will be notified as changes come into force.

Current Licences • Individual and business licences that expire between March 9, 2020 and July 1,

2020, will be automatically extended and remain subsisting and valid until midnight July 2, 2020.

• The terms and conditions of current licenses will remain in force. The current authority of licensed businesses and individuals and all reporting obligations remain in place.

Temporary Licences

• The expiry date of temporary licences, which are issued by email at the time of processing, will also be extended.

Licence Renewals • Renewal applications that were received prior to this change will continue to be

processed until further notice. Expiry dates on these renewals will supersede the new extension dates.

• The program will continue to process new licences while permitted under the circumstances of a public health emergency.

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Exemptions • This extension does not apply to licensees with temporary foreign worker or

student work permits. All documents must be kept up to date with the program office.

• If an individual’s baton training has expired, they must cease use of this equipment immediately.

Contact Us • The Security Services and Investigators Program will continue to monitor the

impacts of service delivery changes on the industry and notify licensees should any further changes be implemented.

• In the event our offices are closed, staff will continue to monitor and respond to emails at ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca.

4.9 Alternative Service Delivery

• COVID-19 Interim MV Policies

The Government of Alberta is temporarily allowing registry agents to provide select services by phone, secure email, fax, or mail.

The following registry services will be able to be provided through alternative delivery methods by registry agents:

• All corporate registry services (available by fax or email) • All personal property registry services (available by fax or email) • Select motor vehicles services, available by telephone, fax, mail or email (with

secure encryption) ○ Driver’s licence or Identification Card services:

Renewal (one year with existing photo) Replacement Re-class Exchange (address change) Condition Code maintenance Cancellation

○ Vehicle registration services: Renewal Duplicate registration certificate Replacement validation tab (expiry date sticker on licence

plate) Exchange licence plate Transfer registration to a new vehicle Cancellation Specialty plate order (Support our Troops, Calgary Flames,

Edmonton Oilers)

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○ Other: Driver’s abstract and operator history confirmation letter Vehicle Information Report Payment on account, including fine payments In-transit permits Appeal applications for Alberta Transportation Safety Board

To ensure compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements, registry agents that opt to provide services by alternative methods cannot accept payment over the phone or by email. Agents need to establish an online payment portal, for any credit card payments, in accordance with PCI requirements.

For more information please visit RAnet or see Q&A below.

• Questions and Answers about interim policies

The interim policy says I must encrypt email, how do I encrypt email? And what is the encryption standard? Email providers like Outlook and Gmail provide encryption acceptable to Service Alberta – check with your email provider about whether or not they provide encryption services. Service Alberta has indicated that Transport Layer Security encryption is adequate. End to end encryption is not a requirement. Another option is to ask the customer send an encrypted email to the registry. The customer can then choose whether or not to encrypt the email. To encrypt a Gmail message just click the lock logo at the bottom of the message “turn confidential mode on/off”:

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How do I accept payment for services offered over the phone and be compliant with Government of Alberta standards for PCI compliance? Check with your payment processor to see if they already have a system for customers to pay through an email or text link. If you are an OptionPay customer follow these steps:

Your OptionPay account already has an Invoices dropdown tab built into the system. This allows you to set the dollar amount, send your customer their invoice to pay, and they can enter their credit card details. To send the link to a cardholder, complete the following steps:

1. Login to OptionPay 2. Go to the invoices tab 3. Select “Send a Quick Invoice” 4. Leave client to invoice as “Quick Invoice” 5. Enter the cardholders e-mail 6. Leave the due date, payment terms, etc. blank unless you wish to

fill them out 7. Enter the service provided in the blank space below currency and

the dollar amount next to it 8. You may repeat step 6 multiple times by clicking “Add Another

Item” if you are completing multiple services with different fees associated with these services.

9. Scroll to the very bottom and click “Send now”

If you would like either of these services enabled and do not currently have them, please e-mail us at ehj@optionpay.ca and we will have them turned on right away.

If your payment provider doesn’t have an option to pay through email/text link you can contact OptionPay at ehj@optionpay.ca to set up an account to process these transactions. Other companies like KixPay, PaySimply, Wave Payments and many others may provide a solution that works for your registry.

4.8 Service Alberta Question and Answer

As we get answers to member’s questions to Service Alberta we will post them here

Questions: MOVES is charging renewals for March and April renewals a full 12 months. Is this correct? Yes, even though the date has been extended, customers are expected to pay the full 12 months.

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Yes, the assumption is being taken that the customer drove the vehicle during Question: Does the extension to May 15 for vehicle registrations applies to pro rated vehicles travelling outside Alberta? Answer: All vehicle registrations (includes fleet and prorate) that expire between March 17 and May 14, have until May 15, 2020 to renew their registration. Any IRP carrier that requests a modification to the registration must attend a registry agent to process the supplement.

Question: A customer needs their Audit Control Number (ACN#) on the back of their Driver’s Licence to access the provincial Emergency Isolation Support program and must wait until they get their licence in the mail. Is there anything we can do to help the customer access their benefits quicker? Answer: [NOTE: The Alberta Emergency Program is now closed for applications]. The only way for an Albertan to know their ACN# is to have a physical Alberta DL or ID card. Albertans who just completed an operator service must wait for their card in the mail. Alberta Registries and Alberta Registry Agents will not provide this number to Albertans from the MOVES database. No exceptions. Albertans with questions related to the ACN# requirement for the emergency isolation support program, can direct these questions to the MyAlberta Digital ID (MADI) business area by calling: Alberta Connects at 310-4455, open 7 days a week from 8 am to 8 pm. They ask Albertans to please be patient as call volumes may be high. Additional information can be found at: https://www.alberta.ca/emergency-isolation-support.aspx

Question: The local registry is closed, how does a new car owner register their vehicle? New car owners can use in-transit permits until May 15th. Question: My local police station is closed and I can’t get a police check for a new employee, what do I do? GAM policy 2.01 already identifies an exception process (excerpt listed next page) and allows third-party police checks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we will temporarily extended the validity of third party PIC’s to 90 days and require a PIC obtained directly through a police agency within Canada within 90 days of submission of the third party record check. SA will post this temporary exception of RAnet.

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Alberta Justice and Solicitor General has confirmed with the RCMP that detachments are still providing criminal record checks and, if required, fingerprinting, for employment purposes. However, due to staffing levels and concerns for the health of detachment staff, precautions may have been put in place, such as buzzing for access, pre-scheduled appoints and wearing protective masks. In most instances, you will not receive your criminal record check on the same day as detachments try to balance public safety needs and administrative responsibilities. Both Calgary and Edmonton Police Services are offering online police checks.

Delays in Obtaining a PIC

In the event that there are delays in the policing agency providing a PIC and employment needs to start before that PIC may be obtained, a record check indicating no records exist may be submitted from a third party agency.

A registry agent must:

• Submit a record check indicating no records exist from a third party agency dated within the last 60 days. and

• Submit a PIC obtained directly through a police agency within Canada within 60 days of submission of the third party record check.

Question: What is the procedure with Service Alberta for employees who have been laid off and then rehired? Do we have to let them know and do they need to redo all the paper work (FOIP, Police check etc.)?

General Administration Manual (GAM) policy 2.07 requires all terminations to be immediately reported as well as absences longer than 60 days to be reported to Service Alberta. Currently when registry agent personnel are returning from an absence longer than 60 days they must complete the Authentication Requirements and submit an authentication package to Service Alberta. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are going to extend the requirement to report extended absences from 60 days to 90 days as well as extend the re-enrollment of registry agent personnel returning from an absence longer than 60 days to 90 days. We will post this temporary exception of RAnet.

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5. Alberta Transportation Updates

5.1 Road testing

Alberta Transportation has expanded acceptance for online applications for a limited number of commercial Class 1 to 4 and passenger/Class 5 Advanced road tests (not Graduated Drivers Licenses) for healthcare workers.

Testing locations have also been expanded beyond Calgary and Edmonton to six additional communities: Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie, Lloydminster and Fort McMurray.

Test volumes will still be limited and will be in-vehicle with personal protective material (PPE), in a manner approved by Occupational Health and Safety and Alberta Health.

Road testing will be resuming this month. The approximate timeline is as follows:

o June 23rd: Drivers who had their road tests cancelled due to COVID-19 will be contacted by Alberta Transportation to rebook their tests.

o June 30th: Road testing will relaunch in Alberta and the general public will use the online scheduler, ARTS, to book their road tests (the same booking procedure as before).

Important Road Test Resumption Information:

o Alberta Transportation will contact any clients who need to rebook due to a COVID cancellation.

o The Alberta Transportation call center is still open. Clients are able to call (780) 427-8230 (or first dial 310-0000 toll free anywhere in Alberta) 8:15a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30p.m. Monday to Friday (except for statutory holidays)

o The Alberta Transportation scheduling team will do their best to assign road tests to all registry locations that previously had testing. There are many more constraints to scheduling like longer road tests times, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, and modified registry hours to consider.

o Due to OHS and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements road tests will take approximately 30 minutes longer to conduct per test.

o Road test clients will have to sign a waiver and release at the time of their road test.

o Road test clients will be required to supply and wear their own PPE in order to have a test completed. They will be informed of the requirements by Alberta Transportation prior to their test.

Meeting Occupational Health and Safety Requirements and Applying PPE Extends Road Test Duration

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All road tests will take longer to complete due to the new OHS requirements, disinfecting and applying PPE. For example, and Class 5B road test will now take 55 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

As a registry agent, you should be prepared for the number of road test appointments available to be greatly reduced. We anticipate that the number of road test appointments available for booking will increase as the number of constraints decrease (OHS requirements, PPE application, etc.).

Alberta Transportation will begin accepting applications for these limited number of road tests shortly. More details are available on RAnet.

5.2 Medical Evaluation

Alberta Transportation has extended the timeline to 90 days for most drivers requiring a medical evaluation to complete their medical form when applying for or renewing their licence. This will reduce the current strain on the health-care system. Medically high-risk drivers will still be required to present their medical evaluation at the time of their application or renewal.

6. Government of Alberta measures to address COVID-19

6.1 Phased re-launched strategy

As of May 14th, some non-essential businesses are allowed to re-open with infection prevention controls. Calgary and Brooks have a different re-opening schedule than the rest of the province because of higher active case volumes. For more information visit https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-relaunch-strategy.aspx.

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6.2 Financial and other support for Albertans:

• Utility payment holiday

• Residential, farm, and small commercial customers can defer bill payments for the next 90 days to ensure no one will be cut off from these services during this time of crisis.

• This will cover electricity and natural gas, regardless of the service provider.

• Student loans repayment holiday

The government will implement a six-month, interest-free moratorium on Alberta student loan payments for all individuals who are in the process of repaying these loans.

• Education property tax freeze

The government will immediately cancel the decision made in Budget 2020 and will freeze education property taxes at last year’s level.

• 14-day Job-protected leave

Changes to the Employment Standards Code will allow full and part-time employees to take 14 days of job-protected leave if they are: • required to self-isolate • caring for a child or dependent adult that is required to self isolate

To be eligible, employees: • will not be required to have a medical note • do not need to have worked for an employer for 90 days

This leave covers the 14-day self-isolation period recommended by Alberta’s chief medical officer. This leave may be extended if the advice of the chief medical officer changes. The leave does not apply to self-employed individuals or contractors.

• 90-day protected leave for employees caring for children

Employees caring for children affected by school and daycare closures or ill or self-isolated family members due to COVID-19 will have access to unpaid job protected leave. The 90-day employment requirement is waived and leave length is flexible.

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• Emergency Isolation Support: $50 million [THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED]

This will be a temporary program for working adult Albertans who must self isolate because they meet the Government of Alberta’s published criteria for self-isolation, including persons who are the sole caregiver for a dependent who must self-isolate because they meet the public health criteria, and who will not have another source of pay or compensation while they are self isolated.

It will be distributed in a one time payment of $1,146 payment instalment and will bridge the gap until the federal emergency payments begin in April.

6.3 Financial and other support for employers

• Relaunch grants for businesses

The Government of Alberta announced that they will provide grants of up to $5000 for eligible businesses to offset a portion of their re-launch costs. Businesses can apply for 15% of their pre-COVID-19 revenue, up to a maximum of $5000.

Eligibility requirements are as follows:

o Businesses that were ordered to close or curtail operations as a result of public health orders; and

o Be able to show a revenue reduction of at least 50% in April and/or May 2020 because of public health orders.

For more detailed eligibility information and revenue calculations please visit this link.

You can apply for the funding starting June 29th at this link: http://www.alberta.ca/sme-relaunch-grant.aspx. You must have a My Alberta Digital ID to apply. If you don’t already have an account you can create on here: https://account.alberta.ca/.

To manage volume, applications are being accepted by region on the following dates:

June 29 – North (outside urban areas) June 30 – South (outside urban areas) July 1 – Urban (Grand Prairie, Fort McMurray, Cold Lake,

Lloydminster, Leduc, Wetaskiwin, Camrose, Red Deer, Airdrie, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge)

July 2 -Calgary July 3 – Edmonton

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July 4 – anyone may apply to the program until it closes.

The program will close on August 31, 2020 or four weeks following the start of phase 3 re-opening, whichever is later.

• Commercial rent freeze and bans on evictions

The Government of Alberta introduced legislation to ensure commercial tenant will not face rent increases or be evicted for non-payment of rent due to the COVID-19 health emergency to address the shortfalls in the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program. Bill 23 and the upcoming regulation will:

o protect eligible commercial tenants from having their leases terminated if they can’t pay rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

o prevent landlords from raising rent and charging late fees and penalties on missed rent

If passed, any late fees, penalties, or rent increases imposed on a commercial tenant by their landlord between March 17, 2020 and August 31, 2020 would need to be reimbursed.

