GJFA’s EI Working Group
Good Jobs For All’s EI Working Group has worked hard to shape Canada’s approach to supporting workers affected by the pandemic. The EI Working Group, along with partners such as West Scarborough Community Legal Services, was responsible for many recent victories regarding income support by the federal government including the following:
- Waiving the one week waiting period for people collecting EI Sick Benefits
- Removing the requirement for a medical note
- Creating a new benefit for those who are ineligible for EI, including workers without enough hours (called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or CERB)
- Setting a higher rate for the CERB
- Reducing complexity
- Speeding up the application and payment processes
For information about applying for the CERB visit canada.ca
To help people navigate through the system as well as deal with other COVID-19 issues, take a look at the following documents and YouTube videos from West Scarborough Community Legal Services (and subscribe to the channel so you get information about new videos):
- Who is eligible for the expanded CERB?: PDF | video
- Understanding which benefit you should apply for?: PDF
- COVID-19: New Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- COVID-19: EI Sick Benefits and changes
- COVID-19: Housing Protection for Tenants
Labour Council also has related information on its website:
- Visit labourcouncil.ca to participate in the Canadian Labour Congress campaign to get real credit card relief now!
- Help for individuals during COVID-19
- Priorities for action during COVID-19