As COVID-19 spreads throughout the world, there is a lot of uncertainty and panic regarding all aspects of life, from mortgage payments and income concerns to health and mental health concerns.
We’ve rounded up this set of links to helpful resources to help set you down the right path with your own personal concerns during this tough time.
Mortgage Concerns
CMHC: Dealing With Mortgage Difficulties
3-step guide provided by CMHC to talk to your mortgage professional and read about your options.
Big 6 Allowing 6-Month Mortgage Payment Deferral
Canadas biggest banks are offering help to those who cannot make mortgage payments due to this pandemic, as well as relief on other credit products.
RBC | 1-866-809-5800
TD | 1-866-222-3456
BMO | 1-877-788-1923
CIBC | 1-877-454-9030
Scotiabank | 1-800-472-6842
National Bank | 1-888-835-6281
Income Concerns
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
Information on income support, deferred due date for 2019 tax returns, mortgage default management tools, and support for businesses.
NEW: Canada Emergency Response Benefit
This taxable benefit would provide $2,000 a month for up to 4 months to Canadians who have lost their jobs, who are sick, who are in quarantine, who are taking care of others who are sick, who are staying home to take care of their kids, and those who are still employed but are not receiving any income due to being asked to not work. This will also be available to the self employed and contract workers who would not otherwise qualify for Employment Insurance.
Alberta’s Emergency Financial Assistance
If COVID-19 is affecting your families ability to pay for the basic necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, etc., read through this article to find out how to apply for emergency financial assistance.
Alberta’s Emergency Isolation Support
Eligible working Albertans can receive a one-time emergency isolation support payment of $1,146 if they are required to self-isolate or are the sole caregiver of someone in self-isolation and they have no other source of pay or compensation.
BDC is offering help for entrepreneurs, including applications for small business loans, working capital loans, purchase order financing, as well as tools and support for your business.
Article: How to Apply for EI If COVID-19 Affected Your Job
This is a great article explaining the differences between Sickness EI and Regular EI, and the qualifications for both.
Service Canada has set up a separate line solely to work through EI claims due to COVID-19: 1-833-381-2725.
Article: Federal Employees Receive Paid Vacation
Due to everyone being told to work at home, the governments internal servers are suffering from increased traffic. If staff are not working on core processes, they are asked to stay off the servers but will still receive pay.
Service Concerns
Shaw is offering to help customers figure out flexible payment plans and service adjustments due to hardship resulting from COVID-19. They have also opened up “free previews” of various news channels and kid’s channels to help keep their customers informed and the kids entertained.
Telus is offering flexible payment plans for consumer and small business customers who have been affected by this crisis. They have also waived all home internet overage charges for those without unlimited data plans until April 30, and switching over to remote repair and installation practices for everyones safety.
Bell is waiving all extra usage fees for residential customers until April 30th, and no action is required on the customers part. They have also put several news channels on free preview to help customers stay informed, and are providing consumer and small business customers who have Turbo Hubs, Turbo Sticks, and MiFi devices with an extra 10GB of domestic usage.
Offering flexible payment plans for those who are affected by COVID-19, and keeping a select few physical stores open for those who need in-person help to stay connected and adrift.
AB GOV: 90-Day Utility Deferral
The Alberta government is working with utility companies to allow 90-day deferrals on all utility payments. Call your electrical and natural gas companies directly to set this up.
Residential, Small Commercial and Farm customers who are experiencing difficulties paying monthly bills due to COVID-19 may defer payments for 90 days. No late fees will be applied during this period.
Tax Concerns
Article: Government Extends Tax Deadline
The deadline to file your taxes has been delayed until June 1st amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
A hub for COVID-19 Information, the CRA is providing Canadians with pandemic updates, travel advice, preparation, symptoms and management information, prevention and risk information, as well as a slew of other important thing to know during this time.
Health Concerns
If you’re experiencing symptoms but aren’t sure whether or not to call 811, use this online screening test and AHS will give you a recommendation.
Everything you need to know about the state of the virus in Alberta, including symptoms, spread, when you should be assessed for COVID-19, prevention, travel & event concerns.
Coping & Connection for Children and Families
Information on how to talk to your children about COVID-19.
COVID-19 and Your Mental Health
Tips on managing your own mental health during this tough time.
Keep the Kids Busy with Learning
Alberta Student Learning During COVID-19
Guidelines for continuing K to 12 student learning while in-school classes have been cancelled due to COVID-19.
Someone put together a Google Doc of virtual tours and live cams from the San Diego Zoo, Yellowstone National Park, U.S. Space and Rocket Museum, and more!
Sam & Jakes Favourite Virtual Tours: Road Trips From Home
Another resource full of virtual field trips from all over the world!
Scholastic is providing daily educational activities for kids based on their grade level.
Google Arts & Culture is providing virtual tours and collections of art from museums around the globe.
Big List of Authors Doing Online Read-Aloud’s and Activities
With so many children out of school, many authors are doing online read-alouds and hosting activities for your little ones!
YouTube: P.E. With Joe
A Fitness Coach from Australia is streaming ~30 minute P.E. sessions daily for you and your kids to follow along! If you miss the stream, no worries, all the videos are posted to this playlist afterwards. Stay active!
Extra Resources
Remote Working: Setting Yourself and Your Teams Up for Success
LinkedIn provides a short course on how to effectively work from home.
BombBomb Email Video for Teachers
If you’ve worked with our team, you know we’re huge fans of BombBomb, which allows our employees to send video through email, text, or social media. Usually a paid service, BombBomb is offering it’s services to teachers for free to assist in online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Usually used as a gaming communication platform, Discord has a feature where you can stream video or share your screen to a group of 10 people maximum. They have increased this functionality to be able to stream to a maximum of 50 people, making a discord server the perfect place to have a virtual classroom or workspace.
Loblaws and Sobeys have introduced dedicated hours for seniors and other vulnerable populations to shop without the fear of infection. These hours take place in the early morning, after a deep clean of the store and before regular shoppers come in to get their groceries. Give your local grocery store a call to see if they are offering this.
Shopper’s Drug Mart has followed suit.