Protections would apply to:

o commercial tenants with tenancy agreements eligible for the CECRA program, but whose landlords have chosen not to participate

o commercial lease agreements where tenants have had to close their business due to public health orders or have had their business revenue decline by 25% or more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

Tenants and landlords would need to work together to develop a rent payment plan for missed payments. If a tenant’s actions violate any lease provisions other than those covered by the Act, the tenant may be evicted or penalized in accordance to the lease’s terms.

The legislation would not apply to evictions or lease terminations that happened before the legislation was tabled on June 16, 2020.

More details will be posted here as they become available.

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• Temporarily Removing requirement of notice for changes to schedules and shifts

The 24-hour written notice requirement for shift changes, and the two weeks’ notice for changes to work schedules for those under an averaging agreement has been temporarily removed to improve employer flexibility. This will last as long as the government deems it needed and the public health emergency remains.

• Corporate income tax changes

Corporate income tax balances and instalment payments will be deferred from March 19 until August 31, 2020 to increase employers’ access to cash so they can pay employees, address debts and continue operations.

• Utility payment holiday

Farm and commercial customers can defer electricity and natural gas bill payments for the next 90 days to ensure no one will be cut off, regardless of the service provider.

• Banks and credit unions:

• Credit unions: Business members should contact their credit union directly to work out a plan for their personal situation

• ATB Financial: Small business customers can: apply for a payment deferral on loans and lines of credit for up to 6

months access additional working capital

• Education property tax deferral for business

• Effective immediately, the government will defer education property tax for businesses for six months.

• The government expects municipalities to set education property tax rates as they normally would but defer collection. Deferred amounts will be repaid in future tax years.

• The government encourages commercial landlords to pass on these savings to their tenants through reduced or deferred payments. This will help employers continue to manage their debts, pay their employees and stay in business. o Businesses capable of paying their taxes in full are strongly encouraged to do so. This will assist the province in being able to support Albertans through this pandemic.

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• WCB premiums deferral for private sector businesses and support for small and medium businesses

• Private sector employers can save money on their WCB premium payments at a time when they need it most. These actions ensure the sustainability of the workers’ compensation system and that injured workers continue to receive the benefits and supports they need to return to work. o Private sector employers will have immediate financial relief by deferring WCB premiums until early 2021, effectively for one year.

• Employers who have already paid their WCB premium payment for 2020 are eligible for a rebate or credit.

• For small and medium businesses, the government will cover 50 per cent of the premium when it is due. o Large employers will also receive a break by having their 2020 WCB premium payments deferred until 2021, at which time their premiums will be due. A fact sheet about WCB can be found here:

• Vacation pay, leave or banked overtime

• Employers and employees may consider using other available leaves should an employee be required to self-isolate.

• Employees can request using their vacation pay or banked overtime, but employers are not required to grant the request. Provincial employment rules only require employers to provide vacation pay, vacation leave or pay banked overtime within a year of it being earned.

• Employers can request employees voluntarily take vacation leave and/or use their vacation pay or banked overtime but cannot force them to do so under provincial employment rules.

• Other temporary changes to Employment Standard Code

• Removing the requirement to provide the group termination notice to employees and unions when 50 or more employees are being terminated.

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• Streamlining the process for approvals related to modifying employment standards so employers and workers can respond quicker to changing conditions at the workplace due to the public health emergency.

• Both these measures will last as long as the government deems it needed and the public health emergency remains.

6.4 Additional posters for your business

The Government of Alberta has created additional posters for your business that can be found here. Information sheets are also available in a variety of languages here.

6.5 Enforcing measures to stop spread of COVID-19

To protect the health and safety of Albertans, law enforcement agencies have been granted full authority to enforce public health orders and issue fines:

• Fine of up to $1,000 per violation; and

• Courts can administer fines of up to $100,000 for first time offences, and up to $500,000 for repeat or more serious violations.

It is now mandatory for travellers returning from outside of Canada to self-isolate. This legal requirement also applies to close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, as well as to any individual with symptoms, such as a fever, cough, sore throat or runny nose.

Public health orders subject to fines for violation include:

• Any individual who has travelled outside of Canada must go into mandatory self-isolation for 14 days from their return, plus an additional 10 days from the onset of any symptoms should they occur, whichever is longer.

• Any individual who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms must self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days from the start of their symptoms, or until the symptoms

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resolve, whichever is longer. Symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, or a sore throat.

• Any individual who has been identified by as a close contact of a person(s) with COVID-19 must go into mandatory self-isolation for 14 days from the date of last having been exposed to COVID-19, plus an additional 10 days from the onset of any symptoms should they occur, whichever is longer.

• Mass gatherings must be limited to no more than 50 attendees. • Access to public recreational facilities, private entertainment facilities, bars

and nightclubs is prohibited. • Visitation to long-term care and other continuing care facilities is limited to

essential visitors only.

The Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services are working with local enforcement agencies to manage complaints, which can be submitted online here or if you cannot submit online, you can also call 1-833-415-9179 to submit a complaint by leaving a message when prompted. Please only submit a complaint once. Do not submit online and by phone.

6.6 Closure of non-essential businesses [NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES NOW REOPENING]

The Government of Alberta has ordered the closure of non-essential businesses. Registries have been listed as an essential service by the Government of Alberta.

Workplaces that have not been ordered to close can continue to have more than 15 workers on a worksite as long as those business maintain public health measures, including two metre social distancing, hygiene enforcement and processes that ensure that any person who is ill does not attend these spaces.

List of essential services can be found here. Registries are listed under public administration and government.

6.7 Annual returns for corporations, cooperatives and organizations

In keeping with public gathering restrictions, deadlines are suspended for corporations, partnerships, cooperatives and non-profit organizations to hold annual general meetings and file their annual returns. The suspension is set to expire 60 days after the public health emergency is declared over.

These groups will remain active in Alberta, and will not have their corporations, partnerships, cooperatives or non-profit organizations dissolved due to failing to file annual returns.

For more information click here and there is a summary of the changes posted on RAnet here.

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6.8 Expanded child care for essential workers

Child care is now available in select communities to anyone who works in the critical areas outlined as essential by government including registry services. Parents who work in these areas can contact the child care centres that are open in their communities.

Currently, child care centres have reopened in Calgary, Edmonton, Devon, Fort McMurray, Fort Saskatchewan, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Stony Plain. An updated list of these centres can be found here. The Alberta government is reopening spaces in four other communities and working with Municipal Affairs, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and Rural Municipalities of Alberta to identify areas of need elsewhere.

6.9 Bits and Pieces Program

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

If there is a requirement for your product or service, you will be contacted by a representative of the Government of Alberta.

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.

6.10 Business Link

The Alberta based Business Link will provide free advice, coaching and information on COVID-19 resources and supports. As a small business owner, you may be facing immediate challenges or be worrying about the weeks to come in light of the actions taken by our Government to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Phone: 780-422-7722 Toll free: 1-800-272-9675 (Canada only) TTY: 1-800-457-8466 (For the deaf or hard of hearing) Hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed weekends and statutory holidays) Or you can submit your question online or visit Business Link COVID-19.

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7. Government of Canada measures to address COVID-19

7.1 Resource for finding federal benefits

A new online tool has been developed to help individuals and business determine what benefits they might be eligible for:

• For businesses visit: https://innovation.ised-isde.canada.ca/ • For individuals visit: canada.ca/coronavirusbenefits

7.2 Financial assistance for individuals:

• Canada Emergency Response Benefit

The Government of Canada has extended the CERB by 8 weeks from 16 to 24 weeks. Eligibility expanded for the CERB to include:

• those who earn less than $1000 a month; • workers who have run out of EI; and • seasonal workers

The Government of Canada has combined the Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit into the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

• Applications are open at www.canada.ca/coronavirus-cerb • If you are receiving the wage subsidy through your employer, you are not

eligible for this benefit. • If you have already applied for EI – there is no need to re-apply for this

money, you will be automatically enrolled for this benefit. • The benefit amount is $2000/month ($500/week) for 6 months/24 weeks

between March 15-October 3, 2020. The amount you are eligible for under EI will not impact the CERB amount.

• You can apply no later than December 2, 2020. • Recipients should receive benefit within 3-5 days by direct deposit or 10

days by mail.

Eligibility criteria is as follows:

• You must reside in Canada • You are 15 years of age or older at the time of application • You have stopped or will stop working for reasons related to covid-19, or

because you are unable to work due to illness, or because you lost your employment for other reasons beyond your control; and

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• If you are submitting for your first benefit period, that you have stopped or will stop working for at least 14 consecutive days within the 4 week benefit period; or

• If you are filing for a subsequent benefit period, you did not receive any employment or self employment income for the period for which you previously claimed the benefit and do not expect to receive any employment or self employment income in the 4 week benefit period

• You have not quit your job voluntarily • You are not receiving nor have you applied for the CERB from the Canada

Revenue Agency nor are you receiving Employment Insurance benefits for the same benefit period

• You have earned a minimum of $5,000 in income within the last 12 months or in the 2019 calendar year from one or more of the following sources:

• Employment income • Self-employment income

• Eligibility has been just been expanded to workers earning less than $1000 a month, workers who have exhausted their EI benefits and seasonal workers. More details will be added as they become available.

More details are available here

• Wage top up for essential workers earning less than $2500

The Government of Canada has announced that it is working with the provinces to boost wages for essential workers earning less than $2500 a month. Details on this benefit have not yet been released. We will update this section as details become available.

• GST Tax Credit

The Government of Canada is providing a one-time special payment by early May through the Goods and Services Tax credit for low- and modest-income families.

The average additional benefit will be close to $400 for single individuals and close to $600 for couples.

There is no need to apply for this payment. If you are eligible, you will get it automatically. Payments will be issued on April 9, 2020.

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• Increasing the Canada Child Benefit

The Government of Canada is providing an extra $300 per child through the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for 2019-20. This will mean approximately $550 more for the average family.

This benefit will be delivered as part of the scheduled CCB payment in May.

Those who already receive the Canada Child Benefit do not need to re-apply.

• Income Tax filing deferral

Tax filing deadline has been deferred to June 1, 2020 – but those who receive GST refund and child tax benefit are encouraged not to delay filing. The payment date for 2019 tax year has been extended to September 30, 2020.

The Canada Revenue Agency will not contact any small or medium (SME) businesses to initiate any post assessment GST/HST or Income Tax audits for the next four weeks. For the vast majority of businesses, the Canada Revenue Agency will temporarily suspend audit interaction with taxpayers and representatives.

• Applying for the EI Sickness Benefit

If you are applying for EI benefits for reason of illness or being quarantined due to the Covid-19 pandemic then click on the following link to begin the application process. You do not have to wait for your employer to issue you a Record of Employment before you apply.

For those applying for this benefit the entitlement will be paid for up to 15 weeks. The one week waiting period is being waived by Service Canada and no doctor’s note is required. However, you have to call Service Canada at 1-833-381-2725 and request the waiting period be waived for your application. Call this number AFTER you start your application online. Once you have begun your application process online you will be mailed a 4-digit code within 4-10 business days along with further instructions to complete the process.

For more information on EI Sickness Benefits from Service Canada click here.

• Applying for Regular EI (Temporary Layoff, Child Care etc.)

For those applying for EI benefits because of temporary layoff due to lack of work, stress in being able to cope with working in the current Covid-19 environment or because of the need to remain home to look after children due to schools and daycares being closed, then please click on the following link to begin the

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application process for Regular Benefits. You do not have to wait for your employer to issue you a Record of Employment before you apply.

For this type of benefit the one week waiting period is not being waived by Service Canada. Once you have begun the online application you will be mailed a 4-digit code within 4-10 business days that will include further instructions to complete the process.

If you have any questions during the process you can call Service Canada’s Employee EI information line at 1-800-206-7218 from 8:30am to 4:30pm local time. Be aware that there is currently a very long wait time to speak to a representative so be prepared to wait for anywhere from 2-7 hours to speak to someone. The earlier you call the better.

For more information from Service Canada on regular EI benefits click here.

• Completing the Record of Employment (ROE)

An ROE has to be filed when there is an interruption of earnings of seven days (known as the seven-day rule). The interruption of earnings occurs when there are seven consecutive days with no work and no insurable earnings, or when an employee’s salary falls below 60% of regular weekly earnings due to illness, injury, quarantine, pregnancy, etc.

If you are filing the ROE electronically, it must be issued within 5 calendar days of the end of the pay period in which the employee’s interruption of earnings occurs. If you are using a paper ROE, it must be issued within 5 calendar days of the employee’s interruption of earnings, or the date you became aware of the interruption of earnings.

More information can be found on Service Canada’s block-by-block guide to completing the ROE here.

7.3 Financial support for businesses:

• July 5 – November 21 Redesigned Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

On July 17, 2020 the federal government announced significant changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy for the period of July 5-November 21. The subsidy will be extended to the end of December but information for December is not available yet.

The biggest change is changing the criteria of 30% revenue drop to a sliding scale.

