The following information was provided by The Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.

PROVINCE OF MANITOBA UPDATE

On April 3rd, Premier Pallister announced three streams of provincial support for businesses and individuals:

1) Faster Health Equipment Procurement: The government is investing more than $100 million to accelerate the pace at which Manitoba is procuring essential medical supplies and equipment, hotel capacity, and other critical needs to help prepare for COVID-19.

• Can you rapidly scale up production or re-tool manufacturing lines to develop products made in Manitoba to help in the fight against COVID-19? Access the form: click here.

• Are you a supplier with a stock of personal protective equipment not being used due to closures and physical distancing? Access the form: click here.

2) Cash Flow Tax Relief: As part of the Manitoba Protection Plan, the province is providing the following protections for the next six months until Oct. 1:

• instructing Manitoba Hydro, Centra Gas and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) to not charge interest or penalties in the event that Manitobans are unable to pay at this time;

• instructing MPI to relax ordinary practices on policy renewals and collections;

• instructing Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries not to charge interest on receivables from restaurants, bars and specialty wine stores;

• supporting Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to do the same and asking WCB to extend relief from penalties for late payments;

• directing Manitoba Hydro and Centra Gas to not disconnect customers during these times; and

• working with municipal partners to ensure municipalities do not charge interest on provincial education taxes and school division fees and the province is encouraging municipalities to do the same with respect to their own taxes and will start discussions to support implementation.

• The government is also deferring provincial income tax and corporate income tax filing deadlines and payments to coincide with the current revised federal deferral of income tax to Aug. 31 and has indicated it would be willing to extend these deferrals until Oct. 1, should the federal government agree.

• The new measures are in addition to the recently announced two-month deferral for small businesses that remit up to $10,000 in Manitoba payroll tax or $10,000 in sales tax. This will result in $80 million in deferred remittance to the province.

• While the province has no ability to allow for deferrals of payments or the waiver of interest charges and penalties, Manitoba is taking steps to make home and business property insurance more affordable to Manitobans by accelerating the removal of $75 million of annual PST from residential and business properties, effective July 1. 

3) Expanded Shelter Capacity: The Manitoba government will invest $1.2 million to add more than 140 new shelter beds in Winnipeg to support people affected by homelessness and allow for social distancing protocols.

To view the announcement, click here.

A Call to Action for Manitoba Businesses

Temporary Child Care Services Grant

Are you an Early Child Educator or Child Care Assistant? Or maybe you’re a local Chamber of Commerce seeking information about government programs to support members in your local community…

The Temporary Child Care Services Grant is a new program of the Government of Manitoba, developed in response to COVID-19, and designed to ensure dedicated child care spaces are available for critical front-line workers. The grant, valued at $3,000, is available to eligible Early Childhood Educators (ECE) II or III and Child Care Assistants interested in providing private care services.

Administered in partnership with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, this grant will help child care providers affected by closures or reductions in services at centres to access immediate funds to begin independently offering child care services.

To access information about this program and how to apply, click here.

PROVINCE OF MANITOBA - PUBLIC HEALTH INFO

As of the April 2 media conference, public health officials advise the number of lab-confirmed positive and probable cases in Manitoba is at 167, and new screening protocols have been put in place for front-line healthcare workers arriving to work.

1) As of April 1, a new public health order is in effect:

• limiting public gatherings to no more than 10 people at any indoor or outdoor place or premises

• restricting the activities of non-critical businesses to limit social contact. To access info about this order and how it affects your business, click here.

2) Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen has announced an indefinite extension to the school closures for all Manitoba K to 12 schools, suspending classes for the remainder of the school year unless public health officials advise they may resume. For details: https://manitoba.ca/covid19/infomanitobans/eduministerletter.html

3) Public health officials continue advising all Manitobans, including health-care providers, to cancel or postpone any non-essential travel (international/ within Canada.) There shouldn't be any recreational, tourist, or non-essential personal travel. 

4) Anyone who returns from travel, either international or domestic, should self-isolate and self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days following their return. If symptoms develop during 14-day self-isolation or self-monitoring period, Manitobans should contact Health Links-Info Sante to determine if testing for COVID-19 should be considered.

5) Information about flights where a person with a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 had symptoms at the time of travel is updated as information becomes available at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/flights.html

6) Fifteen community testing sites are now open throughout the province including eight drive-through locations. A referral to these sites is needed and they are not walk-in clinics. Information is available at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/locations.htm

To access all Manitoba Health, Seniors, and Active Living COVID-19 bulletins: https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html

IMPORTANT FEDERAL UPDATES FOR BUSINESS

1) The Canada Revenue Agency has extended tax filing and payment deadlines (for individuals, the self-employed, corporations, charities), including deferring GST payment/remittances until the end of June 2020. For info on changes to Canadian taxes and benefits: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update.html

2) The Government of Canada introduced a wage subsidy for business up to 75%.

3) The federal government has extended the maximum duration of the Work-Sharing program from 38 to 76 weeks. To view work-sharing program information, click here.

MCC PUBLISHES FEDERAL RELIEF MEASURES GUIDES

The federal government's funding in support of individuals and businesses amid COVID-19 is ever-evolving and complex.

MCC has created this guide to capture the range of available special funds, tax deferrals, and employer programs, as well as information about who is eligible, how to apply, and where to find more information on the Government of Canada's website.

Please note that this is a guide, and as such, it is a living document which will require regular updating. We advise you to access the link each time you wish to refer to it, rather than downloading/printing off a copy.

Click to view our Federal Relief Measures Guide.

WCB ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES

Given the economic uncertainties, businesses may be challenged with cash flow and require temporary relief from their WCB payment obligations. Click here to access detailed information about the changes WCB is making to support businesses in response to the financial strain caused by COVID-19.