The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit Is Here & This Is Everything We Know So Far

As of Monday, October 25, the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) has officially ended, making way for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB) to take its place.

It's a COVID-19 benefit that was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on October 21, as part of a move from "broad-based support" to "more targeted measures."

With the CRB officially closed, the new CWLB aims to support workers in parts of the country where COVID-19 is still a concern.

"The Government of Canada wants to ensure that if another level of government takes a decision to impose a temporary lockdown to save lives and stop the spread, they can do so with full confidence that individuals will get the income support they need," officials said in a statement.

What does the CWLB offer?

The brand new benefit will offer $300 per week to workers whose job has been interrupted as a result of a government-imposed lockdown related to COVID-19.

It will be available until May 7, 2022, with retroactive application to October 24, 2021, where applicable.

The feds say it will be accessible for the entire duration of a government-imposed public health lockdown, up until the benefit's expiry date in May next year.

Further details are expected to be announced within the coming weeks.

Who can apply?

The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit will be "strictly available to workers whose work interruption is a direct result of a government-imposed public health lockdown."

This includes those who are ineligible for Employment Insurance (EI) and those who are eligible for EI, provided they are not receiving EI benefits for the same time period.

Workers who have lost income or employment due to their refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be able to access support via the CWLB.

What about the CRB?

Speaking to reporters last week, Freeland confirmed that the CRB would be ending as planned, noting that all of Canada's original COVID-19 benefits were "designed to be temporary."

However, she did announce that the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) would be extended until May 2022, with the maximum duration of each benefit increasing by two weeks.

The expected cost of the new CWLB, as well as the CRSB and CRCB extensions, is around $7.4 billion.