Effective July 5, 2020, the CEWS would consist of two parts:

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o a base subsidy available to all eligible employers that are experiencing a decline in revenues, with the subsidy amount varying depending on the scale of revenue decline; and

o a top-up subsidy of up to an additional 25 per cent for those employers that have been most adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Rate structure of the base CEWS

The base CEWS would be a specified rate, applied to the amount of remuneration paid to the employee for the eligibility period, on remuneration of up to $1,129 per week as shown in the table below

Timing

Period 5*: July 5 – August 1

Period 6*: August 2 – August 29

Period 7: August 30 – September 26

Period 8: September 27 – October 24

Period 9: October 25 – November 21

Maximum weekly benefit per employee

Up to $677 Up to $677 Up to $565 Up to $452 Up to $226

Revenue drop

50% and over

60% 60% 50% 40% 20%

0% to 49%

1.2 x revenue drop (e.g., 1.2 x 20% revenue drop = 24% base CEWS rate)

1.2 x revenue drop (e.g., 1.2 x 20% revenue drop = 24% base CEWS rate)

1.0 x revenue drop (e.g., 1.0 x 20% revenue drop = 20% base CEWS rate)

0.8 x revenue drop (e.g., 0.8 x 20% revenue drop = 16% base CEWS rate)

0.4 x revenue drop (e.g., 0.4 x 20% revenue drop = 8% base CEWS rate)

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Rate structure of the base CEWS

The base CEWS would be a specified rate, applied to the amount of remuneration paid to the employee for the eligibility period, on remuneration of up to $1,129 per week as shown in the table below

Timing

Period 5*: July 5 – August 1

Period 6*: August 2 – August 29

Period 7: August 30 – September 26

Period 8: September 27 – October 24

Period 9: October 25 – November 21

* In Periods 5 and 6, employers who would have been better off in the CEWS design in Periods 1 to 4 would be eligible for a 75% wage subsidy if they have a revenue decline of 30% or more. As described further below (see Safe harbour rule for Periods 5 and 6).

Top-up Subsidy A top-up subsidy of up to 25 percent will be available to employers who were the most adversely impacted by COVID-19. The top-up will be determined based on the revenue drop experienced by an eligible employer when comparing revenues in the preceding three months to the same months in the prior year. The alternative approach to the calculation of baseline revenues remains.

The following chart illustrates the calculation of the top-up:

3-month average revenue drop

Top-up CEWS rate

Top-up calculation = 1.25 x (3-month revenue drop - 50%)

70% and over

25% 1.25 x (70%-50%) = 25%

65% 18.75% 1.25 x (65%-50%) = 18.75%

60% 12.5% 1.25 x (60%-50%) = 12.5%

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55% 6.25% 1.25 x (55%-50%) = 6.25%

50% and under

0.0% 1.25 x (50%-50%) = 0.0%

CEWS for Furloughed Employees

For Periods 5 and 6, the subsidy calculation for a furloughed employee will remain the same as for Periods 1 to 4.

Beginning in Period 7, CEWS support for furloughed employees will be adjusted to align with the benefits provided through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and / or Employment Insurance (EI). This will ensure equitable treatment of employees on furlough between both programs.

For Period 5 and subsequent periods, the CEWS for furloughed employees will be available to eligible employers who qualify for either the base rate or the top-up for active employees in the relevant period.

The employer portion of contributions in respect of the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, the Quebec Pension Plan, and the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan in respect of furloughed employees will continue to be refunded to the employer.

Eligible Remuneration, Eligible Employers and Employees

There were no changes announced to the definition of eligible remuneration or eligible employers.

Effective July 3, 2020, the definition of eligible employee no longer excludes employees who are without remuneration in respect of 14 or more consecutive days in an eligibility period.

For more detailed information please visit the Finance Canada Backgrounder here.

Applications are now open for the CEWS. You can apply for the wage subsidy here through the CRA My Business Account.

•March 15 – July 4 Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy 75%

The federal government will subsidize wages of up to 75% to allow employers to delay, avoid temporary layoffs or termination of employees. [Note: the 10%

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wage subsidy is still available for businesses that don’t qualify for the 75% subsidy].

o The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy would apply at a rate of 75% of

the first $58,700 normally earned by employees – representing a benefit of up to $847 per week. The program would be in place for a 12-week period, from March 15 to June 6, 2020.

o Eligible employers must show a drop in gross revenues of at least 15% in o March and 30% April or May, when compared to the same month in 2019, o OR employers can choose to compare March, April and May to average revenue in Jan/Feb 2020 to show the15/30% drop.

o Revenue drops can be measured either on the basis of accrual accounting or cash accounting.

o Eligible employers will also be entitled to a 100% refund for certain employer paid contributions including EI &CPP.

o Eligible employers would include employers of all sizes and across all sectors of the economy, with the exception of public sector entities.

o An eligible employer’s entitlement to this wage subsidy will be based entirely on the salary or wages actually paid to employees. All employers would be expected to at least make best efforts to top up salaries to 100% of the maximum wages covered.

o The government has been very clear that there will be severe consequences for business that take advantage of the wage subsidy including fines equivalent to 225% of subsidy claimed and five years in prison.

There is a Q&A on page 43 with more in-depth information on the wage subsidy here and information from Finance Canada is available here.

• 10% Temporary Wage Subsidy

What is the wage subsidy?

It will be equal to 10 per cent of total remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020, up to a maximum of $1,375 per worker and $25,000 per employer. Does my business qualify? The wage subsidy is limited to eligible small businesses. The CRA says that includes the following: • Non-profit organizations.

• Registered charities.

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• Canadian-controlled private corporations with less than $15 million in taxable capital employed in Canada, a measure also used to calculate the existing small business deduction.

If a business is eligible, but not paying employees during the applicable period because it is closed, it does not qualify. How do I apply for the benefit? You do not need to apply for the subsidy.

You will continue deducting income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums from salary, wages, bonuses, or other remuneration paid to your employees, as you currently do. The subsidy is calculated when you remit these amounts to the CRA.

Once you have calculated your subsidy, you can reduce your current payroll remittance of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax that you send to the CRA by the amount of the subsidy.

For more details to find out if you qualify please check here.

• Work share program

The Government of Canada has put in place Work-Sharing temporary special measures for employers affected by the downturn in business due to COVID-19.

The measure provides income support to employees eligible for Employment Insurance benefits who work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer recovers. Work-Sharing is a three-party agreement involving employers, employees and Service Canada. Employees on a Work-Sharing agreement must agree to a reduced schedule of work and to share the available work over a specified period of time.

You must be able to prove at 10% decrease in business to be eligible. There is an in-depth Q&A on this program in this document here or if there is a quick youtube video that explains the program here.

For more details please visit here or email EDSC.WT.WS- TP.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca

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• Business tax payments deferral to September 30 2020

Allow all businesses to defer, until September 30th, 2020, (previously Sept 1, 2020) the payment of any income tax amounts that become owing on or after today and before September 2020. This relief would apply to tax balances due, as well as instalments, under Part I of the Income Tax Act. No interest or penalties will accumulate on these amounts during this period.

• Defer GST/HST payments and duties/taxes owed until June

Vendors with annual sales of more than $6 million remit and report monthly, and those with annual sales of $1.5 million to $6 million are able to remit and report on a quarterly basis (or monthly if they choose to). Small vendors can report annually.

The GST/HST amounts collected are generally due by the end of the month following the vendor’s reporting period: e.g., for a monthly filer, the GST/HST amounts collected on its February sales are due by the end of March.

To support Canadian businesses in the current extraordinary circumstances, the Minister of National Revenue will extend until June 30, 2020 the time that:

Monthly filers have to remit amounts collected for the February, March and April 2020 reporting periods;

Quarterly filers have to remit amounts collected for the January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020 reporting period; and

Annual filers, whose GST/HST return or instalment are due in March, April or May 2020, have to remit amounts collected and owing for their previous fiscal year and instalments of GST/HST in respect of the filer’s current fiscal year.

• Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)

The Government of Canada has announced increased eligibility for sole proprietors, family owned businesses, if your business relies on contractors and if you pay employees through dividends. More details will be released.

Eligibility has expanded to CEBA businesses who spend $20,000 (down from $50,000) and $1.5 million (up from $1 million) in payroll expenses.

Up to $40,000 in loans will be guaranteed by the government to qualifying businesses. Interest free for the first year. In exceptional circumstances, up to $10,000 of that will be forgivable.

This $25 billion program will provide interest-free loans of up to $40,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits, to help cover their operating costs during

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a period where their revenues have been temporarily reduced, due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 virus.

These loans will be provided by your bank.

To qualify, these organizations will need to demonstrate they paid between $20,000 to $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019. Repaying the balance of the loan on or before December 31, 2022 will result in loan forgiveness of 25 percent (up to $10,000).

Applications for this program have now opened. For more information you can visit your bank’s website – we’ve provided a link to most major banks information on the Canada Emergency Business Account here:

• Royal Bank of Canada • Scotia Bank • BMO • CIBC • TD • ATB

• Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)

Through this program, Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) will provide $65 billion in direct lending and other types of financial support at market rates to businesses with viable business models whose access to financing would otherwise be restricted. By working in close cooperation with financial institutions, this program will fill gaps in market access and leverage additional lending by private sector institutions.

The BCAP program includes the following:

• A New Loan Guarantee for Small and Medium Enterprises:

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. To support their operations, EDC will guarantee new operating credit and cash flow term loans that financial institutions extend to SMEs, up to $6.25 million.

The program cap for this new loan program will be a total of $20 billion for export sector and domestic companies.

• A New Co-Lending Program for Small and Medium Enterprises

To provide additional liquidity support for Canadian businesses, the CoLending Program will bring the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) together with financial institutions to co-lend term loans to SMEs for their operational cash flow requirements.

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Eligible businesses may obtain incremental credit amounts up to $6.25 million BDC’s portion of this program is up to $5 million maximum per loan. Eligible financial institutions will conduct the underwriting and manage the interface with their customers. The potential for lending for this program will be $20 billion.

These programs will roll out mid-April and interested businesses should work with their current financial institutions. For more information please visit the BCAP page.

• Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (CECRA)

Property owners can start applying for CERCA on May 25, 2020 through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation here. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2020. Property owners in Alberta are asked to register on May 25, 2020 – there is a staggered approach to manage the volume. The Government of Canada has announced this program will be extend another month to include August.

This program will lower rent by 75% for small businesses that have been affected by COVID-19 for April, May, June, July and August.

The program will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50% of 3 monthly rent payments that are payable by eligible small business tenants who are experiencing financial hardship during April, May, June and July.

The loans will be forgiven if the mortgaged property owner agrees to reduce the eligible small business tenants’ rent by at least 75% for the 3 corresponding months under a rent forgiveness agreement, which will include a term not to evict the tenant while the agreement is in place. The small business tenant would cover the remainder, up to 25 per cent of the rent.

Impacted small business tenants are businesses paying less than $50,000 per month in rent and who have temporarily ceased operations or have experienced at least a 70% drop in pre-COVID-19 revenues.

Under a rent forgiveness agreement, which includes a moratorium on eviction, the mortgaged commercial property owner would reduce the small business tenant’s monthly rent by at least 75%. The tenant would be responsible for covering 25%, the property owner 25%, while the federal government and provinces would share the remaining 50%. The forgivable loans would be disbursed directly to the mortgage lender.

Please visit the CHMC website for further information about the CECRA.

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• Regional Relief and Recovery Fund RRRF

The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) provides interest-free repayable contributions to help support businesses that have suffered a financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The support will assist small- and medium-sized enterprises that are unable to access other federal COVID-19 relief measures. Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is delivering RRRF Alberta and other western provinces.

The RRRF will support businesses in two unique ways. It will:

1. Provide up to $40,000 in repayable contributions to businesses that are not eligible to access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) or the RRRF – Community Futures Stream. Repaying 75 percent of the contribution (up to $30,000) on or before December 31, 2022 will result in forgiveness of 25 percent of the contribution (up to $10,000).

2. Provide up to $1,000,000 in repayable contributions to businesses that can demonstrate a meaningful contribution to the western Canadian economy, and are experiencing liquidity issues. These companies may not have accessed other Government of Canada relief programs, or may have accessed them, but require additional funding to mitigate cash flow pressures. This contribution is fully repayable.

To find out if your business is eligible you can call 1-888-338-9378 or visit this website.

• Other measures of federal relief

• Suspending audit activities: CRA will not initiate contact with taxpayers for audits, with certain exceptions, This includes: no new audits being launched, and no requests for information related to existing audits. No audits should be finalized and no reassessments should be issued.

• Suspending collections on new debt: Collections activities on new debts will be suspended until further notice, and flexible payment arrangements will be available. Payment arrangements are also available on a case-bycase basis if you can’t pay your taxes, child and family benefit overpayments, Canada Student Loans, or other government program overpayments in full.

There are many other measures in the Government’s announcement and details can be found here.

7.4 Self-Isolation Mandatory for Individuals Entering Canada

The Government of Canada announced an Emergency Order under the Quarantine

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Act that requires any person entering Canada by air, sea or land to self-isolate for

14 days whether or not they have symptoms of COVID-19. This came into effect on March 26, 2020.

Failure to comply with this Order is an offense under the Quarantine Act. Maximum penalties include a fine of up to $750,000 and/or imprisonment for six months. Further, a person who causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while wilfully or recklessly contravening this Act or the regulations could be liable for a fine of up to $1,000,000 or to imprisonment of up to three years, or to both. Spot checks will be conducted by the Government of Canada to verify compliance.

All individuals permitted to enter Canada are subject to this Order, with the exception of certain persons who cross the border regularly to ensure the continued flow of goods and services, and those who provide essential services. Individuals exempt from the Order will still need to practice social distancing and self monitoring and contact their local public health authority if they feel sick.

Individuals displaying symptoms of COVID-19 after arriving in Canada may not use public transportation to travel to their place of isolation. They also may not isolate in a place where they will be in contact with vulnerable people, such as seniors and individuals with underlying health conditions.

More details regarding enforcement will be added as they are available.

7.5 Canadian Business Resilience Network

In partnership with the Government of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce established the Canadian Business Resilience Network to help Canadian businesses navigate the COVID-19 reality and prepare for recovery.

