With the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program which covered the period of April to September 2020 now closed, the federal government introduced a replacement wage subsidy program on November 2, 2020 called the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS).

This program is intended to provide continued support to business to cover their commercial rental costs and other similar costs for the period of September 27 to June 2021 (exact end date is not yet known).

If you or your business has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, you will likely be aware of some of the major economic benefit programs established by the Federal government, including the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA).

These benefits, due to their wide availability and unprecedented extent of support provided, have been closely followed by the media and other tax reporting sources. There are several other smaller benefits and relief initiatives at both the federal and provincial levels of government that have received less attention, but nevertheless may help provide a much-needed boost to those in need of support to overcome the impacts of COVID-19. Here are a few of the lesser known benefits that taxpayers should be aware of and consider if they may be available to you.

In response to the COVID-19 emergency, and its significant impact on the well-being of Canadian individuals, businesses, and other organizations alike, both the Canadian federal government, and Alberta government have introduced measures intended to assist Canadians in getting through this difficult time. Many of the measures are financial in nature and widely available. The purpose of this article is to summarize some of the many important benefits introduced to date and provide some guidance on what you need to do to ensure that you or your business are taking full advantage of the relief available.