Key and Recent Government Programs

Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)

The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) provides financing for expenses that cannot be avoided or deferred when the business is shutdown during the pandemic. 

This program provides interest-free loans of up to $60,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits. If the balance of the loan is repaid on or before December 31st, 2022, businesses can receive loan forgiveness up to $20,000.

You must complete the CEBA application at your financial institution by March 31st, 2021.

Who is Eligible? 

The program is for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations, including:

  • Owner-operated small businesses that do not have a payroll
  • Sole proprietors receiving business income directly
  • Family-owned corporations remunerating in the form of dividends rather than payroll

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)

CEWS is designed to help businesses to keep and return workers to the payroll. It provides a subsidy of up to 75% of eligible remuneration, paid by an eligible employer to each eligible employee – up to a maximum of $847 per week, retroactive to March 15th, 2020.

From March 15th, 2020 to July 4th, 2020, eligible employers that see a drop of at least 15% of their qualifying revenue in March 2020 and 30% for the following months of April, May and June, when compared to their qualifying revenue for the same period in 2019, qualify for the wage subsidy.

From July 5th, 2020 to December 19th, 2020, the wage subsidy is available for all eligible employers that experience a decline in revenue for a claim period, with a base subsidy amount, and an additional top-up subsidy amount for those employers that have been most adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

From December 20th, 2020 to March 13th, 2021 the wage subsidy has been raised to 75% for eligible employers.

Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS)

This financial support replaces the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program. CERS is for businesses, charities, and non-profits that have suffered a revenue drop due to COVID-19. It subsidizes a percentage of expenses, on a sliding scale, up to a maximum of 65 per cent of eligible expenses until June, 2021. Hard-hit businesses subject to a lockdown may receive rent support of up to 90 per cent.

There is no minimum revenue drop required to qualify for the subsidy.

CERS delivers:

  • Direct, targeted, and accessible rent support to qualifying organizations, without the need to go through your landlord
  • A subsidy for eligible fixed property expenses
  • A new, additional Lockdown Support of 25 per cent for businesses affected by a public health order 
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