The program, delivered to your organization free of charge, provides:

• Guidance on COVID-19 financial support program options and eligibility • Direction on accessing the most appropriate support organizations • Help to make decisions to support recovery plans • Real time insights and feedback to policymakers

To access the BRS call 1-866-989-1080 to connect with a business advisor from the accounting profession. The service is available 7 days/week from 8am – 8pm ET (5am – 5pm PT).

You can find more information here.

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8. Banking

Banks will be working together to temporarily limit operating hours and reduce the number of branches, while maintaining critical services for customers. Special care will be given to branches in rural communities. Source: Canadian Bankers Association

If you need relief on loan, mortgage or credit card payments please contact your bank as many are providing deferred payments and relief options.

9. Business continuity plans

Employers should consider their business continuity plans and how COVID-19 could impact their workplace. To prepare, make plans to:

• protect employees • limit spread in workplaces • ensure continuity of critical services if staff are ill or self-isolating • explore alternate working arrangements, such as: working from home or

remotely • doing work that doesn't require contact with other people

For more information please visit: Business continuity planning

10. Occupational Health and Safety Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Acts Applies to all workplaces that employs one or more workers – this includes registries.

OHS has provided a short 14 minute webinar here that discusses employer legal obligations.

There is also an Occupational Health and Safety Starter kit here to help you know and understand the requirements of Alberta’s occupational health and safety laws.

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Under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act you must do everything you reasonably can do to:

• Protect the health, safety and welfare of your workers at your registry and other persons at or in the vicinity of your registry;

• Provide health and safety information to your staff and ensure that they are aware of their rights and responsibilities under the code – you can share this document with your staff which outlines this information;

• Designate a health and safety representative staff member to identify hazards in the workplace, investigate incidences and resolves complaints, this is a requirement for all workplaces that employee five or more staff; and

• Work with your health and safety representative to conduct a hazard assessment of your workplace and implement measures to control identified hazards – make sure these are communicated to your staff. If you aren’t sure of how to do this – this document provides guidance.

• It is also strongly recommended that you complete the pandemic plan and checklist provided to you by AARA.

Employers have the following responsibilities under the Act:

• Employers must ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others at their registry;

• Employers should provide competent supervisors; • Supervisors must protect, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and

safety of workers they supervise; • Ensure staff are trained and have the proper skills to perform their work; • Prevent workplace harassment and violence; and

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• Work with the health and safety representative to ensure a safe working environment and to address any complaints.

Workers also have these rights and responsibilities under the Act:

• Workers must take reasonable care and cooperate with the employer to ensure the health and safety of themselves and others at the work site.

• Employees have the right to know about health and safety and employers must provide employees with information about hazards and controls used to eliminate or mitigate the hazards – including relevant workplace practices and procedures. You can use the pandemic plan in this document to help you communicate these measures to employees.

• Workers have the right to be involved in health and safety discussions and participates in decisions making that impacts their health and safety.

• Refuse dangerous work - Workers must not undertake tasks or assignments that they are either unable or not prepared to do in a healthy and safe manner;

To be in compliance with OHS legislation, registry owners should also follow the Business Owner Guidelines by the Government of Alberta. For more information and details on your obligations under the Occupation Health and Safety Act please download this document. Other resources o occupational health and safety can be found here: https://ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/covid-19. If you have questions about OHS legislation, call the OHS Contact Centre at 1-866-415-8690.

11. Other Government of Alberta Resources

• Employment standards rules • WCB: COVID-19 worker fact sheet • WCB: COVID-19 employer fact sheet • POSTERS: Help Prevent the Spread

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12. Best Practices:

12.1 Best Practices Guidance

Even though our staff are not front-line health care providers, registries still offer an essential service to many Albertans that require driver’s licences, health care, plate renewals, birth certificates, etc.

In the meantime, here’s some best practices to follow:

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds every hour (time it takes to sing Happy Birthday to yourself), or as often as you feel required.

• If you have a cough, slight fever, and shortness of breath, please stay home and self-isolate for 14 days.

• If you have been out of the country for the last 14 days, please stay at home self-isolate for 14 days. At this time other family members that did not travel aren’t required to self isolate unless they start to show symptoms of the virus.

• Cover your mouth with your elbow or tissue if sneezing • Avoid sharing eating utensils, glasses, water containers, etc.

• Avoid or limit contact between your hands and face. • Work with rubber gloves – but remember to not touch your face and sanitize

gloves. • Increase frequency of sanitation processes. Start and end your day by

sanitizing your work station so please allocate the necessary time to do so. • Use a spray sanitizer to moisten a cotton pad to frequently wipe down your

workplace station and high touch surfaces – phones, keyboard, counter top, debit machine, door handles etc. DO NOT SPRAY SANITIZER DIRECTLY ONTO ANY ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT. Homemade sanitizer solution recipes are available online.

• Clean eye exam station before each exam. • Clean SIMS keyboard, monitor edge & mouse • Everybody can help out by frequently wiping down door handles, stanchions,

counter tops, DKTS terminals kitchen surfaces, or any surface a staff/customer may have touched.

• Apply hand lotion each time you wash your hands or use the sanitizer to prevent drying or cracking skin.

• Remove waiting room chairs to limit people inside registry and remove any magazines, reading material and/or another high touch material. If people are waiting for tests, encourage them to wait in their vehicles or outside.

• Post poster from Government of Alberta on your door: https://bit.ly/2x4lINm • Consider placing small cones or other separation tools to provide adequate

space in your line up (6 feet is recommended). • Consider placing plastic sheeting/glass window as sneeze guard between

clerk and customer area.

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• Only accept cash as last resort and consider ordering remote pin pads if your payment processor has them.

• Don’t let fear override common sense. Even if you contract the virus, the chances of it resulting in a severe illness are very low.

• The elderly are the most at-risk group so you might want to reduce or eliminate any contact with elderly family and friends. Try to avoid touching or being within 6 ft. of them.

12.2. Disinfectant

Disinfectants approved by Health Canada will have a drug-identification number (DIN). A list of registered sanitizer and disinfectant products for use against the coronavirus can be found here. Disinfectants and sanitizers can be the same product, but disinfectants are more highly concentrated and require a longer contact time than sanitizers. If disinfectants are used on food contact surfaces, they may need to be rinsed with potable water, whereas sanitizers do not.

Public health authorities recommend that retailers confirm with their chemical suppliers that the disinfectants and sanitizers they are using are appropriate for use against COVID-19 and, in the case of grocers, appropriate for use at food premises. It is recommended that food contact surfaces be sanitized, while non-food contact surfaces be disinfected on a regular basis, particularly high-contact areas such as doorknobs, POS devices, or bathrooms.

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12.3 Sneeze guard examples

Macleod Trail Registry and NW Registry in Calgary:

Lethbridge Vehicle Licensing & Registry

East Calgary Registries

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Northeast Registries – Taradale Physical distancing tape and hand sanitizer

Unmanned Sanitizing Station Instructions

Materials (all from Canadian Tire) • Black wire mesh Kitchen Tool Caddy (kitchen

section) • Commercial round ZEP 32 oz. spray bottle

(cleaning supplies section) • Two-side mounting tape (hardware section) • 18” wire (hardware section)

Installation

• Clean top of stanchion, and install two-sided tape; trim to fit

• Drill two small holes with steel bit in bottom of Kitchen Tool Caddy

• Press Caddy to two-sided tape on stanchion; helps hold Caddy in place so it can be secured with wire

• Feed wire down into the Caddy through the two holes, and secure under the Caddy to stanchion

• Squeeze the spray bottle into the Caddy; it fits snug so it won’t walk away

• Fill spray bottle with funnel with Triton Hand Sanitizer

• Make and laminate sign – Hand Sanitizer – and wrap around outside of the Caddy

• 20L pail of Triton Hand Sanitizer available at Canadian Tire

• Plastic hand-pump available in camping section • Use two-cup glass measuring cup and funnel to

refill sanitizing station as required

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13. Municipal Information: (UPDATED)

13.1 City of Calgary Mandatory Mask by-law

The City of Calgary has made it mandatory that masks/face coverings must be worn in public indoor spaces, which includes retail businesses – like registry offices. This by-law will come in effect August 1, 2020.

Failure to wear a face covering where required or failure to display prescribed signage can result in a penalty of $100 to $200.

Under the bylaw, business operators and owners are required to display signage in public entryways. The signage can be found by clicking here.

Staff who remain behind physical barriers are not required to wear masks.

Use this guide to see how your business is affected by the new bylaw.

Please note: Proof is not required if someone has an exception. Businesses are also not expected to deny services as not everyone is required to wear a face covering.

Exceptions to the face coverings bylaw include:

• Children under 2 years of age • People with underlying medical conditions or disabilities inhibiting their ability to

wear a face covering • People who are unable to place, use or remove a face covering safely without

assistance • People who are eating or drinking at a public premises that offers food or

beverage services • People engaging in an athletic or fitness activity • People who are caregiving for or accompanying a person with a disability where

wearing a face covering would hinder the accommodation of the person’s disability (for example, the ability to lip read)

• People who have temporarily removed their face covering where doing so is necessary to provide or receive a service (for example, a visit to the dentist)

The City of Calgary makes the following recommendations for businesses in preparation of the bylaw coming into effect:

• Review the bylaw expectations with your staff so they can inform customers or visitors they must wear a face covering indoors, with some exceptions (for example, children under the age of two and people with certain health conditions, employees in designated areas or protected by a physical barrier)

• Explain to staff members that proof is not required if someone has an exemption, and that they are not expected under the bylaw to deny service.

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However, businesses or operators can choose to deny service under their policies.

• Plan to post the signage in advance of August 1. All entryways must have the provided signage reminding everyone who enters to wear a face covering

Do my patrons have to wear masks if we can achieve physical distancing?

• Yes, your patrons must wear masks even if your business achieves physical distancing. Physical distancing in indoor public spaces is inconsistent and unpredictable and part of why this temporary bylaw is necessary.

13.2 City of Edmonton Mandatory Mask by-law

Effective August 1, 2020, wearing a mask or face covering will be mandatory in all indoor public places and public vehicles in they City of Edmonton. This applies to the publicly accessible areas of businesses/retail. The bylaw is in effect until December 31, 2020.

As someone who operates a public facing business or public facility, this means that anyone who enters your business, and your staff when in those spaces (unless separated by a barrier) must wear a mask or face covering.

Exemptions apply to: • Children under 2 • Those who are unable to place, use, or remove a face covering without

assistance • Those with mental or physical concerns or limitations, or any other protected

ground under the Alberta Human Rights Act , that prevent them from wearing a face covering

• Eating or drinking while seated in designated spaces or as part of a religious or spiritual ceremony

• Engaging in water activities or physical exercise • Providing assistance or care to someone with a disability who would be

hindered if the caregiver is • wearing a face covering; • Engaging in services that require removal of the face covering (e.g., having a

passport photo taken or dental work, or personal care services involving the face)

What if a customer doesn’t want to wear a mask?

It’s up to your business to decide if you wish to enforce mask wearing in your premises. As part of the community effort we encourage you to help educate on the requirement for masks if you choose. You and your employees are not expected to

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enforce the bylaw or to have negative interactions with customers. If a customer becomes confrontational, call 911. Proof is not required if someone claims an exemption. Business owners may also sell or provide masks to customers if they choose.

Do my patrons have to wear masks if we can achieve physical distancing?

Yes, your patrons must wear masks even if your business achieves physical distancing. Physical distancing in indoor public spaces is inconsistent and unpredictable and part of why this temporary bylaw is necessary.

Where can I find posters?

Posters are available here

For more information and guidance please visit: https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/emergency_preparedness/masks.aspx

13.3 Other Municipalities (UPDATED)

Masks are mandatory in indoor public spaces in the following municipalities:

• Banff: Masks will be mandatory in Banff businesses and the downtown pedestrian zone as of Friday, July 31. Businesses are required to post a sign outside their business. More information can be found here: https://www.banff.ca/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1245

• Beaumont: City council approved a bylaw requiring face coverings to be worn in all publicly accessible indoor places and public vehicles, effective Friday, August 14. For more information please visit: https://www.beaumont.ab.ca/644/Coronavirus-Information-for-Beaumont

• Canmore: Under the bylaw, business employers, operators, or proprietors

are required to display messaging in public entryways of the business. Failure to display signage can result in a penalty of $100. For more information, visit our Business Hub.For further information on the bylaw please visit: https://canmore.ca/covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-canmore/mandatory-mask-bylaw

• Chestermere: Masks are required in Chestermere when an employee and client must be within 2m of each other for the service provided. For more information please visit: https://www.chestermere.ca/1077/COVID-19-Info-about-Personal-Protective-

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• Jasper: As of August 4, face masks, or face coverings, are required on Jasper's downtown sidewalks and in all public indoor spaces. Businesses are required to post signage. For more information please visit: https://www.jasper-alberta.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=451

• Lethbridge: On August 24th, City Council has approved a mandatory face

covering bylaw to include all indoor public spaces. This bylaw will take effect immediately. For more information please visit: https://www.lethbridge.ca/City-Government/Bylaws/Pages/Face-Covering-Bylaw.aspx

• St. Albert: Effective August 8, 2020, face coverings are required to be worn

in all indoor public places within St. Albert, which includes retail businesses. Businesses are not required to post signage but the municipality does have some templates that can be used. For more information please visit: https://stalbert.ca/site/assets/files/12416/2020-08-06-facecoveringsbylaw-infotoolkitforbusinesses-op23-final.pdf

• Sturgeon Country requires individuals in the municipal boundaries of

Sturgeon County and/or in Sturgeon County-owned facilities to wear a face covering at all times while in an indoor, enclosed, or substantially enclosed public place or in a public vehicle. For more information please visit: https://www.sturgeoncounty.ca/COVID19#271818-face-coverings

• Mandatory use of masks in these municipality is triggered by a threshold

number of cases or upgrade to COVID-19 regional classification by the Alberta Government: Airdrie, Cochrane, Edson, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Okotoks and Spruce Grove.

