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GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, OTTAWA For those that need money, we've written a short guide to the new Canadian Emergency Benefit Relief below. But the most important thing to take away: get ready now. Find your tax returns, get the login codes. What ever you need because otherwise, you'll be delayed. – Martha and Darren
STATS Weather: High of 9° with mix of sun and cloud Number: 190,000 The of tons of salt used annually by the City. Ottawa Riverkeeper says that it is leeching into the water ways at seven times health levels [Capital Current] Ottawan of the Day: Gizmo, the cat found in the waterlogged basement of the Barrhaven duplex fire [Ottawa Citizen] Quote: “People can say what they want about Justin Trudeau, but at least he’s showing empathy, unlike the Donald twit in the U.S. who basically just said, ‘Hey … car accidents and the regular flu and stuff kill people … you know … people die … let’s open everything back up and move on.’ – Steve Fletcher in a letter to the editor [Ottawa Sun]
SYSTEM OF A DOWNER The Federal Government has announced that billions of dollars would be made available to people rendered moneyless by business closures and stay-at-home orders. Use it or lose it. If you were laid off from work in the traditional manner — Your boss says, “Sorry, we’re laying you off. Here’s your T4 form” — you need to apply for Employment Insurance and you can do that immediately. If you are not a traditional worker, it’s a little more fuzzy. The Federal Government has rigged the rules so that only people who worked in the past year and made at least $5,000 are eligible but people who have been unsuccessfully looking for work the entire time, who have been students without work, who have been on welfare or disability, or have been working as unpaid carers are not eligible. Gig workers, contract workers, and freelancers should all be eligible for the $2,000 Canada Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) as long as you can prove at least $5,000 income from any combination of employment, self-employment, or maternal/paternal benefits. This can be renewed every four weeks, four times. If you have a Canada Revenue Agency login or a My Service Canada login (this one is for your CPP contributions), sign in now and make sure that your address and bank details are up to date. If you can do this, you’re golden and you can apply next week. If, for some crazy reason, you don’t have a Canada Revenue Agency or My Service Canada login — I know, right? — you can sign up online but if you don’t have your tax return from the previous two years in front of you, you’ll be stuck. That means phone My Service Canada right now — today — at 1-800-277-9914 and tell them that you want access to your My Service Canada account so you can access the CERB. You’ll probably have to wait five to ten days for them to send you a code. That’s why you need to do it today. If your address and bank details are up to date or you have a sign in to CRA/My Service Canada, you can apply for the CERB beginning Monday. But even this has a twist – they have staggered the application days by birth month. If you were born in: Apply: Starting:
Apply to the CERB and find more information here.
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE There have been 194 cases of COVID 19 in Ottawa, an increase of 50 since yesterday, and seven deaths. Prime Minister Trudeau says it is realistic that measures will last until July [Hill Times] Gatineau police have set up checkpoints between Gatineau and Ottawa to turn away inessential traffic. Ottawa says it will not reciprocate. [Ottawa Citizen] City parks have been closed for everything except ‘walk throughs’ [CBC] Ottawa nurse has been rendered homeless because no one will rent to her [CBC] City police have gained new powers to break up groups of people and fine COVID 19 infractions [CBC] Four more Senators (the hockey ones) join two already with COVID 19 [CBC] Fire crew will use fire fighting breathing apparatus even in non-fire situations [Ottawa Citizen]
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IN OTHER NEWS Shopify suspends its financial guidance because it has no idea what the future holds [Ottawa Matters] Ottawa 67s have the 20th round in the OHL draft pick. It’s still going on. [Capital Current] OC Transpo ridership is down 70 to 90 per cent; car traffic volume is down 50 per cent [CTV Ottawa] Police charge man for spitting on him in Byward Market spat [Ottawa Citizen] Teenager shot (minor injuries) in Bronson Avenue drive-by shooting [Ottawa Citizen] Ottawa High School teachers resume bargaining [Ottawa Matters]
THINGS TO DO Listen ? New podcast: At the Pass, with North & Navy's chef owner Adam Vettorel. A show "about the Ottawa restaurant scene for the Ottawa restaurant scene." Adam, who is passionate about Ottawa's extensive but under-reported dining scene, will interview local chefs and restauranteurs, or spend the episode discussing topics unique to the industry. [Instagram] Do ? VIRTUAL YOGA (PAID) Support Pure Yoga Ottawa by following their daily workouts, posted in their Instagram stories. Keep the teachers going by paying a dropping in fee or taking out a membership. [Instagram]
? Nick Arbuckle is keeping in shape at home. You can join him in his "COVID-19" workouts via his instagram stories feed. [Instagram] FREE ART CLASS (FRIDAYS) ? @popuppaintersottawa will run a free "PAINT YOUR OWN" course every Friday via Facebook Live. [Instagram] CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOPS ✍? Every bullet journaler knows that calligraphy can make or break your day's to-do list. @Thehappyevercrafter of Ottawa offers a huge range of videos on lettering and illustration via her YouTube channel, but for those looking for ways to make money via their side hustles she also interviews crafting and calligraphy creatives who've found business success. [YouTube]
Eat ? From Thursday to Saturday Vanier's Ola Cocina Taqueria offers Mexican classics like enchiladas and tacos, but you can also scratch your chicken and waffles itch. [Ola Cocina Taqueria] Buy ? It's no secret that businesses are suffering right now. Some are exploring creative new offerings to keep their virtual doors open. Stittsville's Cala Woodworks has s range of laser cut birch plywood puzzles and toys to buy, assemble and decorate, including a pack of 12 Easter eggs to display around your home. [Cala Woodworks]
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