COVID-19 Updates

Various programs and extensions are ending on June 30th, 2020. Be sure to stay up to date.

• Applications for BC Hydro’s COVID-19 Relief Fund for residential customers ends June 30th
• Fines related to a Provincial Court traffic, ticket, or bylaw case must be paid by June 30th

The B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers has been expanded to include British Columbians who lost their ability to work due to COVID-19 between March 1 and 14, 2020.  

If you haven't already been approved for or received the benefit, find out if you might be eligible. Online and telephone applications are now open. Learn more at gov.bc.ca/workerbenefit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered new details on the now-launched Canada Student Service Grant program including spelling out how it’ll work, and elaborated on the government’s plans to create thousands of more temporary job openings for young people who are looking for work and experience this summer.

The grant to post-secondary students and recent graduates would provide one-time payments of up to $5,000 for volunteering in pandemic-related programs, depending on the number of hours worked. For every 100 hours spent, a student will receive $1,000. 

Interested volunteers must register by August 21 at the latest, and completed applications for the grant have to be submitted no later than November 6. Participants are only able to count hours volunteered between June 25 and October 31 of this year. 

The government is directing those interested to a new “I want to help” information portal where they can connect with COVID-19 focused charities that could use their help. Through this webpage, not-for-profit organizations can submit volunteer opportunities. In order to be a qualifying placement it must happen in Canada, support Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts in some form, be a minimum of two hours per week for four weeks and follow all public health requirements.

British Columbia is gradually entering Phase 3 of its COVID-19 restart plan, which means non-essential travel is now allowed throughout the province.

The Province is extending interim measures, including a new round of funding and supports for children with special needs and youth aging out of care, to help children, youth and families through the ongoing pandemic. A final round of the short-term Emergency Relief Support fund for children and youth with special needs and their families will provide a direct payment of $225 per month for up to three months to assist eligible families. This will be available from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2020, and will reach twice as many families as the first round of funding, helping them to access critical supports. To learn more and/or to contact your regional CYSN office to request funding, click HERE.

The Government of British Columbia is extending the temporary rental supplement (TRS) until the end of August 2020 to continue to support renters and landlords.

People who have already been approved for the TRS do not need to reapply. They will receive an email asking them to confirm they plan to live at the same address through July and August. New applications will also be accepted until Aug. 31 and will be eligible for a supplement for the month they are received and all subsequent months. 

The moratorium on evictions has been in effect since March 30 and will continue for non-payment of rent. As the province moves forward with BC’s Restart Plan, the ban on evictions for reasons other than unpaid rent will be lifted later this month.

People you have a first appearance on a criminal charge in Provincial Court on Vancouver Island on or after July 6, 2020 must attend court. 

People who have a first appearance on a criminal charge in Provincial Court in the rest of British Columbia (the Fraser, Interior, Northern and Vancouver Regions) on or after June 15, 2020 must attend court.

Litigants and lawyers should contact witnesses and prepare for their trials to proceed as scheduled. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit will be extended for eight weeks for those who still can't work as provinces and territories gradually reopen their economies.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said CERB recipients for the new phase will be required to sign an attestation acknowledging the government is encouraging them to look for work and to consult with the government's job bank. That attestation will be in place on July 5, according to her office. 

Further information regarding this extension will be released soon.

The newly updated Provincial Court of BC Notice No. 19 to the public, effective June 12, 2020, explains what will be happening to Provincial Court matters for the coming months.

Many trials and appearances before or on July 3, 2020, have been rescheduled. Trials scheduled after July 3, 2020, will proceed on their scheduled date. Counsel and self-represented litigants should attend court on the date scheduled at 9:00 AM to advise if they are ready to proceed that day. You will be notified by the court if there are any changes. Other non-trial appearances scheduled for after July 3, 2020, will proceed on the date scheduled, either in court or by phone. 

If you have an upcoming provincial matter, it is important that you check Notice No. 19 to confirm your scheduled date and whether it will be in court or via phone.