14. Questions around Back to School, COVID-19 and Employee Management (NEW)

My employee has a child with COVID-19 symptoms – can they come into to work?

Only close contacts of confirmed cases are legally required to self isolate. However, employers have a duty to provide a safe and hazard-free work environment. And so, whether an employee is actually ill from the virus, been in contact with someone who is ill from the virus, or has, as another example, traveled internationally in the last 14 days, the employer would have the right to force that employee to stay home, in order to protect its other employees.

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Registries should ensure that their pandemic plan includes considerations for employees with school age children. If employees need to take time off work to care for a child they may be eligible for job protected family leave. For more information about this please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/personal-family-responsibility-leave.aspx.

My employee has a child diagnosed with COVID-19 – what should I do?

Close contacts of confirmed cases are required to self-isolate. The employee should follow the direction given to them from Alberta Health Services. If an employee tested negative and have had an exposure to the virus, they are legally required to quarantine for 14 days from the exposure date. Alberta Health Services public health will investigate the case to find out when the symptoms developed and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

Parents will be notified if a case of COVID-19 is confirmed at school and AHS public health will contact those who were in close contact with the case.

Registries should ensure that their pandemic plan includes considerations for employees with school age children. If employees need to take time off work to care for a child they may be eligible for job protected family leave. For more information about this please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/personal-family-responsibility-leave.aspx.

My employee wants to stay home to home school their child – do I have to hold their job?

Before terminating an employee that needs to stay home to home school their child, you should seek advice from an HR firm or from a labour lawyer. Family status is protected under the human rights act and laws around COVID-19 are rapidly developing.

15. Canada United Small Business Relief Fund (NEW)

The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund is an initiative funded by the Royal Bank of Canada and other sponsors. It will be managed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the national Chamber network in support of other chambers and partners to help small Canadian businesses with their recovery efforts as a result of COVID-19. You do not need to be a member of the Ontario Chamber of Commence to be eligible for funding.

If awarded, a relief grant of up to $5000 can be used for any of the following activities:

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• Purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, face shields, and latex gloves.

• Renovating physical space to adhere to local, Provincial or Federal reopening guidelines.

• Developing or improving e-commerce capabilities for your business.

Successful applicants will receive a relief grant of up to $5,000. We intend to support local businesses of all kinds from across the country (from retailers to barbershops to farmers).

For more information please visit: https://occ.ca/wp-content/uploads/Canada-United-Program-Guidelines-EN.pdf

16. Additional Resources:

COVID-19 Continuity Canadian Federation of Business Question and Answer Retail Council of Canada Q&A KPMG: the Business Implications of Coronavirus Deloitte: Practical workforce strategies that put your people first Deloitte: Managing cash flow during a period of crisis Nielsen: Key Consumer Behaviour Thresholds COVID-19 Conference Board of Canada: Insights Canadian Chamber of Commerce: COVID-19 Business Resilience World Health Organization: Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 Canadian Centre of Occupational Health and Safety: COVID-19 Resources Video Tax News https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5809872/Canada-United-Application-AB https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5809872/Canada-United-Application-AB

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Appendix 1: Business Q&A

Q & A Quick Index:

Employment Management

EI, temporary layoffs & employee income

• Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) • Employees & EI • Business closures & employees • Terminations and layoffs • Other questions on employee compensation

Dealing with Customers

Health and Safety

Business Operations

• 10% temporary wage subsidy • 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) • Work-Sharing Program • WCB deferrals & relief • Other business operations questions

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Employee Management

Do my employees need to wear facemasks?

Public Health Order 07-2020, section 11 states that any place of business that is still permitted to operate must: Prevent the risk of transmission of infection to co-workers and members of the public by a worker or member of the public. Section 4 states that any persons gathering in an indoor location must maintain a minimum distance of 2m from one another.

Public Health Orders are legally enforceable and subject to fines.

While there are no public health orders mandating the use of masks, businesses are responsible for determining appropriate measures to protect the health of staff and patrons. This may include requirements for staff and patrons to wear masks if a business owner determines this step is necessary to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Businesses should conduct a hazard assessment to identify existing and potential hazards related to COVID-19. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is necessary when physical distancing of 2 metres or physical barriers cannot be maintained by administrative and engineering controls (like barriers or partitions, floor markings, limiting the number people in your business at one time).

If you are requiring staff to wear masks they should be trained on how to properly wear masks and its limitations. Visit www.alberta.ca/masks for information on mask usage. There is also a poster available here.

Is it mandatory for employees to return to work if a business reopens?

If an employer has met all the requirements to resume operations, an employer can recall employees from a temporary lay off. If the employee does not return to work, the employment will be deemed terminated by the employee. From a health and safety perspective, workers may suggest it is unsafe to return to work. Employees do have the right to refuse work – but this must be for a specific task/activity, and would not normally allow for workers to refuse to attend work. For detailed information, contact: Employment Standards Contact Centre

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Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre

Source: www.alberta.ca/bizconnect

What happens if an employee refuses to return to work after a temporary layoff?

An employer may request an employee, who is on a temporary layoff, return to work by providing the employee with a recall notice. If an employee fails to return to work within 7 days of being served with the recall notice, the employee is not entitled to termination notice or termination pay if the employer decides to terminate the employee’s employment as a result of the employee’s failure to return to work. Click to learn more about temporary layoffs. Source: www.alberta.ca/bizconnect

Do I need a pandemic plan for my registry?

Yes, Under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are responsible for ensuring a safe workplace for its employees. To assist in meeting this obligation, we have prepared a checklist to assist Registry Owners in their pandemic planning. See Appendix 2.

Can an employee refuse to self-isolate?

All employers have a duty to provide a safe and hazard-free work environment. And so, whether an employee is actually ill from the virus, been in contact with someone who is ill from the virus, or has, as another example, traveled internationally in the last 14 days, the employer would have the right to force that employee to stay home, in order to protect its other employees.

Albertans are legally required to self isolate for 14 days if: • returned from travel outside of Canada after March 12, or • are a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 (provides

care, lives with or has close physical contact, or comes into direct contact with infectious body fluids)

• If you become sick during this time, you must self-isolate for an additional 10 days from the beginning of symptoms or until you are feeling well, whichever takes longer.

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Additionally, you are legally required to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days if you have a cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, or sore throat that is not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition. Self-isolation period is for 10 days from the start of symptoms, or until symptoms resolve, whichever takes longer.

Source: Samfiru & Tumarkin LLP & Alberta.ca

My employee needs childcare due to coronavirus school closure, what do I do?

An employee who has caregiving responsibilities should be accommodated to the point of undue hardship. Such an arrangement might be a leave or an arrangement to work at home. These caregiving responsibilities, which relate to the Alberta Human Right’s Act protected ground of family status, could include situations where another family member is ill or in self-isolation, or where their child’s school is closed due to COVID-19.

If the employee exhausts all possible options for childcare and working from home is not an option, ask them if they want to take their vacation. If they don’t wish to take their vacation, then you will need to file a ROE. Use either Code E for Quit, or Code N for Leave of Absence. We recommend not using Code K or putting any comments in the comment box, since that will slow the processing time of the ROE.

Source: CFIB & Alberta Human Rights Commission

Can an employer restrict future travel of its employees?

An employer’s ability to prohibit an employee from returning to work will depend on the circumstances, including the nature of the employer’s business and the employee’s travel locations. Health authorities are not recommending travel outside of Canada.

Accordingly, employers should advise employees that should they choose to travel outside of Canada they will be required to self-isolate for 14 days following the date they return to Canada.

Source: Field Law

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EI, Temporary Layoff & Employee Income

• Employees & Canada Emergency Response Benefit

Can my employee voluntarily leave and get the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)?

No. The CERB is for Canadians who cease working for reasons related to COVID-19 for at least 14 consecutive days within the four-week period in respect of which they apply for the payment.

Workers who have stopped working voluntarily are excluded from qualifying for the CERB.

Source: Finance Canada

If I layoff my employee are they eligible for both the Canada Emergency response benefit and EI?

Yes, but not at the same time. Canadians who are eligible for EI regular and sickness benefits would still be able to access their normal EI benefits, if still unemployed, after the 16-week period covered by the CERB.

Canadians who have already applied for EI and whose application has not yet been processed would not need to reapply.

Canadians who are already receiving EI regular and sickness benefits as of today would continue to receive their benefits and should not apply to the CERB.

If their EI benefits end before October 3, 2020, they could apply for the CERB once their EI benefits cease, if they are unable to return to work due to COVID19.

Source: Canada.ca

Are employers still required to file ROEs for their employees to receive CERB?

As an employer if your employee's insurable earnings are interrupted for 7 days then you will still need to submit a ROE for them. However, your employee will be able to access the CERB regardless of whether an ROE has been filed or not. If your employee is applying for EI, you will need to submit an ROE.

• Employees & EI

Are all affected employees entitled to EI benefits?

If an employee is directly affected by COVID-19 (that is, they are sick or in quarantine) and is requesting EI sickness benefits, they can contact the Employment Insurance special campaign line at 1-833-381-2725. This campaign

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is exclusively dedicated to enquiries from clients who are directly affected by the COVID-19.

Employees who are laid off or terminated because of a shortage of work also will be eligible for EI and the CERB. Employees who need leave to take care of sick family member or to care for children are eligible for the CERB.

Source: Canadian Payroll Association

If I temporarily layoff staff, are they eligible for EI?

Yes, staff who are temporarily laid off are eligible for regular EI benefits. An ROE must be issued using Code “A” Shortage of Work – Layoff. Can my employee work while receiving EI?

Yes, if an employee earns money while receiving EI benefits, their EI payments will be clawed back. They can keep 50 cents of EI benefits for every dollar you earn, up to 90 percent of your previous weekly earnings (roughly four and a half days of work). Above this cap, your EI benefits are deducted dollar-for-dollar.

For example:

• John was laid off when the grocery store where he worked shut down. His weekly earnings at the grocery store were $500, so his weekly EI benefit rate is $275 (55 percent of $500). He has found a part-time job at a restaurant, where he works three days a week and earns $300 per week.

• As a result, his $275 in EI benefits are reduced by $150 or 50 cents for every dollar he earns at the restaurant ($300 ÷ 2 = $150). This brings his total EI benefit to $125 ($275 – $150 = $125).

• In the end, John takes home $125 per week in EI benefits plus his parttime wages of $300, for a total of $425.

You are not eligible to receive EI benefits if you work a full week, regardless of the amount you earn. However, this will not reduce the total number of weeks payable on your claim.

It’s important to note that the waiting period for regular EI benefits is slower than normal and a Record of Employment can only be issued once the employee hasn’t worked for seven days.

Another option would be to apply for the Work-sharing program which allows employers to reduce employee hours. EI would cover the employees reduced hours.

For more information please see: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-socialdevelopment/programs/ei/ei-list/working-while-claim.html

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When an employee has to be off due to quarantine/self-isolation, I’m aware that the one week waiting period for EI is waived. However, it's not clear if there is still a waiting period for employees who are laid off but aren't in self-isolation or quarantine. Could we get clarity?

The one-week waiting period remains for people laid off due to shortage of work. So, some firms have registered EI SUBP (Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan) to enable them to top up employees’ EI for the waiting period week and the shortfall between their earnings. 

Source: Retail Council of Canada

Can employers top up their employees’ EI benefits?

Yes. Information on the federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Program is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-socialdevelopment/programs/ei/eilist/reports/supplemental-unemploymentbenefit/introduction.html.

An employee is caring for a family member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Should the employee apply for EI benefits under compassionate care leave?

To receive the compassionate care benefit, the caregiving recipient must have a serious medical condition and be at significant risk of death within 26 weeks. An employee can apply with Service Canada for Family Caregiver or Compassionate Care EI benefits and may be eligible for those benefits if they meet all entitlement conditions. As a caregiver, you don’t have to be related to or live with the person you care for or support, but they must consider you to be like family. Family caregiver benefits provide:

o Up to 35 weeks for taking care of a critically ill or injured person under 18 o Up to 15 weeks for a critically injured person 18 or over

o Compassionate care benefits provide up to 26 weeks, for a person of any age who requires end-of-life care.

To receive the Family caregiver benefit for adults or children, the caregiving recipient’s life must be at risk as a result of illness or injury and there must have been a significant change in their baseline state of health. An employee can receive benefits during the 52 weeks following the date the person is certified by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner to be critically ill or injured or in need of end-of-life care. You can take the weeks of leave within this time frame either all at once or in separate periods. The weeks of leave can be shared by eligible caregivers, either at the same time or one after another.

Source: Canadian Payroll Association

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• Business Closures & Employees

What about employees that can’t work due to businesses being closed for COVID-19 safety?

If the employer chooses to close the business for COVID-19 safety reasons, this will be treated as a layoff. An ROE must be issued using Code “A” Shortage of Work – Layoff. Source: Canadian Payroll Association

If the business is closing due to COVID-19, do we have to pay employees a notice period and do they have to follow required layoff notice before termination?

There is no requirement to pay notice pay when there is a temporary layoff. Each jurisdiction has legislation that limits the length of time a layoff can be in place before it is considered a permanent ending of employment by the employer. The labour and employment standards of most jurisdictions distinguish between layoff and termination of employment. In Alberta, the temporary layoff period has been temporarily extended to 120 days. If an employee is not recalled with 120 days, the employer then owes the employee termination pay. For more information please see: https://www.alberta.ca/temporary-layoffs.aspx Source: Canadian Payroll Association

• Terminations and layoffs

Can I temporarily lay off staff due to COVID-19?

