Weekly Update
April 28, 2020
The Saskatchewan Government has announced a plan to re-open Saskatchewan late last week
Re-Open Saskatchewan will consist of five phases. The timing and order of the businesses/workplaces included in each phase is subject to change throughout the process based on a continuous assessment of transmission patterns and other factors.

Phase One: Re-opening previously restricted medical services
Opening of golf courses, parks and campgrounds

Phase Two: Re-opening retail and select personal care services

Phase Three: Re-opening restaurants and food services, gyms and fitness centres, licensed
establishments and child care facilities. Re-opening remaining personal care services
Increasing the size of public and private gatherings to 15 people

Phase Four: Re-opening indoor and outdoor recreation facilities
Increasing the size of public and private gatherings to 30 people

Phase Five: Consider lifting long-term restrictions

Each phase will still require business operations to be complaint with public health restrictions. We will communicate changes or new information as it becomes available that is relevant to the landscape industry.



Guidelines for Garden Centres and Landscape Supply
Bulk Ordering of Masks and Sanitizer 
We are taking bulk orders for masks and hand sanitizer.  Delivery is 2 weeks with Edmonton and Calgary pickup.  

Sales end at 4 pm on Friday, May 1st  

Surgical style masks: 
·        Member cost: $1.00 ea in orders of multiples of 50 
·        Non-Member cost: $1.05 ea in orders of multiples of 50
 
Hand sanitizer: 
·        Member cost: $18.00 per 1L bottle with pump
·        Non-Member cost: $19.00 per 1L bottle with pump

You will be notified when your order is ready for pickup.  Payment via online credit card only. 


*DISCLAIMER : Landscape Alberta is acting as an intermediary only for these purchases.  We assume no liability for quality of product, damages or delays in shipping. This group purchase is being done at cost with no admin fees or profit built in for Landscape Alberta.   
Webinar: Top Business Priorities in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide To Thinking Differently
With Jackie Hart and Joel Beatson
Hosted by Landscape Alberta
April 29, 2020, 11:00 am

·       Preserve Cash and Adapt Your Budget
·       Adapt the Way You Communicate
·       Emerge From This With A Stronger Team
·       Adapt Quickly - Be Decisive
·       Lead Through Chaos with Success

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Inspections
the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will send out the information below today to all Program users regarding new requirements as they pertain to employer compliance inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Service Canada has the authority to conduct an inspection, with or without prior notice, in order to verify your compliance with the TFW Program, including within the first fourteen (14) days of the temporary foreign worker’s arrival.
 
Canadian Payroll Association
To help ALL businesses access, understand and navigate all of the changes, CPA has compiled a summary of the most frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 legislation from Payroll InfoLine. Once again, Canadian Payroll Association is generously sharing free access to their important FAQ resource, regardless of whether you are CPA members or not. Once you complete a very short form and press download, you will gain instant access to both the FAQ document, as well as supplementary resources. The CEWS summary and calculator is one of these supplementary resources and can be found under the Payroll Tools, Checklists & Calculators tab, where there is a specific COVID-19 Related Resources tab.


Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) Update
The CEWS will open for application on Monday April 27.

There have been some concerns raised by members and CNLA addressed these on a call today with the Canadian Payroll Association and Judith Andrew, Commissioner of Firms for Employment Insurance.

During this call, the large group of employer groups in Canada were able to receive clarity on several issues. According to the call and the additional clarity provided on the minister’s roundtable, owners and family are eligible for CEWS if they were employees paid by payroll prior to March 15th. They further confirmed that there are some errors on the calculator and they are being addressed by the CRA.

The issue still remains on compensation outside the boundaries of typical payroll. Commissions and sales are part of the calculation and will be supported under the CEWS up to the maximum weekly subsidy per employee.
Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government has reached an agreement in principle with all provinces and territories to implement the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. This program will lower rent by 75 per cent for small businesses that have been affected by COVID-19.

The government is also providing further details on the program:
  • The program will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50 per cent of three-monthly rent payments that are payable by eligible small business tenants who are experiencing financial hardship during April, May, and June.
  • The loans will be forgiven if the mortgaged property owner agrees to reduce the eligible small business tenants’ rent by at least 75 per cent for the three 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 per cent drop in pre-COVID-19 revenues. This support will also be available to non-profit and charitable organizations.

The government continues to assess and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and stands ready to take additional actions as needed to stabilize the economy and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

WHERE TO START:
Whether you are self-employed, a small business owner, or an entrepreneur – you shouldn’t have to worry about having to lose your business or your job.

To get the help you need:
  1. Visit our government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan website for information about supporting your employees and your business. It is constantly updated as the COVID-19 crisis evolves.
  2. Contact your local financial institution. Since we know most small businesses have a relationship with their local financial institution already, we’ve worked with the financial sector to increase their lending capability to support you in in this challenging time. They are a good first place to start for help.
  3. Consult the Canadian Business Resilience Network and Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s pandemic preparedness guide to help prepare you business in the days and weeks to come.
Agri-Programs Update
AgriStability - The deadline to apply for AgriStability this year has just been extended without penalty from April 30 to July 3, 2020. See the media release from AAFC here .

The Advanced Payment Program is now available for nursery crops in AB, SK and MB. The AgriCommodity Management Association has application forms ready to go. Please see attached letter for details.

Landscape Alberta will be hosting a webinar for Q&A's on April 28th 10:30am MST. To register: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/10/7vpr6ir
New Actions to Protect Canadian Jobs
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday new actions to protect Canadian jobs and provide more support to businesses and organizations dealing with the economic impacts of COVID-19. The Government of Canada will provide over $1.7 billion for targeted measures, including:
  • $675 million to give financing support to small and medium-sized businesses that are unable to access the government’s existing COVID-19 support measures, through Canada’s Regional Development Agencies.
  • $287 million to support rural businesses and communities, including by providing them with much-needed access to capital through the Community Futures Network.
There is a special resource page on the AGGA website where updates will be shared as they happen. Visit www.agga.ca .