​COVID-19 benefits set to expire Oct. 23

The Chamber continues to call for the federal government to confirm it will extend the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Both are scheduled to end on Oct. 23, but many businesses continue to face ongoing operating and capacity issues. The tourism and hospitality industry, specifically, needs help making it through the fall and winter.
 
The federal government had, as of Sept. 26, reportedly paid out $94 billion through the wage subsidy program to 4.4 million employers, as well as about $6.6 billion in rent subsidies to more than 1.6 million organizations.
 
The Chamber, through our national network, is asking the federal government to replace CEWS and CERS with a program for businesses still hurt by pandemic restrictions, as well as to commit to not introducing new taxes and forgiving interest payments on government-backed loans to businesses that were hardest hit by COVID-19.