Updated: December 18, 2020
To help British Columbians deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial government has introduced the following benefits:
Provincial Updates for Individuals:
The application for the new BC Recovery Benefit will be available from December 18, 2020 to June 31, 2020. This benefit will provide:
- $1,000 for families with income less than $125,000. Families with income up to $175,000 will qualify for a reduced amount.
- $500 for single people with income less than $62,500. Those with earning up to $87,500 will qualify for a reduced amount.
This benefit will also be available to those on Income Assistance and Disability Assistance. Additionally, those on Income and Disability Assistance along with seniors who are currently receiving the Senior’s supplement, will receive an additional benefit of $150 per month from January 2021 to March 2021.
There are 3 ways to apply for the BC Recovery Benefit:
- Online by clicking here.
- Over the phone starting on December 21, 2020 at 1-833-882-0020.
- In person by visiting a Service BC office to use a computer terminal.
For more information, click here.
The new Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project will allow up to 30 British Columbians with multiple barriers to employment train and search for jobs. The jobs are in warehouses and the manufacturing sector in the Lower Mainland. The course is will be over 18 weeks and intakes begins on December 07, 2020 through April 09, 2021. Those who are interested should contact their local WorkBC or Triangle Community Resources.
For more information, click here.
To support people through this pandemic, the following transportation services have announced changes to their fare increase:
- BC Ferries will not increase their fare for the rest of this fiscal year ending March 31, 2021.
- BC Transit will cap its fare increases at affordable levels until March 31, 2024.
- Translink will also cap its fare increases at affordable levels until December 31, 2024.
For more information, click here.
The province has released details on the how they plan to support students and parents when children return back to school on September 10, 2020. For more information, click here.
A ban on Rent Increases will remain in effect until July 10, 2021. For more information, click here.
The following policies are now in effect:
- Landlords and tenants must work together to create a Repayment Plan for rent or utilities that was not paid from March 18, 2020 to August 17, 2020. The repayment plan will go in effect minimum 30 days after it is issued to a tenant. The repayment plan must include the following:
- The date the first installment is due. This must be at least 30 days after the date the repayment plan is given by the landlord to the tenant. For example, if the landlord issues the repayment plan on August 19, 2020, it may go in effect by earliest September 19, 2020.
- The repayment period starts on the date the repayment plan is given by the landlord to the tenant and ends on July 10, 2021.
- The payment of the overdue rent must be in equal installments. For example, if the amount that is overdue is $1,000, the monthly installment can be set out to be $100/month for a total of 10 months.
- Each installment must be paid on the same date that rent is due under the tenancy agreement. For example, if a tenant’s rent is due on the 1st of the month, then the installments are also due on the 1st of the month.
- A landlord can issue a 10 day eviction notice if the tenant is short their rent or their repayment. For example, if a tenant’s repayment plan starts on October 1st, 2020 and they have to pay $100 on top of their current rent, but they are short $50, a landlord can issue the tenant a 10 day eviction notice.
- Note: If the landlord and the tenant entered into a prior agreement for unpaid rent or utilities it can be replaced with this provincial repayment plan, by either the landlord or tenant.
- Ban on evictions for non-payment of rent is now over. That is, a landlord can issue a 10 day notice if the tenant fails to pay rent that was due before March 18, 2020 or rent that is due after August 17, 2020. An eviction notice cannot be issued for unpaid rent from March 18, 2020 to August 17, 2020.
For more information, click here.
The following are changes are still in effect:
- The Residential Tenancy Act allows tenants who are experiencing violence inside or outside their home to end their tenancy early. For example, if a tenant is suffering from violence from a roommate, they may be eligible to end their tenancy early. The change was implemented to help renters who experience violence move to a safer home. For more information, click here
- There are restrictions for issuing a One Month Notice.
- Landlords can now go to court to enforce a writ of possession.
- Landlords can enter a rental suite with 24 hours notice.
- BC Housing Changes:
- BC Housing has temporarily suspended evictions of tenants in subsidized and affordable housing due to non-payment of rent.
- If you have reduced employment income after March 1, 2020 you may request a short-term adjustment to your monthly benefit.
- New Rental Assistance Program applicants with reduced income may have their eligibility and benefits temporarily calculated based on their current situation. In addition, the Emergency Care Benefit from the federal government will be considered an employment replacement income.
- The 12-month BC residency requirement will be waived for any applicants that meet all other eligibility criteria.
To request an adjustment, please contact BC Housing at 604-433-2218.
- Residential Tenancy Branch Changes:
- Documents can now temporarily be served through email.
- Landlords can restrict use of common areas by tenants/guests.
- Hearings may now be adjourned or rescheduled to allow people more time, if needed.
