Support

Source

Eligibility

Link

SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS

Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB)

Federal Government

• You reside in Canada (domestic and international students)
• You are 15 years old or more when you apply
• For your first CERB application, you have stopped or will stop working due to reasons related to COVID-19 (for at least 14 days in a row for the period you are applying for)
• For subsequent CERB applications, you will not work for the 4-week period that you are applying for. This means, during this period you will not receive:
• employment income
• self-employment income
• provincial or federal benefits related to maternity or paternity leave
• You did not quit your job voluntarily
• You did not apply for, nor receive, CERB or EI benefits from Service Canada for the same eligibility period
• You earned a minimum of $5,000 income in the last 12 months or in 2019 from one or more of the following sources:
• employment income
• self-employment income
• provincial or federal benefits related to maternity or paternity leave

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Employment Insurance (EI)

Federal Government

You need to demonstrate that one of:

• You lost your job through no fault of your own
• You’re unable to work for medical reasons
• Your regular weekly earnings from work have decreased by more than 40% for at least one week
• You accumulated 600 insured hours* of work in the 52 weeks before the start of your claim or since the start of your last claim, whichever is shorter

*As an example, 600 hours are equivalent to 20 weeks of work at 30 hours a week.

**​Important note: If you became eligible for EI regular or sickness benefits on March 15, 2020, or later, your claim will be automatically processed through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

For other EI benefits, including maternity, parental, caregiving, fishing and work sharing, you should also continue to apply. To apply, ask your employer for a RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT (ROE).

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Ontario Emergency Assistance

Provincial Government (Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario’s emergency assistance will provide additional resources directly to individuals and families in financial crisis. This includes those who are not able to access federal assistance to cover needs such as food costs, rent, medicine and other essential services during this time.

Ontario is expanding access to existing Emergency Assistance under the current provisions of Ontario Works. This is available to people with limited income, assets or credit who are in a crisis or an emergency situation.

Ontario is providing additional resources and expanding access to Emergency Assistance for those facing a COVID-19 related financial emergency by:

• Suspending the rule that limits emergency assistance provision to only once in a six-month period for individuals and families affected by COVID-19
• Allowing people to receive emergency assistance for longer (48 days) without submitting a full Ontario Works application.

* Those who are already on Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), tourists and visitors are not eligible.

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SUPPORT FOR PARENTS & FAMILIES

Ontario Support for Families

Provincial Government (Ministry of Education)

There is no income cap on this program. All parents are eligible if you have a child who is:

• $200 for children aged 0 to 12
• $250 for children or youth aged 0 to 21 with special needs

Before you apply, please note:

• Only one parent can apply for each child
• The parent who applies should have custody of the child
• You are still eligible if you are a health care or front-line worker who is using emergency, 24-hour child care centres.
• If you have more than one child, you must submit one application per child.

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Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

Federal Government

Information:

• Eligible recipients will receive $300 more per child with their regular May CCB payment.
• If you have previously applied for the CCB, you do not need to re-apply.

To apply you must meet all of the following requirements:

• You live with a child who is under 18 years of age
• You are primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child
• You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes
• You or your spouse or common-law partner must be any of the following:
• a Canadian citizen a permanent resident
• a protected person
• a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months, and who has a valid permit in the 19th month
• an Indigenous person who meets the definition of “Indian” under the Indian Act

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SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS

Indigenous Student Travel Grant

Provincial (OSAP)

For purposes of this grant, communities defined as being Zone 3 or Zone 4 by Crown-Indigenous, qualify as a remote First Nations community.

Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) may be considered as a remote First Nations community.

If your spouse or dependent children will be living with you while you are in postsecondary studies, their travel costs can also be considered through this grant. You can qualify for this grant if:

• You have self-identified as being an Indigenous person on your OSAP profile.
• You live in a remote First Nations community in Ontario when you are not in full-time post-secondary studies.
• You are enrolled in either a public or private postsecondary school located in Ontario or a public postsecondary school located within Canada that is approved for OSAP purposes.
• You have applied for 2019-20 OSAP for Full-Time Students, have met all of the eligibility requirements and have a calculated provincial financial need of at least $1.

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Laptop and Internet

Centennial College

Centennial has taken delivery of 5,000 Chromebooks, which are being loaned out to enrolled students who do not have access to an adequate computer. Chromebooks are being distributed by appointment to observe public health protocols and limit the number of people on campus at any one time.

For any students who legitimately require the loan of a Chromebook but who have not reserved one yet, please see the notice posted on eCentennial, or email [email protected].

For those who do not currently have access to a home internet connection, Centennial College is working on a plan to help students with that, too.

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COVID-19 Relief Bursary

Centennial College

You are eligible if, between March 16^th and April 17^th, you were enrolled in a Ministry-approved program (full-time or part-time) at Centennial College and experienced one or both of the following:

• Lost income, either from your employment or from the employment of a family member you are financially dependent on
• The need to purchase internet access for your courses online (i.e., learning at a distance)

The COVID-19 Relief Bursary application will launch on April 13 at 7 p.m. Before you begin your application, please have the following documents ready for upload and input:

• A Record of Employment (ROE) or letter (from your employer or from the employer of the family member who financially supports you) that confirms lost wages between March 16^th and April 17^th.
• An Internet-related bill as evidence that the purchase of internet service was required in March or April for learning at a distance.
• Complete banking information (i.e. account and bank details, name of account holder).

Students should check their myCentennial or email for how to apply. Follow the directions from there directly.

If you have any questions or needs, please contact the Student COVID-19 Hotline (416-289-5000, press 7), available from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

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