The Chamber welcomes
today's news that the federal government is extending its wage subsidy program until the end of the year. Businesses need certainty and they don't have that when programs run month to month and extensions are granted at the last minute.
Confirming that the
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will be available until Dec. 31 allows employers to better plan their recovery. However, government
needs to do more to make sure the program is transparent and easy to access.
The wage subsidy, which was set to end by the beginning of September, has not engaged businesses as much
as expected. The government estimated the cost of the program would be $45 billion but, as of July 8, only $18 billion had been paid to about 250 thousand businesses. The Canada Revenue Agency estimates that, between May 10 and June 6, the program subsidized wages for 2.3 million Canadians.
Last week, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau increased the budget for the program to $82.3 billion in a move that
foreshadowed today's announcement.
"The Chamber would like to see the government help workers move off of the
Canada Emergency Relief Benefit and onto the payroll of employers," says Chamber CEO Bruce Williams. "The wage subsidy is the right vehicle to do that but we're hearing that many businesses find the process too confusing and they aren't sure if they qualify. "
To help our members learn more about how they can benefit from the wage subsidy program, as well as its tax implications, Chamber CEO Bruce Williams is
hosting Matthew Hohnsbehn, Liaison Officer at the
Canada Revenue Agency, and Kris Wirk, Partner, at
Dusanj & Wirk Chartered Professional Accountants, on Aug. 11.
Dusanj & Wirk Chartered Professional Accountants : Member since 2011
Upcoming Virtual Events
Business Restart Series:
Air Travel
Join our CEO Bruce Williams and a panel of air transport and tourism leaders as they discuss how to safely open aviation travel and the importance of tourism in moving our local economy forward.
Each registration will be provided with a video link to watch the panel after the event.
Don't miss our joint Member Networking Breakfast with the Prodigy Group. This is a must-attend event for new and existing members to learn about services offered by one another and how to positively contribute to our local business community.
Prep your 60 second elevator pitch and join us on zoom. Once everyone has had a chance to connect, it's time to meet an entirely new group of people at a different breakout room!
Chamber CEO Bruce Williams and Indu Brar - Fairmont Empress discuss the restart of tourism in Greater Victoria
New Date
Virtual Seminar: Bringing Employees Back To Work
As businesses look to re-open storefronts and offices, employers are faced with a number of challenges as they try to get back to business.
Learn tools to re-engage staff and implement strategies that
ensure a smooth transition to a new normal. After the presentation, there will be an opportunity for participants to share concerns and ask questions.
Engaged HR is a Chamber award-winning, Victoria-based human resources consulting firm.
To help locals looking to support businesses in our region, we want to make it easier to find businesses that are open and ready to provide products or services.
You'll see on our Chamber
online business directory that we've added an Open icon for businesses. Details on how the business has adapted and/or new hours will appear in Products and Services at the bottom of the listing. We've also enhanced the SEO keywords on these listings to get you noticed.
Do you have updated business hours or services?
Contact us for your Open Icon and enhanced directory listing.
The job board has returned to being an exclusive benefit of Chamber membership.
The Chamber is proud to have featured more than 500 jobs on our job board, including 250 since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. We opened up this member benefit to help our community meet the demand for essential service jobs. We are now seeing a return to job postings that reflect the restart of our economy.
If you have any difficulty posting, please email [email protected]. We will get back to you within one business day. We know how important hiring the right person can be.
All jobs posted to our job board have been vetted by a member of The Chamber team.
Take the next step to re-connect with The Chamber
The Chamber has a myriad of resources to help you and your business. You can connect with our
staff or
schedule a virtual coffee with one of our Ambassadors to talk about your business and next steps on our road to recovery.
We're
#InItTogetherYYJ even if we can't be together. We look forward to talking with you soon about how we can help.