- Timelines for filing for dispute resolutions may be extended.
For more information on Tenancy changes, click here.
Update: U-Passes for post-secondary students will resume on September 01st, 2020.
Translink BC is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by temporarily implementing the following changes:
- Effective August 24, 2020, wearing masks or face coverings will be required on transit vehicles. However, those in one of the following category are exempt from this policy:
- Anyone with an underlying medical condition or disability that inhibits wearing a mask or face covering,
- Anyone who is unable to place or remove a mask or face covering without assistance,
- Children under 5 years old,
- TransLink employees working behind a physical barrier,
- Police, employees or first responders attending an emergency.
- Seat capacity restrictions on buses are now lifted allowing customers to use each seat.
- Front-door boarding are now resumed
- Expo and Millennium lines are now operating at 100% normal levels.
- Sea Bus service hours have returned to normal.
- HandyDART and conventional bus fares are now in effect
- Passengers will be allowed to board from the front door again starting June 01, 2020.
- Route cancellations and service reductions that were scheduled to take place on May 18, 2020 will not proceed.
- The U-pass program is temporarily suspended as of May 1, 2020.
- The transit fares that were supposed to increase on July 1, 2020 are deferred.
- Bus operators will no longer assist wheelchair customers with being strapped.
- Compass and customer service centres are closed.
For more information, click here.
The following places now require customers to wear masks or face coverings:
- Fresh St. Market
- UBC
- Walmart
- Whole Foods Market
- T&T
- Superstore
- No Frills
- Ikea
- Starbucks
- BC Ferries
The following changes were implemented by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction:
- The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will exempt the CERB payments for Income Assistance and Persons with Disabilities recipients. Please note though that the exemption is only applicable to those who have been on Ministry assistance prior to April 02nd, 2020. For more information, click here.
- Those who are on Income Assistance, Disability Assistance, Comforts Allowance or the BC Senior’s Supplement and not receiving Employment Insurance or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), will automatically receive a $300 supplement.
- “For people in B.C. currently receiving income assistance or disability assistance, the Province will temporarily exempt federal employment insurance benefits, including the new $2,000 Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). These payments will be fully exempted for the next three months so people receiving income assistance and disability assistance in B.C. will benefit from these new emergency federal support programs, without any reductions to their monthly assistance payments.” (Source: click here)
For more information, click here.
The province has released their back to school plan for when students return to classrooms on September 10, 2020. For more information on the plan, click here.
Appointments for knowledge tests can also be booked by calling their contact center at 1-800-663-3051 (Toll Free) or 604-661-2800 (Lower Mainland). Once a customer calls, they will be contacted by an ICBC representative within 3 business days, who will inform them of the locations available for testing.
Customers can defer their payments for up to 90 days with no penalty. Driver’s licence renewals can be done online. All drivers tests are suspended indefinitely unless there is a legal requirement to obtain their license. They are encouraging clients to use their ICBC’s online resource tool to apply for deferrals or call the customer support team at 1-800-665-6442.
For more changes to ICBC’s policies, payments and more, click here.
The SudentAid BC, along with the non-repayable BC Access Grant applications are now open to support students return to school for further studies. Everyone applying for the StudentAid BC and who are low to middle income students will be automatically assessed for the BC Access Grant. The grant will provide a maximum of:
- $4,000 a year to students enrolled in programs of less than 2 years long.
- $1,000 a year to students enrolled in programs of 2 years long or more.
- $1,000 a year to students enrolled in a part-time program
For more information, click here.
Eligible British Columbians will automatically receive an enhanced Climate Action Tax Credit starting this week, if they have completed their 2019 income tax return. Individuals may receive up to $218, children may receive up to $64 and a family of four may receive up to $564. For more information, click here.
- Digital badges for reaching reading goals,
- Certificate of completion,
- Live events, video demonstrations, hands-on crafts and experiments,
- Weekly stay-at-home activity packages,
- A dashboard for parents/guardians to track their kids’ reading progress.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
Essential workers may request temporary emergency childcare if they have children aged 0-5. The worker must complete a request form and a local Child Care Resource and Referral Centre will contact them about availability. For children aged 5-12, the childcare can be requested through their schools directly. So far, more than 2,650 essential service workers have been referred to a licensed childcare provider. For more information, click here.
The following regulations have been put in place to ensure the safety of inland ferries’ staff and passengers:
- All passengers travelling by vehicle must remain in their vehicle at all times.
- All amenities on the ferries are closed.
- All walk-on passengers, cyclists and motorcyclists must remain in designated zones.
- Any passenger showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board the ferries.
For more information, click here.
