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I have to admit to thinking that a columnist for the Toronto Star was misinformed when I read that there would be a new personal tax deduction of $400 for employees working from home. As Rosa Saba noted in the Toronto Star: “Now all employees who worked from home more than half the time over at least four consecutive weeks during 2020 due to the pandemic will be eligible. As well, the government clarified that eligible employees can claim $2 for each day they worked from home, up to a maximum of $400. Employees claiming expenses this way will not need to track their expenditures, provide receipts, or submit a form signed by their employer.[1]” I thought to myself: that’s funny; most government of Canada tax credits announced over the…

About a year ago, my father passed away. This left me to deal with all the things one must do to put a loved one’s affairs in order: many visits to Service Canada; letters and phone calls to Veterans’ Affairs; memos to lawyers’ offices and to a funeral home to procure original documents. No scans are allowed. Every piece of paper must be an original. I can only wonder what it’s like during a pandemic when there are more deaths and offices are closed. I can imagine that paperwork for births must be just as challenging although more joyous. But there are a whole set of other obstacles for low income people who would otherwise celebrate important birthdays during a pandemic. Let’s think about a couple of them. Turning 18…

Monica Da Ponte & John Stapleton The moment For a brief moment at the beginning of the COVID19 crisis, our principal political and economic paradigms converged. Without any significant controversy, the government moved to provide new benefits that quickly became the largest income security intervention in Canada’s history. Every region in the world today struggles to emerge from the pandemic crisis. At the same time, there is broadening awareness that we live in an era of entrenched and increasing economic inequality. In this pandemic time, many have also awoken to the ugly ways that racism operates in our society. There is a collective recognition that we need to create a new normal. Although Canada is frequently ranked as one of the best places to live, poverty and inequality are deeply…

The 2020 Speech from the Throne contained the following passage: “COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Canadians with disabilities, and highlighted long-standing challenges. The Government will bring forward a Disability Inclusion Plan, which will have: A new Canadian Disability Benefit modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for seniors[1].” At best, I believe that a Canadian Disability Benefit (CDB) can place a new floor underneath current programs of every sort except for social assistance programs. Social assistance programs have always successfully installed themselves as last payer. Unless, of course, the new benefit replaces social assistance. But before we get into all that, let’s read the tea leaves. If the CDB is going to be like GIS as the Throne Speech says, we can only hope that it doesn’t look too much like…

Who would benefit from a CERB amnesty? Many progressive voices have been calling for a CERB amnesty for low income Canadians. This would mean that specified recipients of the CERB would not have to pay back the CERB – either all or in part – even if they are found ineligible for the benefit. There are a variety of reasons for supporting an amnesty including: Many social assistance recipients across Canada – likely ineligible for the benefit - were instructed by officials to apply for the CERB just in case they might be eligible;CERB rules kept changing after the first announcement of eligibility rules;Many low income people faced the difficult choice between exposing themselves to COVID19 or staying safe in isolation with  CERB financial help;Many thousands applied not really knowing…

On the very last day of an eventful July 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave us some hints as to what will happen when the largest single income security program in Canadian history closes its doors at the beginning of October. I was getting nervous as that was only 2 months away. This is how the press reported the PM’s announcement. “The Canadian government has announced it will create a new transitional benefit for workers who have exhausted their CERB and don’t qualify for EI, including gig and contract workers. Meanwhile, Canadians who are eligible for EI will be transitioned to that platform as the CERB approaches its scheduled expiry on September 26. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the new benefit will operate similarly to EI, and will include access…

Living in the eye of the COVID19 income security hurricane We enter the most prolific part of the hurricane season in August. As part of hurricane lore, we are reminded that major hurricanes have a well-formed 'eye' where a tranquil calm prevails for a short period following the turmoil of the hurricane's leading edge. We also live in the tranquil eye of the COVID19 income security hurricane. We entered the storm with the COVID19 pandemic but the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and a variety of other federal and provincial programs saw us through the first part of the COVID19 storm. We now live in strange summer calm. The dog days of summer are upon us. With COVID19 benefits - principally those receiving the CERB - food is purchased reasonably easily,…

Welcome to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) clawback summer reader! Here you will find a highly biased curated list of readings on the CERB clawback for those long lazy afternoons deep in your CERB hammock-induced somnabulance. First, you can get all the up to date data on (the) CERB here. The COVID19 pandemic has spawned the largest income security program in the history of our nation so these numbers are important especially when we prepare to dismantle this massive program. Let’s start out with the original announcement back on March 25 by the Prime Minister. Back then, we did not know that the CERB would attract a T4A (other income) until the announcement that showed us all how we could repay the CERB starting May 11. This is an…

Most of us who follow these programs know we are in the eye of an income security storm anesthetized by the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and its newly announced extension through the summer of 2020.  What happens afterwards is anybody's guess but CERB is such a massive program, its demise will cause more earthquakes than tremors.   In just a few months, the CERB has become Canada’s largest income security program estimated to spend as much as $71 billion. What is even more amazing, this new program is about to either disappear or become something very different. If the CERB morphs into something else, we need to be vigilant as to what that will be. It could be a Universal Basic Income (UBI) as some would hope but the CERB…

Ontario’s two social assistance programs and its rent geared to income program are contained under the regulations in three pieces of legislation: The Ontario Works (OW) ActThe Ontario Disability Support Act (ODSP); andThe Housing Services Act Appended here are 36 pages listing all 219 forms of income that are exempted in full in these programs. Many of the exemptions overlap. This means that the same exemptions are in many cases repeated in all three sets of regulations. For social assistance, this means that recipients can receive these forms of income (76 in OW and 82 in ODSP) and they will in no way affect the determination of the allowances or benefits. They may receive these forms of income on top of their assistance. For subsidized housing, there are 61 forms…