Provincial financial aid will be coming too late for many in B.C. affected by job loss and illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 23 the provincial government rolled out their COVID-19 Action Plan, which includes the regular climate action tax credit payment, the potential to defer B.C. Hydro payments by six months, and a six-month freeze of student loan payments.
Also announced was a one-time, $1,000 tax-free payment to those whose income was impacted by COVID-19. However, the applications for this payment open in April, with the actual payments not coming until May. British Columbians would also not see the benefits of the increased climate action tax credit until July.
This will be too late for many British Columbians currently struggling with income loss. What is needed now is immediate, concrete assistance for those who have either lost their job due to COVID-19 or are having to choose between work and social distancing measures, or work and caring for elderly relatives.
Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said that as many as 80 per cent of the 180,000 workers in his association currently are unemployed. Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C, reported that approximately two-thirds of the 300,000 tourism employees in B.C. have lost their jobs.
In 2018, a poll released by the Canadian Payroll Association found that as many as 49 per cent of British Columbians could be living paycheque to paycheque. A quarter would not be able to come up with $2,000 for an emergency expense within a month.
The B.C. aid fails to account for the rapid impact this has had on people and the need for immediate financial support. Many workers have gone from having a consistent paycheque to job loss, and credit card debt incurred during periods of certainty will not be forgiven, nor will the need for food decrease over the next month.
Additionally, there are many in B.C. who are currently choosing between maintaining a job and adhering to social distancing standards. Those living with and/or caring for elderly relatives may need to choose between financial security and ensuring the safety of their family.
There is undeniably other aid that is being offered to those struggling, such as payment deferrals and the federal government’s Emergency Care Benefit and recently announced four-month-long $2,000 per month replacement EI payments, for those who qualify.
B.C. should be looking to the plans laid out by the federal government and following suit with fast financial assistance for those experiencing income loss during this pandemic, and considering how they will help British Columbians in the long term if job loss continues.
People need immediate assurance that if they need to stay home during this pandemic, they will have provincial support, and the current aid does not inspire confidence.
