During a press conference with the Prime Minister and Federal health officials on Monday, Oct. 5, it was announced applications are open for three new federal emergency aid benefits for Canadians who lost their income because of COVID-19. This comes as Ontario and Quebec have seen their highest ever numbers in the last few days. 

In the Canadian COVID-19 health update, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Canada Revenue Agency has opened the applications on the My Account section of their website, for the Recovery Benefit, Sickness Benefit and Care Giving Benefit.  

The Canada Sickness Benefit and Care Giving Benefit are for Canadians who are not covered by work if they get COVID-19 or if their kids or parents get sick and they have to take care of them.  

The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) will provide $500 per week for up to two weeks, for workers who are sick or must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. 

The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) will provide $500 per week for up to 26 weeks per household, for eligible Canadians unable to work because they must care for: - a child under age 12 due to the closures of schools or daycares because of COVID-19. - a family member with a disability or a dependent because their day program or care facility is closed due to COVID-19. - a child, a family member with a disability, or a dependent who is not attending school, daycare, or other care facilities under the advice of a medical professional due to being at high-risk if they contract COVID-19. 

The Canada Recovery Benefit is for those directly affected by COVID-19 who can't get E.I. benefits. The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will provide $400 per week for up to 26 weeks, to workers who are self-employed or are not eligible for EI and who still require income support and who are available and looking for work. This benefit will support Canadians whose income has dropped or not returned due to COVID-19. The benefit will allow Canadians to earn more income while on claim as well as include links to Job Bank, Canada’s national employment service, with career planning tools for those seeking employment. In addition, the government will be working with provinces and territories to share information to ensure that Canadians have access to tools and training opportunities to successfully return to the workforce. 

You can find more details on the three benefits here. 

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer said that public health authorities across the country are continuing to increase their capacity for testing and contact tracing but did say that these resources have limits. "At a certain point, reinstating some community-based public health measures, as we've observed in parts of Ontario and Quebec, is required to bring Covid-19 back down to manageable levels." 

The Prime Minister also announced they have launched a new COVID testing response team that can quickly deploy across Canada.