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To respond to the economic impact of COVID-19, different levels of government have developed various income support and assistance programs for Canadians.
The City of Toronto website provides an overview of the types of income support available in multiple languages:
The Province of Ontario’s economic action plan can be found at:
Ontario’s Action Plan – Responding to COVID-19
The Government of Canada introduced the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB):
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
The Ontario government has made changes to the Employment Standards Act to provide job protected leave to employees in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19, or those who need to be away from work due to other care responsibilities:
Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020
The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s statement on COVID-19 provide specific legal directives to employers on prohibition of discrimination in relation to COVID-19 and the need for workplace accommodation to protect the basic rights of employees:
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc-policy-statement-covid-19-pandemic
The Toronto and York Region Chinese Labour Council has developed detailed coverage of COVID-19 related workplace health and safety information in Chinese on their website.
To access income support for individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic follow these links:
City of Toronto Income Support Information
English Resources
Simplified Chinese Resources
Traditional Chines Resources
Ontario
For people who are Ontario resident and in financial need, you may be eligible to apply for Ontario Works or other Emergency Assistance. For details, see fact sheets developed by the Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic:
In English
In Simplified Chinese
Canada
If you have lost your job or suffered loss of income due to COVID-19, you may be eligible to apply for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Employment Insurance (EI). For details, see fact sheets developed by the Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic:
In English
In Simplified Chinese
For details on who can apply for CERB and how to do it, see the video from the Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic:
Video in Mandarin
Video in Cantonese