Yes. A temporary layoff is when an employer temporarily cuts back or ceases an employee’s employment with the understanding that the employee will be recalled. There is a risk that, unless the employment contact provides the employer a right to layoff, an employee could treat the layoff as a constructive (wrongful) dismissal. Changes to the Employment Standard Code also give employees 14 protected leave if they are in self isolation. Should the layoff exceed the maximum length under the applicable employment standards legislation, it will transform into a termination at law. In Alberta, the maximum duration of a temporary layoff has temporarily changed to a total of 120 days. On the 121st day of a temporary layoff, the employee’s employment is considered to be ended, and the employer must pay termination pay.

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The period of temporary layoff can be extended beyond 120 days if the employer makes regular payment to or on behalf of the employee, such as continuing to pay wages, employee pensions or benefits and the employee agrees to these payments in lieu of a firm limit of the length of the layoff. Termination pay is payable when payments in lieu cease. If proper notice of temporary layoff is not given, the employee may have been unjustly or constructively dismissed. Some courts have also held that while the Code permits an employer to temporarily lay off an employee in the absence of a collective agreement or contract allowing layoff, the employee maintains the right to sue for constructive or wrongful dismissal if laid off in those circumstances.

Source: Field Law

How do I temporarily lay off staff? Under Alberta’s Employment Standards Code the employer must give the employee notice of temporary layoff. To be valid, the notice must:

• be in writing • state that it’s a temporary layoff notice and its effective date • include sections 62-64 of the Code (included here for your reference)

The following notice must be provided unless there is a collective agreement that states otherwise, or there are unforeseeable circumstances:

• at least one week prior to the date layoff begins if the employee has been employed by the employer for less than 2 years

• at least 2 weeks prior to the date layoff begins if the employee has been employed by the employer for 2 or more years

• if there are unforeseeable circumstances (such as COVID-19), employers

are required to provide as much notice as possible given the circumstances

Source: Field Law

Do I have to pay out the notice period if I terminate staff due to the COVID19 pandemic?

If the employee is temporarily laid off, no notice period pay is required, however if the employee is not recalled within 120 days, the employer is required to pay out the notice period. If the employee is terminated, notice period pay is mandatory unless the length of employment is less than 90 days.

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Employers can either allow employees to work during their notice period or give the employee pay in lieu in the amount the employee would have earned had the employee worked through the required notice period.

An employer must give written notice to their employee of a minimum, unless otherwise agreed to longer notice period in employment contract:

Notice period Length of employment 1 week More than 90 days but less than 2

years

2 week 2 years but less than 4 years

4 week 4 years but less than 6 years

5 week 6 years but less than 8 years 6 week 8 years but less than 10 years

8 week 10 years or more

Source: Alberta.ca

• Record of Employment (ROE)

How do I file a Record of Employment?

An ROE has to be filed when there is an interruption of earnings of seven days (known as the seven-day rule). The interruption of earnings occurs when there are seven consecutive days with no work and no insurable earnings, or when an employee’s salary falls below 60% of regular weekly earnings due to illness, injury, quarantine, pregnancy, etc.

If you are filing the ROE electronically, it must be issued within 5 calendar days of the end of the pay period in which the employee’s interruption of earnings occurs.

If you are using a paper ROE, it must be issued within 5 calendar days of the employee’s interruption of earnings, or the date you became aware of the interruption of earnings.

How do I complete my employee’s ROE?

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1. Through ROEweb either by using a: Select Sign-In Partner; or GCKey. Note: Service Canada will require a second method of verification which they will send by mail before you gain access to ROEweb.

2. Calling Service Canada 1-800-622-6232 for a Paper ROE (unavailable at the moment)

Source: CFIB & Service Alberta

I can’t file the ROE because it is freezing, what should I do?

We’ve heard the ROEweb is freezing because of increased usage. If this happens you should:

1. Provide a copy of the employee’s paystub or a copy of the “to-be-filed” ROE to the employee.

2. File the ROE when possible on ROEweb

Source: CFIB

How do I code a Record of Employment (ROE)?

As a general rule, an ROE must be issued if there is an interruption of earnings in excess of 7 days.

If an employer is issuing a Record of Employment due to workforce reductions or layoffs, particularly related to COVID-19, it is worth bearing in mind that they must be properly coded with the reason why they are being issued.

To provide employers with some guidance, please use the following codes in Block 16 of the ROE (Reason for issuing this ROE):

ROE BLOCK 16 CODE

USE FOR Employee Impact

A Shortage of work: • Layoffs because

of shortage of work temporary business closures

• Adjusted workforce as a precaution

Employees are eligible for government benefits including CERB and EI.

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D Illness or injury: • required to self

isolate or quarantine in accordance with the direction of medical officials; or

• have tested positive for COVID- 19

• Valid for all other illnesses and injuries that may prevent the employee from working.

Employees are eligible for government benefits including CERB and EI.

Q Employee quits or refuses to come to work.

Employees are ineligible for government benefits if they voluntarily leave their job.

H Work-Sharing When you have received approval to participate in

Employees will receive EI benefits for the hours they are not working as per the work-sharing agreement.

the work-sharing program and the employee needs to apply for benefits

N Leave of absence: Can be used if an employee needs to stay at home with a child or if employee voluntary asks for unpaid leave.

It depends. The employee would be eligible for CERB if they left their job to take care of a child or sick family member. EI eligibility will depend on the reason the employee took a leave of absence. Using this code may result in a processing delay for EI payments, if eligible.

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It is not recommended that employers use Codes K (Other) or N (Leave of Absence) as that may lead to delays in processing.

In Block 18, enter any specific details about exceptional circumstances you would like to communicate to Service Canada to help clarify the information on the ROE. This may prevent subsequent phone calls from Service Canada agents.

It is not necessary to reiterate information you have already provided on the form in Block 18. Over the last few years, Service Canada has automated the way ROEs are processed. In this technological environment, when you include a comment in Block 18, the ROE is removed from the automated processing system and a Service Canada agent has to review it manually. This review can also slow the process down, and sometimes requires the agent to call you for clarification. For this reason, you should only enter comments in Block 18 in exceptional circumstances.

COVID-19 is an exceptional circumstance, but it does not require comments in Block 18. Applicants seeking EI Sickness Benefits as a result of COVID-19 quarantine or self-isolation can get their one-week waiting period waived. Service Canada has set up a toll-free line (1-833-381-2725 or teletypewriter 1-800-5293742) for applicants to call and request the waiver of the one-week waiting period. Employees must apply first and call once they have submitted their application.

The one-week waiting period still applies for other Employment Insurance entitlements (including layoffs for shortage of work, even if the shortage of work is related to COVID-19). Service Canada has committed to priority processing of Employment Insurance applications relating to COVID-19.

• Other questions on employee compensation

If an employee is unable to work due to COVID-19 (illness, self-isolation, etc.), does the employer have to compensate the employee?

Compensation of employees depends on the particular circumstances. Employment agreements, collective agreements, or policies may provide an employee with a contractual entitlement to sick days, which they can exercise if they develop symptoms associated with COVID-19 and are unable to attend the workplace and provide services.

If there is no contractual obligation for the employer to pay the employee sick leave, then then the employer is not responsible for covering any sick leave. They are however obligated to give 14-days of job-protected leave.

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The employee could be entitled to EI sickness benefit, Canada Emergency Response Benefit or short term disability leave through a benefit plan.

Additionally, the Employment Standard Code (ESC) also provides employees with up to 5 days of unpaid personal and family responsibility leave in each calendar year for the health benefit of themselves or a family member. As a result, employees experiencing flu-like symptoms may use these sick days to seek medical attention, convalesce, or provide care for an affected family member.

If an employee is actually ill or quarantined, the ESC also provides 16 weeks of unpaid, job protected long term illness leave. Under the recent announcement from the Alberta Government, a medical note will not be required for this or any other ESC leave.

Source: Field Law

Is my employee eligible for any government benefits if they are working reduced hours?

There are a couple of different programs that employees can take part in to receive government benefits while working reduced hours. These programs include the Work-Sharing Program and Working While on Claim.

The CERB has been expanded to include workers who earn less than $1000 a month. The government is also working on a program to boost the wages of essential workers who earn less than $2500 a month – we will add details as soon as this information becomes available.

To work while on claim, employees must be eligible for regular EI and employees must not work for seven consecutive days. If an employee earns money while receiving EI benefits, their EI payments will be clawed back. They can keep 50 cents of EI benefits for every dollar you earn, up to 90 percent of your previous weekly earnings (roughly four and a half days of work). Above this cap, your EI benefits are deducted dollar-for-dollar. It is also important to note that because so many people are applying for EI that it will take a while to process the application.

It is anticipated that the federal government may announce further benefits for employees who are working reduced hours.

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Dealing with Customers

Can I legally require customers to wear masks?

While there are no public health orders mandating the use of masks, businesses are responsible for determining appropriate measures to protect the health of staff and patrons.

This may include requirements for staff and patrons to wear masks if a business owner determines this step is necessary to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Learn how to wear masks properly

Source: www.alberta.ca/bizconnect

Is there a health and safety risk around the handing of cash money or credit cards?

The best advice is to ensure that employees have access to single use gloves, hand sanitizer and that they avoid touching their face. Proceed with caution as it is often the case that cash is handled many times, and in fact can be passed back to customers.

Source: Retail Council of Canada

Can I refuse cash?

Service Alberta has directed that registries continue to accept cash, however Registry Agents can tell customers that they prefer credit/debit payments.

The Bank of Canada notes that “it’s important to keep in mind that the risks posed from handling cash are no greater than those posed by touching other common surfaces like doorknobs, kitchen counters and handrails. Canadians handling cash should follow the public health guidelines on COVID-19 and wash their hands often, as they would do for other activities.

If individuals want to take additional safety precautions, it is also possible to clean polymer bank notes with a bit of soap and water since they are resistant to moisture. Note that this is not the case for older paper notes.”

Source: Bank of Canada

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Can I screen customers at the door for entry?

Yes, it is your property and you have the right to screen customers and refuse entry. This must be approached with great caution, however, to avoid any impression of excluding customers for any reason beyond a belief that the customer may be symptomatic.

Source: Retail Council of Canada

Who can enforce physical distancing rules within a retail setting?

While the 50-person limit does not apply to the retail environment behind careful to always maintain the 2 meter physical distancing requirement, this can be aided by placing visual distancing devices such as tape or cones.

The Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services are working with local enforcement agencies to manage complaints, which can be submitted online here or if you cannot submit online, you can also call 1-833-415-9179 to submit a complaint by leaving a message when prompted. Please only submit a complaint once. Do not submit online and by phone.

Source: Retail Council of Canada

Health and Safety

Do I need to provide personal protective equipment to staff?

If employees have additional risk of infection at work because of the type of services they provide, employers should provide necessary personal protective equipment to provide a safe working environment.

Medical masks include N95 masks and surgical or procedure masks should be kept for health care workers and other providing direct care to COVID-19 patients.

Those who choose to wear a non-medical face mask should:

• continue to follow all other public health guidance (staying two metres away from others, wash hands regularly, stay home when sick)

• wash their hands immediately before putting it on and immediately after taking it off (in addition to practising good hand hygiene while wearing it)

• ensure it fits well (non-gaping) • not share it with others • avoid touching the mask while wearing it • change masks as soon they get damp or soiled

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Employers can continue to promote preventative practices like the following:

• Use good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing (and the placing of posters reminding people of doing so around the workplace)

• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available • Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill • Practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette and then wash your hands • Practice social distancing • Monitor your health, and • Take the Alberta Health Services’ COVID-19 Self-Assessment or contact

Health Link 811 if you have questions or concerns about your health.

Source: Field Law

My employee is refusing to come to work over COVID-19 concerns, can I terminate them?

Under Occupational Health and Safety legislation, employees have a right to refuse work if they have reasonable grounds to believe it is dangerous to their health or safety. Remind your employees of the preventive measures that have been put in place, and the safety products available to them. This may mitigate instances of employees refusing to work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In order to determine if the refusal is reasonable, employers can rely on the scientific information available on COVID-19 from health authorities and should work with their health and safety representative or committee. Each employee has a duty to report any dangerous situation to their supervisor. The employer then has a duty to take remedial action by having the workplace health and safety committee and/or representative investigate. In some cases, a government health and safety officer may need to investigate as well.

It is recommended that if an employee refuses to work because of COVID-19 and you terminate their employment, use Code N – leave of absence on their Record of Employment.

Source: Field Law & CFIB

Can I ask employees to disclose COVID-19 symptoms?

An employer can require employees to report any flu-like symptoms, including a fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath, or other symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19.

Be mindful that, to comply with privacy laws, an employer should only collect/request personal information from employees that is reasonable given the circumstances. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ensure

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workplace safety, a requirement for employees to disclose symptoms that are indicative of COVID-19 would be “reasonable”, however a requirement or request to disclose further personal information unrelated to the employer’s legitimate interest in maintaining workplace safety would likely be unreasonable.

What are the obligations of my employees?

Employees must take the necessary steps to protect their own health and wellbeing and that of their co-workers. Employees must comply with any preventive measures put in place by the employer (use of personal protective equipment, hygiene requirements, etc.), and they must report hazards to their employers. The possibility they may have been infected with COVID-19 is a hazard that must be reported to the employer.

Source: Retail Council of Canada

Should I have a COVID-19 sick policy?

Yes. Letting employees know exactly what they are entitled to, based on Employment Standards requirements and your own internal policies, will set expectations and reduce confusion and frustration. AARA has a template for a pandemic plan that you can modify for your own use here.