- Contacting your financial institution to request the payment to be returned, or
- Mailing a cheque made payable to the Minister of Finance, with the application confirmation number and send it to:
- B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers
- Ministry of Finance
- PO Box 9471 Stn Prov Govt
- Victoria BC V8W 9N9
The BC Emergency Benefit for Workers is a one-time, tax-free payment of $1000 for people whose ability to work has been affected due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria is that you:
- Have been a resident of BC on March 15, 2020,
- Are eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB),
- Have been approved for the CERB,
- Are at least 15 years old at the time of application,
- Have filed or agree to file your 2019 income tax return,
- Are not receiving Income Assistance or Disability Assistance,
- Are not incarcerated for 90 days or longer that includes March 15, 2020.
If you receive the BC Emergency Benefit for Workers and later determined that you were not eligible, you may have to repay it with penalties and interest. You can apply online by clicking here or by phone at 778-309-4630 or 1-855-955-3545 starting May 04, 2020.
For more information, click here.
The minimum wage in British Columbia has now been increased to $14.60 per hour. Additionally, the following wage increases are in effect:
- Liquor server minimum wage increase – $13.95/hour
- Resident caretaker minimum wage increase – $876.35/month for those who manage 9-60 units
- Resident caretaker minimum wage increase – $2,985.04/month for those who manage 61 or more units
- Live-in camp leader minimum wage increase – $116.86
For more information, click here.
GrocerCheck is a website that was created to allow users to check how busy a grocery store is. The website uses location data to show the store traffic using colour-coded bubbles.
For more information, click here.
A new urgent and primary care centre will open in Newton, Surrey in July to provide care to patients who do not have a family doctor. This care centre will be located at 6830 King George Blvd. and operated by Fraser Health. The centre will be open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and will provide long-term planned primary care services and urgent primary care services.
For more information, click here.
B.C. Farm, Fish and Food Job Connector is a new online resource that is now available to help British Columbians learn more about jobs and careers in agriculture. The website also provides information about opportunities in different regions of BC and the jobs available.
For more information, click here.
- The app is activated by the user before they take their dose.
- After 50 seconds, the app will sound an alarm.
- If the user doesn’t turn the alarm off, the alarm will get louder.
- After 75 seconds, a text-to-voice call will go straight to 9-1-1 to alert them of a potential overdose.
The app is available to download on the App Store and Google Play.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
A new temporary shelter is now open to provide a safe place for those who are currently facing homelessness during the pandemic. This shelter is operated by the Peace Portal Alliance Church and for more information, click here.
The city of Vancouver has created a map to show where people can find free or low cost food in their city. Click here for a copy of the map. For additional free and low cost resources in the city of Vancouver, click here.
To protect Uber drivers and riders, starting on Monday, May 18, 2020, Uber drivers who do not wear a mask or face cover will not be allowed to accept passengers or deliveries. To prove this, the drivers will be required to take a selfie to verify that their face is covered. If a driver doesn’t wear a mask, the rider will be allowed to cancel their trip without penalty.
For more information, click here.
Over 70 affordable homes are available to low to moderate income families, individuals, seniors and adults with disabilities to ensure their safety during the pandemic. Residents will begin to move into the homes on May 15, 2020 and the homes will be monitored by the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC).
For more information, click here.
The BC government is providing smartphones to those who are homeless so they can access services during the pandemic. The phones are being distributed by the Homelessness Community Action Grant program, 7-Eleven, the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC).
For more information, click here.
The province is providing a $300,000 Buy BC e-commerce funding to help farmers and food processors overcome some lost sales during the pandemic. The funding will support the farmers and food and beverage processors to find new ways to sell their products such as creating websites to sell them online. Applicants must apply online on the Buy BC Partnership Program’s website from May 15 to May 29 and they will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
For information on changes in New Westminster due to COVID-19, click here.
For more information, click here.
For information on changes in the city of Vancouver due to COVID-19, click here.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
VictimLinkBC remains available to provide support to those experiencing violence. They can be contacted at 1-800-563-0808 or VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca. In addition, women experiencing gender based domestic violence can contact the Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) at 604-652-1867 or intake@bwss.org for support and safety plans.
For more information, click here.
The BC government is funding the installation of portable toilets for truck driver throughout the province as they face challenges finding facilities that are still open during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, click here.
Additionally, food trucks are being set up throughout the province to support truckers and their current locations are:
- Nordel CVSE Inspection Station in Delta
- Zopkios Brake Check on Highway 5, approximately 57 kilometres north of Hope
- Britton Creek Rest Area on Highway 5, approximately 62 kilometres south of Merritt
- Kamloops Weigh Scale in City of Kamloops – food served free of cost once per week by the Salvation Army
For updated locations of the food trucks, click here.
