Close to $500M available to front-line workers in Alberta

More than 380,000 front-line workers will be eligible for a one-time payment of $1,200.

About $347 million of the funding is coming from the federal government, with the province adding about $118 million, totaling $465 million.

Earlier on Wednesday, NDP Leader Rachel Notley called on the government to make full use of the $347-million maximum in eligible federal funding for essential workers under a deal brokered last year between Ottawa and the provinces.

At the news conference at an Edmonton Sobeys, Labour and Immigration Minister Jason Copping said “Alberta needed to design a program that met our province’s specific needs to ensure the benefit recognized the contributions of critical workers and reached as many people as possible.”

Front-line staff in health care, social services, education, retail and transportation, warehousing and storage, and grocery stores and pharmacies are eligible if they’ve worked at least 300 hours between Oct. 12, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2021.

Private-sector employers need to apply on behalf of eligible employees and then will be responsible for distributing the benefit to employees. Employers need to apply before March 19.

For those in the public sector, employers will automatically receive the payment through the Government of Alberta to distribute to their eligible employees.

Kenney called the money “a sign of appreciation for the people whose hard work makes life easier for the rest of us during a really tough time.”

He also defended attempts to clawback salaries of public-sector employees in the budget expected this month.

Kenney said the benefit recognizes the unique circumstance of the pandemic, but that Alberta is still facing a fiscal crisis due to the pandemic and the collapse in energy prices.

“Money does not grow on trees. While protecting lives and livelihoods we also have to protect the health of the province’s finances to make things like our first-class health-care sustainable,” said Kenney.

For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit alberta.ca.

It will be available to those in health-care:

161,000 workers are eligible
For orderlies and patient service associates, respiratory therapists and technologists, nurses (RN, RPN, LPN), food services, housekeeping, maintenance workers, and utility clerks

It will be available to those in social services:

45,000 workers are eligible
For community disability service workers and practitioners, personal care aides, child development workers, family and youth counsellors, crisis intervention and shelter workers, home support workers, seniors lodge staff, cleaners, food preparation, and maintenance workers

It will be available to those in education:

36,000 workers are eligible
For teacher assistants, bus drivers, custodians and cleaning staff, and administration support

It will be available for those making $25/hour or less:

For critical retail workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations
For private health provider workers such as dental assistants, massage therapists, and medical administrative assistants
For food manufacturing and processing workers
For truck transportation workers, such as truck drivers and delivery and courier services drivers
For warehouse and storage workers, such as shippers and receivers

by Chris Brown

Close to $500M available to front-line workers in Alberta

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