If I have an employee who is diagnosed with COVID-19, what do I do? What are the guidelines, protocols, for retailers if an associate is confirmed positive for COVID-19 and had worked in the retail store before exhibiting symptoms?

According to best practices from the provincial health care authorities, you should send employees home to self-isolate for 14 days. But you are not required to close the store itself.

• The health care provider who makes the diagnosis has the obligation to call and inform Public Health right away.

• The Public Health official will conduct the investigation and contact the employer, notifying them about the investigation.

• The employer must inform employees about the situation and ask the staff to self-monitor their symptoms, keeping a record of all the details, and contacting public health as needed.

• With respect to the remainder of the workplace, health authorities recommend that all employees who may have had “close contact” with the infected employee should be removed from the workplace and encouraged to self isolate and limit contact with others for at least a 14-day period to ensure the infection does not spread.

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• Practice physical distancing, and if an employee(s) does not feel well, they should stay at home.

• The employer is not obligated to inform customers. Public Health officials will be conducting the investigation and providing the required follow-up to the retailer.

Best practice is evolving so that you should restrict access to areas where employees worked and performed a comprehensive cleaning. The good news is that using household cleaning solutions works if you follow the label/instructions. Work continues to determine how long the virus remains on surfaces, but indications is that it could be several days.

Source: Field Law & Retail Council of Canada

What does an employer do if an employee suspects they have been in contact with COVID-19 but has not been tested yet?

Much like the above, any employees who suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19 should be removed from the workplace and encouraged to self-isolate and limit contact with others for at least a 14-day period or until COVID-19 can be ruled out by health officials. Out of an abundance of caution, employers should also remove other employees from the workplace who may have had close contact with the employee suspected of COVID-19 exposure. Health authorities recommend that anyone experiencing mild symptoms (such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing) should self-isolate and call local health authorities for advice.

Source: Field Law

Do employers have an obligation to advise their employees if someone in the workplace tests positive for COVID-19?

Privacy legislation prohibits employers in both the private and public sectors from disclosing the personal information of employees without their consent, except in limited circumstances. As a general rule, employers may not announce that a specific employee has contracted the virus, nor is it recommended that employers announce that an anonymous employee has been infected (since the announcement, coupled with the employee’s absence from the workplace, can have the same practical effect as a specific announcement).

Importantly, however, employers do have an obligation – as noted above – to remove from the workplace other employees who may have had “close contact” with the infected employee and encourage them to self-isolate for a period of 14 days. They should attempt to do so in a manner that respects the privacy of every employee involved to the extent possible in the circumstances.

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Source: Field Law

Can I terminate an employee who has COVID-19?

Employer absenteeism policies must not negatively affect employees who cannot work in connection with COVID-19. An employer may not discipline or terminate an employee who is unable to come to work because medical or health officials have quarantined them or have advised them to self-isolate and stay home in connection with COVID-19.

Negative treatment of employees who have, or are perceived to have, COVID19, which is unrelated to legitimate reasons of public health and safety, is likely to be found to be discriminatory and prohibited under the Alberta Human Rights Act. Employers have a duty to accommodate employees in relation to COVID-19, unless it would amount to undue hardship.

Source: Field Law & Alberta Human Rights Commission

Business Operations:

• 10% Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers

How do I receive the 10% wage subsidy?

You can reduce your current remittance of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax that you send to the CRA by the amount of the subsidy.

For example, if you calculated a subsidy of $2,050, you would reduce your current remittance of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax by $2,050. You could continue reducing future income tax remittances, up to the maximum of $25,000, for all remuneration paid before June 20, 2020.

Important: You cannot reduce your remittance of Canada Pension Plan contributions or Employment Insurance premiums.

You can start reducing remittances of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax in the first remittance period that includes remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020.

For example, if you are a regular remitter, you can reduce your remittance that is due to the CRA on April 15, 2020.

For more information please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenueagency/campaigns/covid-19-update/frequently-asked-questions-wage-subsidysmall-businesses.html#h4

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How do I calculate the 10% wage subsidy?

The subsidy must be calculated manually.

For example, if you have 5 employees earning monthly salaries of $4,100 for a total monthly payroll of $20,500, the subsidy would be 10% of $20,500, or $2,050.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

What if the 10% wage subsidies exceed the remittances?

If the income taxes you deduct are not sufficient to offset the value of the subsidy in a specific period, you can reduce future remittances to benefit from the subsidy. This includes reducing remittances that may fall outside of the application period for the wage subsidy (after June 20, 2020).

For example: If you calculated a subsidy of $2,050 on remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020, but only deducted $1,050 of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax from your employees, you can reduce a future income tax remittance by $1,000, even if that remittance is in respect to remuneration paid after June 20, 2020.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

Will the 10% wage subsidy affect deductions from my employees?

No. You will continue deducting income tax, Canada Pension Plan contributions, and Employment Insurance premiums from salary, wages, bonuses, or other remuneration paid to your employees, as you currently do. The subsidy is only calculated when you remit these amounts to the CRA.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

What if I don’t reduce remittances during the year, can I still get the 10% wage subsidy?

If you are an eligible employer but choose not to reduce your payroll remittances during the year, calculate the temporary wage subsidy on remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020. You can then ask for the subsidy to be paid to you at the end of the year or transferred to the next year’s remittance.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

What books and records do I need to support the 10% wage subsidy?

You will need to keep information to support your subsidy calculation. This includes:

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• the total remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020; • the federal, provincial, or territorial income tax that was deducted from that

remuneration; and • the number of employees paid in that period.

The CRA is currently updating reporting requirements. More information on how to report this subsidy will be released in the near future.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

Is the 10% wage subsidy considered taxable income?

Yes. If you receive the subsidy, you have to report the total amount as income in the year in which the subsidy is received.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency

• Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy 75%

How do I apply for CEWS?

A new calculator is available on the CRA website for businesses to calculate the exact amount they are eligible for. Applications for the wage subsidy are now open as of April 27th. To apply for the CEWS, sign into your CRA My Business Account. If you do not have an account you can up for one here.

Who is eligible for the 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)?

Eligible employers would include individuals, taxable corporations, and partnerships consisting of eligible employers as well as non‑profit organizations and registered charities. This subsidy would be available to eligible employers that see a drop of at least 15% (March) and 30% (April/May) of their revenue compared to the same months last year (see Eligible Periods). Businesses can also choose to use an average in revenues from Jan/Feb 2020 to show a drop in revenue. In applying for the subsidy, employers would be required to attest to the decline in revenue.

Source: Finance Canada

How do I calculate revenues for CEWS?

An employer’s revenue for this purpose would be its revenue from its business carried on in Canada earned from arm’s-length sources. Revenue would be calculated using either accrual or cash accounting methods, and would exclude revenues from extraordinary items and amounts on account of capital.

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Employers would select an accounting method when first applying for the CEWS and would be required to use that method for the entire duration of the program.

Source: Finance Canada

How is compliance being ensured for CEWS?

In order to maintain the integrity of the program and to ensure that it helps Canadians keep their jobs, the employer would be required to repay amounts paid under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy if they do not meet the eligibility requirements and pay their employees accordingly. Penalties may apply in cases of fraudulent claims. In addition, anti‑abuse rules will be proposed to ensure that the subsidy is not inappropriately obtained and to ensure that employees are paid the amounts they are owed.

Employers that engage in artificial transactions to reduce revenue for the purpose of claiming the CEWS would be subject to a penalty equal to 25 per cent of the value of the subsidy claimed, in addition to the requirement to repay in full the subsidy that was improperly claimed.

Source: Finance Canada

How does this interact with the 10% wage subsidy?

For employers that are eligible for both the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the 10 per cent wage subsidy for a period, any benefit from the 10 per cent wage subsidy for remuneration paid in a specific period would generally reduce the amount available to be claimed under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy in that same period.

How does this interact with the Work-Sharing Program?

For employers and employees that are participating in a Work-Sharing program, EI benefits received by employees through the Work-Sharing program will reduce the benefit that their employer is entitled to receive under the CEWS.

How does this interact with the with the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit?

An employer would not be eligible to claim the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy for remuneration paid to an employee in a week that falls within a 4week period for which the employee is eligible for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit.

Employers who are not eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy would still be able to furlough employees who will receive up to $2,000 a month.

Source: Finance Canada

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How does this CEWS subsidy impact other government benefits and income tax?

The usual treatment of tax credits and other benefits provided by the government would apply. As a consequence, the wage subsidy received by an employer would be considered government assistance and be included in the employer’s taxable income.

Assistance received under either wage subsidy would reduce the amount of remuneration expenses eligible for other federal tax credits calculated on the same remuneration.

Source: Finance Canada

• Work-Sharing Program

What is the work-sharing program?

Work-Sharing is an Employment Insurance program that helps employers and employees avoid layoffs when there is a temporary decrease in business activity beyond the control of the employer. The program provides EI benefits to eligible employees who agree to reduce their normal working hours and share the available work while their employer recovers. Employees will receive EI for the days that they aren’t working.

Does my employee need to agree to participate in work-sharing?

Yes. The work-sharing agreement is a three way agreement involving employers employees and Service Canada. Employees on a Work-Sharing must agree to a reduce schedule of work and to share the available work over a specified period of time.

What is the maximum length of time of the program?

It is 76 weeks, extended from 36 weeks for the COVID-19 economic response plan. The minimum period has to be at least 6 consecutive weeks.

What are the eligibility requirements for employers?

To be eligible for the Work-Sharing programs employers must:

• be a year-round business in Canada for at least 1 year • be a private business, a publicly held company or a not-for-profit

organization, and • have at least 2 employees in a group of employees with similar job duties

who agree to reduce their hours.

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Employers whose business activity has decreased due to: labour dispute, seasonal shortage of work, decrease of business activity is due to a recent increase in the size of the workforce are ineligible for the Work-Sharing program.

Are there eligibility requirements for employees?

Yes. To be eligible for the Work-Sharing program employees must:

• be year-round, permanent, full-time or part-time employees needed to carry out the day-to-day functions of the business (your "core staff")

• be eligible to receive EI benefits, and • agree to reduce their normal working hours by the same percentage and

to share the available work

Employees who are seasonal (including students), temporary/casual employees, essential to the recovery of the business (senior management, technical, sales etc) or hold more than 40% of voting shares in the business are ineligible.

How many employee hours do I need to reduce to be eligible for the program?

The group of employees who have agreed to the Work-Sharing agreement must reduce its hours of work by at least 10% to 60%. The reduction of hours can vary from week to week, as long as the average reduction over the course of the agreement is from 10% to 60%.

How do I apply for the Work-Share program?

Employers must apply 10 calendar days before the requested start date through forms available at Service Canada here. It should be emailed to EDSC.WT.WSTP.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca.

How are the benefits calculated?

The benefits payable are based on the employees normal average weekly earnings, as calculated at the start of the agreement. If the employees work irregular hours, the average weekly wage is calculated by averaging the hours worked per week over the 2 years preceding the application. How does this interact with the Wage Subsidy (CEWS)?

For employers and employees that are participating in a Work-Sharing program, EI benefits received by employees through the Work-Sharing program will reduce the benefit that their employer is entitled to receive under the CEWS.

Can an employee earn income from other sources while on a Work-Sharing program?

Yes, but the EI benefit will be reduced. Claimants can keep 50 cents of EI benefits for every dollar earned while on claim, until their earnings reach 90% of

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the weekly earnings used to establish their claim. This does not apply earnings earned from employer as part of the work share program.

Is there a waiting period for the Work-Share program?

There is no waiting period for Work-Share benefits. However, it may take time for the employees benefits to be processed, especially during this high demand time. Every 2 weeks an employer must verify the claimants EI report care after it has been filled out. The EI report card is used to determine the claimants biweekly entitlements.

Are the Work-Sharing benefits taxable?

EI Benefits are taxable and are subject to the rules and regulations of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Act. Please note that taxes are not always withheld at source and participants may want to have their income tax deductions increased in order to avoid paying a large amount of income tax at the end of year. In certain cases for high-income workers, a portion of the EI benefits under Work-Sharing may have to be repaid when the annual income tax return is filed. For more information on repayment visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/eilist/reports/repayment.html

Can I increase my workforce while participating in a Work-Sharing?

You must not increase your workforce during the Work-Share agreement.

What other employer responsibilities are there?

You must maintain all existing employee benefits and provide payment of any statutory holiday occurring with in the Work-Sharing time period.

Is this a good program for registries?

Each registry will have to evaluate this program against the other programs such as the 10% Wage Subsidy and 75% Wage Subsidy and the eligibility requirements to see if it is a good fit for their business. Some of the draw backs of the Work-Share program are a lack of flexibility, potential delay in processing time and administrational requirements are more onerous than what we know right now about the Wage-Subsidy programs. The advantages of this program is that is allows employers to reduce employees hours to address shortage of work avoiding layoffs and retaining employees for when the pandemic ends. For a comparison chart of the three programs see Appendix 4.

Additional details can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/employmentsocial-development/corporate/notices/coronavirus.html#h4.02

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• WCB Relief for Employers

Which companies are eligible for a deferral of 2020 premiums?

All private sector employers are eligible. This includes businesses with coverage only in place for business owners and directors (personal coverage), as well as those in voluntary industries with coverage in place on or before March 23, 2020.

Source: WCB

What happens if I’ve already made payments towards my 2020 coverage?

Payments already made towards 2020 premiums will be refunded to employers— you will only be reimbursed for what you have paid towards your 2020 premiums. Your 2020 premium balance will then be deferred to next year. We will process refunds automatically or we may contact you to confirm. You do not need to call in to request reimbursement.

Source: WCB

What should I do if I’ve received a premium invoice that I have not yet paid?

