HOW to Help Freelancers in Canada amidst Covid-19 + Latest CERB News!
Don’t have time to read? Here are the top 4 support links for freelancers (while awaiting government benefits)
The eligibility has updated to include virtually anyone!
These are mostly for Artists, but many good links here (musicians, photographers,…)
Government of Canada EI Special benefits, NEW info!
Demand basic income for all Canadians
Drive through Covid Station At Place Des Arts
As many of you know, at present, only freelancers aka self-employed and small businesses who pay into EI and/or are able to draw a salary with EI taken off at the source, are eligible to get it currently… This demographic incase you did not know pays a huge amount of taxes and has to do everything they can to offset their taxes every year, especially in Quebec where personal taxes for freelancers is very high.
When I went to business school, a few years ago, I was called by the government for a survey on how we managed to be in the 3% of small businesses who survived after 2 years of businesses. That’s how hard it is for small businesses and freelancers to thrive in this province. There are numerous grants to get you started, and a swarm of VC coins to fund your initial year, but it’s after the 2 year mark that most (and when we say most a whopping 97% of local business FAILS.) On top of this hurdle, look how restrictive and convoluted the Employment Insurance terms are for Canadian freelancers, gig economy workers and small business owners.
As you know as well, EI benefits do not not go very far in terms of replacing the actual income lost by what could be months of work layoffs in the entertainment industry. Take a single mom who works as a publicist, who is capable of earning $3,000 a month. Reasonably speaking, she will never get that from EI, even if she pays into it. She will get on average 55% of her insurable earnings.
We know this will takes months to sort out, so we are urging our government to take action and mind the gap with urgent funding in the form of a Special Benefits Package to support our enormous population here in Montreal and across Canada of free-lancers, self-employed and small business owners who are simply in the non-eligible category during this outbreak.
Let’s not forget that in March 2019, a minimum income pilot was initiated in Ontario, (then pulled Thanks to Ford)… imagine (in theory) how helpful that would be during a pandemic. Within a few hours, it would be very easy to suddenly inject Canadians with a stay-at-home “salary”. We need this kind of initiative more than ever for our struggling social classes; with a housing crisis and rent arbitrage hikes lurking across the nation, landlords are at the ready to evict people out of their leases in order to jack up that once affordable Montreal rent.
Not acting soon enough will cause a ripple effect in 2 ways. 1 it will amplify the housing crisis and 2, it will also cause the large population of work-from-home freelancers and Entertainment gig workers to hop onto metros more, go to placement agencies, welfare offices…basically run around looking to replace the income. Why not keep them at home, to add to social distancing?
Please act fast and make it easy for freelancing and gig economy Canadians to stay afloat and stay safe! An obvious idea would be for these benefits to be available on-line and for people not to have to line up for them at the EI office as well ;)
Too inundated to put these initiatives into place for March? Waive 2019 taxes is a start. An easy and helpful mini initiative to bridge the waiting period for new policy to come into effect.
And while you are supporting freelancers in Canada, boost your immune system and fight viruses and bacterias with your very own winter herb garden!