Through the CommunityLINK program, BC school districts staff have partnered with local non-profits and businesses to provide weekly grocery hampers and bagged lunches. They will be delivering them and setting up designated hubs for pick-up to families of students who would normally receive meals at schools. In addition, the staff are providing grocery gift cards, vouchers, and more.
For more information, click here.
For information about the Continued School Meal Program, contact your local school district.
Community Living BC (CLBC) will be receiving and distributing funding to service providers who support those with developmental disabilities over the next 3 months. The request for the funding will be launched on April 27, 2020 and will be retroactive to April 1, 2020.
For more information, click here.
If you are a health care worker and suffering from a cold, influenza or COVID-like symptoms, you can now be assessed and receive a COVID-19 test at a community collection centre without a referral. To find a local collection centre, click here. Additionally, the BC Thrive Health website provides a self-assessment app and details about where, when and how to be tested.
For more information, click here.
- Exceed the quantity limits on the sale of certain items
- Do no comply with the requirement for hotel and other lodging operators to provide accommodation.
For more information, click here.
The BC government is introducing a new self-isolation plan to minimize the spread of COVID-19 under the Quarantine Act effective immediately. Travelers will be required to provide a self-isolation plan upon their return which can be submitted online or in person on arrival. Beginning April 10, 2020, provincial officials will be ensuring that the self-isolation plans are complete and they will support travellers as follows:
- If the plans are approved, travelers will be allowed to self-isolate in their homes.
- If travelers need additional support, they may be taken to a designation isolation site.
Travelers who are found non-compliant under the Quarantine Act may face fines of up to $750,000 and or imprisonment for 6 months; or up to $1 million and/or imprisonment for up to 3 years.
For more information, click here.
For a list of emergency dental clinics, click here.
For more information, click here.
- The COVID-19 Customer Assistance Program enables customers to defer bill payments or arrange payment plans.
- For those who are not eligible for the Customer Assistance Program, the COVID-19 relief fund offers customers a 3 month bill credit if they have lost employment or are unable to work due to COVID-19.
- The Customer Crisis Fund is available if you have overdue payments or are facing disconnection. Grants of up to $600 are available for customers who heat their homes with electricity, and up to $500 for customers with non-electrically heated homes.
For more information, click here.
- Customer Recovery Fund – Individuals and small businesses that have lost income may be eligible to have their bills deferred from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020.
- Billing and Payment – Late payment fees have been waived to prevent customers from being disconnected.
For more information, click here.
Provincial benefits for businesses:
Update: The CECRA program has been extended through the month of August.
Businesses eligible for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) will not be facing evictions until the end of June 2020. This new measure was taken to encourage landlords to apply for the program and give temporary relief to businesses.
For more information, click here.
Telus Custom Security is offering 3 months free of security monitoring to the first 1,000 customers until Monday, June 01, 2020 to help support small businesses.
For more information, click here.
The B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program is helping aquaculture and seafood companies to create recovery plans to support their businesses by providing funding of
- Up to $5,000 in business planning services and coaching
- Up to $20,000 for groups to develop an immediate and long-term recovery plan
Applications for the funding are now open and for more information, click here.
The province is providing funds to restore more than 2,000 orphan and inactive wells which should create more than 1,200 jobs. The funding will be distributed to the following 3 new programs:
- The Dormant Sites Reclamation Program will provide $100 million to reclaim dormant oil and gas sites which have been inactive for 5 consecutive years.
- The Orphan Sites Supplemental Reclamation Program will provide $15 million to reclaim orphan oil and gas sites.
- The Legacy Sites Reclamation Program will provide $5 million to look at impacts of historical oil and gas activities.
Applications for the Dormant Sites Reclamation Program will be open on May 25, 2020. For more information, click here
- Deferred Tax Payments for Businesses
- Delayed PST Budget 2020 Tax Changes
- Delayed Carbon Tax Increase
- Reduced School Tax for Businesses
- Employer Health Tax
- Sales Taxes.
For more information, click here
- Reducing school property tax by about 25% for most businesses.
- Reducing provincial property tax rate by 50%.
- Postponing the date that late payment penalties apply to October 1, 2020 for commercial properties without penalty.
- Authorizing local governments to borrow, interest-free money from their reserves.
- Delaying provincial school tax remittances.
- Providing local governments flexibility with carrying debt over to next year.
For more information, click here
- Phone – Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (PST) at 1-833-254-4357.
- Email – covid@smallbusinessbc.ca
- Live chat – on https://covid.smallbusinessbc.ca
For more information, click here
For a list of shelters in BC, click here.
For a list of additional resources available in BC, click here.
For more information, click here.