You do not need to pay any outstanding premium invoices. All 2020 premiums for private sector employers will be deferred until 2021. No interest charges will apply on unpaid balances for 2020.

Source: WCB

When will my company be invoiced for 2020 premiums?

Invoices will be sent out in or after February 2021 and will include your premium balance for 2020 in addition to any new balance owing for 2021.

Source: WCB

Which companies are eligible to have 50 per cent of their 2020 premiums waived?

Any small- and medium-sized private sector employers with $10 million or less in insurable earnings for 2020 will be eligible.

Source: WCB

When will these 2020 premiums be waived?

These premiums will be waived when invoicing resumes in or after February 2021.

Source: WCB

How will my 2020 premium waiver be calculated?

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Waived premiums for small- and medium-sized private sector employers will be calculated based on 50 per cent of their assessed premiums for 2020. These waivers will be applied when premium invoicing resumes in 2021. It will be based on the actual insurable earnings figure you report on your 2020 annual return.

Source: WCB

Do I need to apply to have my 2020 premiums waived?

No. Eligible employers will have these amounts automatically waived when invoicing resumes in 2021.

Source: WCB

Can I request to have the 2020 premium waiver sent to me by cheque?

No. These waived premiums will not be calculated until 2021 when you file your annual return. They will then be applied directly towards your 2020 premium balance. We will refund any payments you’ve already made towards your 2020 premiums as part of the premium deferral process.

Source: WCB

Will benefits to injured workers be impacted by these changes?

No. Benefit entitlements for injured workers remain unchanged.

Source: WCB

Will this program impact my premium rate in 2021?

No. Premium rates for 2021 will be set based on the expected costs of 2021 claims. Premium relief in 2020 will have no impact on future rates.

Source: WCB

Will there be any impact on clearance certificates?

Letters of clearance (good standing) will remain available for any employers, contractors or subcontractors who have an open account with WCB.

Source: WCB

• Other business operations topics

What do I do with the GST/HST when the business temporarily stops operation?

As of now, it is business as usual. Businesses must continue to file the GST/HST returns and remit any payment by the due date. If you temporarily stop your business, you must continue to file GST/HST returns even if your income is zero for the period.

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More information can be found on CRA’s Changes to your Business page here: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenueagency/services/tax/businesses/topics/changes-your-business.html

Can I rescind an offer of employment because of COVID-19?

Employers can rescind offers of future employment which were made prior to the COVID-19 crisis, but you must be mindful of the possible legal consequences. As with most employment relationships, the terms of any written employment agreement are key, which often is comprised of little more than the offer letter:

• If your offer letter or executed employment agreement reserves the right to terminate within the first three months of employment with the payment of any notice, we expect you can rely upon that clause to terminate prior to the commencement of the relationship without employee recourse.

• If, however, your employment documents describe the first three months as a “probationary period”, there is a 2017 decision which found that using such a term required the employer to actually evaluate the employee’s performance and did not permit termination prior to commencement of employment.

• If your employment documents are silent regarding termination, you may owe the employee pay in lieu of notice despite the employee having never actually worked for you. In the same British Columbia decision referenced above, for example, that employee was awarded pay in lieu of 6 weeks’ notice.

Will my standard business insurance policy or business interruption policy cover me for interruptions due to COVID-19?

Generally, commercial insurance policies and traditional business interruption policies do not offer coverage for business interruption or supply chain disruption due to a pandemic such as COVID-19. Some organizations may have purchased specialized contingent business interruption coverage, stand-alone business interruption coverage and supply chain disruption coverage which may be triggered as a result of the World Health Organization's declaration of a pandemic. Commercial insurance is complex and specialized and specific to your business which makes it important that you speak to your insurance representative if you have any questions or need clarification about your coverage.

Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada

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Appendix 2: Pandemic Planning and Management Checklist – For Registry Owners

Under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are responsible for ensuring a safe workplace for its employees. To assist in meeting this obligation, we have prepared a checklist to assist Registry Owners in their pandemic planning. At the end we also have included a sample one-page pandemic plan which should be modified for the particular registry it applies to.

1. Workplace Prevention

For each registry:

• Select a Pandemic Coordinator and back-ups for if the Coordinator becomes incapacitated by COVID-19.

• Review the physical workspace to determine how best to allow for social distancing between employees, whereby individuals keep a distance of at least 2 metres.

• Review workplace cleaning and additional measures that can be taken as to cleaning hard surfaces and frequency of cleaning for surfaces that come.

• Wherever possible, endeavor to create barriers between clients/public and employees. This may include the installation of Plexiglas or other physical distancing measures.

• Ensure that staff understand the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and their individual obligations on handwashing and not coming to work when employees are sick.

• Provide hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and tissues. • Communicate to staff: o measures that are being taken to keep employees safe;

o measures that are being taken to keep clients/public safe; and o how the employer is going to support employees through access to mental health resources.

2. Hazard Assessment and Management

• Assess the vulnerability to each business unit within the registry, the registration

operation generally, and the registry facility. Specifically, determine o which parts are essential (registry services versus driving lessons) o key roles in the business (e.g. payroll and janitorial)

• Identify the resources required to keep crucial business functions running. • Develop a plan to modify, replace, reduce, or halt specific functions in case of a

pandemic-related disruption.

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• List all outside suppliers critical to your registry, confirm their pandemic plans/protocols, and identify alternative resources.

• Determine the minimum staff you require to maintain critical business functions.

3. Preparedness

• Appoint one person within the Registry to monitor employees who appear to be demonstrating signs of illness and require employees who believe they may have been infected with COVID-19 or are displaying flu-like symptoms to stay home from work.

• Appoint one person to manage any workplace refusals made in accordance with Occupational Health and Safety Legislation.

• Take steps to enable individuals to work from home, wherever possible. • Anticipate absenteeism due to illness or family status accommodations. • Provide cross-training to employees in critical functions. • Anticipate employee fear, anxiety, rumours, and misinformation, and develop

regular internal communication, through a website or email with links to reliable and up-to-date information (Alberta Health Services and Alberta Government).

• Draft a pandemic plan and provide copies for internal review. • Communicate any pandemic plan to employees, to the extent needed.

Provide a copy of your plan to key suppliers and partners for external review.

4. Implementation

• Maintain contact with employees who fall ill. • Be consistent in the application of your pandemic policy to avoid liability for

disability discrimination. • Ensure that medical information collected from employees is collected, used, and

stored in compliance with privacy laws. • Ensure policies for disciplining workers who refuse to work for fear of exposure to

COVID-19 are in compliance with workers’ refusal rights under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act.

• Assist employees in obtaining benefits, to the extent applicable and needed. • Be prepared for the possibility of policy abuse but err on the side of caution. • Be careful about the termination of any employees for reasons related to COVID-

19.

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Appendix 3: Registry Pandemic Plan Template

Registry Pandemic Plan

1. Physical Space a) Workplace hazard assessment will be conducted by [XXXX] daily. That person

will review current measures and compare with obligations and requirements on social distancing in place by provincial and municipal governments;

b) High traffic areas will be cleaned at regular intervals [hourly/every 30 min/after each customer];

c) Barriers will be placed [XXXX]to protect registry workers and the public (consider Plexiglas, limiting open space, ensuring any barriers can be cleaned);

d) Only every [second] terminal/till/wicket will be open to maintain social distancing; e) Customer maximum of [XXXX] within the registry; and f) Transactions will be made through “tap” versus cash whenever possible. If PIN

must be entered, cleaning of pin pad will occur between customers.

2. Workforce Management a) Workforce Management will be led by [XXXX], who will manage all family status

and illness accommodation requests and maintaining privacy of medical information;

b) [XXXX] will monitor all individuals for signs and symptoms of illness within the registry;

c) Any reports of customer or employee illness are to be reported to [XXXX]; d) Cross-training of essential positions is [complete/underway]; e) Mental health resources will be made available to all employees through

[email/pamphlet]; and f) [XXXX] will review any workplace refusals with employees making such

allegations.

3. Communications a) Workplace measures reflecting any workplace changes (operating hours, new

distancing obligations, etc.), will be communicated by internal [staff meeting/email/website];

b) Public notices regarding changes to operations due to COVID-19 will be placed internally and externally on the door of the registry; and

c) Implement changes to registry voicemail and website as needed.

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Supply and Contractors

a) [XXXX] will ensure cleaning services and supplies are available to the fullest extent possible;

b) [XXXX] will review the delivery of all services provided by third party contractors and determine how to ensure the delivery while maintaining no-contact or low contact through appropriate social distancing

c) [XXXX] will ensure contractors and suppliers are aware of measures taken in relation to COVID-19 by the registry.

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Appendix 4 Comparison of wage subsidies and work-sharing programs 10%

Wage Subsidy

$77/week $995/13-week

total

75% Wage Subsidy

(CEWS)

$577/week $6,921/12-week total

WS* Work-Sharing

Program

$307.60/week $23,378/76wee

k total

WS/75%

Work- Sharing/Wage

Subsidy

$653.65/week ($346 from CEWS &

$307.60 WS) $27,530.60/tota

l ($4152.60 from CEWS 12 weeks/$23,378

WS 76 weeks)

Employer payroll savings per staff @$40,000/year (Work-Sharing program is calculated with reduction from 5 to 3-day work week)

Employee weekly pay

$769/week $769/week $630.58/week

($461.40 from employer &

$169.18 from EI)

$630.58/week ($461.40 from

employer & $169.18 from EI)

Eligibility Requirements:

• individual (excluding trusts), partnerships

• Canadian- controlled private corporation eligible for the small business deduction;

• have an existing business number and payroll program account with the CRA on March 18, 2020; and

• pay salary, wages, bonuses, or other remuneration to an eligible employee.

• individuals, taxable corporations, and partnerships

• 15% revenue drop compared to March of previous year and 30% of their revenue compared to April/May of previous year.

• Businesses can also choose to use an average of revenues for Jan/Feb 2020 to show revenue drop

• be a yearround business in Canada for at least 1 year

• be a private business or a publicly held company, or

• have at least 2 employees who do similar work and agree to reduction in hours

• employees must be eligible for EI

• Must meet both the criteria for CEWS & Work-Sharing program

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Maximum benefit

$1375/ employee $25,000/employer

$875/week per employee Or 75% of the

employee’s pre-crisis weekly renumeration,

which ever is less

Employee hours can be reduced up to 60% or 3 days

a week.

Same as CEWS & Work-

Sharing

10% Wage Subsidy

13 weeks (March 18, 2020 to

June 19, 2020)

75% Wage Subsidy

(CEWS)

12 Weeks (March 15, 2020 to

June 6, 2020)

WS* Work-Sharing

Program

76 Weeks (Any weeks

between March 15, 2020 to March 14,

2021)

WS/75%

Work- Sharing/Wage

Subsidy 12 weeks of CEWS & 76 Weeks of

Worksharing

Duration

Application process

You do not need to apply for the subsidy

– you can reduce your

current payroll remittance of

federal/provincial income tax.

Applications open through

CRA MyAccount

Application process through

forms available online. At least 2 employees

must agree to reduction in hours.

Separate process for each program.

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Appendix 5: Sections 62-64 of Employment Standards Codes which must be included in temporary layoff notices

[Please note Ministerial Order 18.2020 temporarily extends the layoff period from 60 days to 120 days and is included at the bottom ]

Province of Alberta

Employment Standards Code Current as of January 21, 2020

Sections 62-64

Layoff and Recall

Temporary layoff

62 (1) An employer who wishes to maintain an employment relationship without terminating the employment of an employee may temporarily lay off the employee only by giving the employee a written layoff notice.

(2) Unless a collective agreement provides otherwise, a layoff notice must be given to the employee

(a) at least one week prior to the date that the layoff is to commence, if the employee has been employed by the employer for less than 2 years,

(b) at least 2 weeks prior to the date that the layoff is to commence, if the employee has been employed by the employer for 2 years or more, or

(c) if unforeseeable circumstances prevent an employer from providing the notice in accordance with clause (a) or (b), as soon as is practicable in the circumstances.

(3) The layoff notice must

(a) state that it is a temporary layoff notice,

(b) state the date that the layoff is to commence,

(c) include a copy of this section and sections 63 and 64, and

(d) include any other information provided for in the regulations.

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Termination pay after temporary layoff

63 (1) The employment of an employee who is laid off for one or more periods exceeding, in total, 60 days within a 120-day period is deemed to have been terminated unless

(a) during the layoff the employer, by agreement with the employee,

(i) pays the employee wages or an amount instead of wages, or

(ii) makes payments for the benefit of the laid-off employee in accordance with a pension or employee insurance plan or similar plan, or

(b) there is a collective agreement binding the employer and employee containing recall rights for employees following layoff.

(3) When payments under subsection (1)(a) cease or recall rights under subsection (1)(b) expire, the employment of the employee terminates and termination pay is payable. Recall

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(1) An employer may request an employee to return to work by providing the employee with a recall notice.

(2) A recall notice must

(a) be in writing,

(b) be served on the employee, and

(c) state that the employee must return to work within 7 days of the date the recall notice is served on the employee.

(4) If an employee fails to return to work within 7 days of being served with the recall notice, the employee is not entitled to termination notice or termination pay if the employer decides to terminate the employee’s employment as a result of the employee’s failure to return to work in accordance with the notice.

(5) Subsection (3) does not apply to an employee bound by a collective agreement containing recall rights for employees following a layoff.

Ministerial Order 18.2020 April 6, 2020 Section 63(1) of the Act is amended by striking out “one or more periods exceeding, in total 60 days within a 120 day period” and substituting “more than 120 consecutive days.”

Clause 9 of this order applies to a layoff where the layoff notice is given to the employee on or after March 17, 2020.

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If you would like to see any other information posted in this document, please

send an email to covid19@aara.ca.