COVID-19: Fact sheet from the province – working during COVID-19

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Employers and employees need to take steps to help staff and clients stay healthy and prevent spread of COVID-19. You should also know what to do if you have safety concerns. To that end, the province has created a helpful fact sheet on “working during COVID-19”

Click here to access the “Working During COVID-19” fact sheet.

Wondering what happens if an employee has a positive COVID-19 test? Click for more information on the Province’s process for positive tests and information for COVID-19 in the workplace.

COVID-19: Industry receives clarification from the province of Nova Scotia

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On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, Deputy Minister Duff Montgomery, Department of Labour and Advanced Education issued a letter to CANS offering clarification on a number of industry questions related to COVID-19 emergency measures.

The letter provides a response from Dr. Strang’s Public Health team and Deputy Minister Duff Montgomery’s team at LAE regarding the appropriate level of protection for its workers with respect to the hazards posed by COVID-19 and Orders issued by the Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia.

Click here to read the Deputy Minister’s full response.

Gold Seal Certification Program Updates

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Gold Seal Certification program new applications suspended April 8 to 30, 2020

The Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) Gold Seal Certification program, for estimators, foremen, owner’s construction managers, project managers, safety coordinators and superintendents, will be temporarily closed for new applications beginning April 8, and will re-open on May 1, on the Gold Seal website. 

Submit your existing Gold Seal application by April 30

Those applicants who meet the Gold Seal Intern (GSI) or Gold Seal Certified (GSC) requirements are invited to update and submit their application for review by the month’s end. The submitted applications will either be approved or the applicants will be given a statement of how many credits they currently have, and what is missing to be approved to write the Gold Seal exam. Access to the applications in the current portal will be removed starting May 1. Those GSC applicants who do not currently meet the requirements can contact the Gold Seal team at goldseal@cca-acc.com to have their application reviewed, once they meet the requirements.

As a reminder:

GSI applicants require one year of experience (or two years in an assistant’s position) in the designation applied for as well as a letter of recommendation from a direct supervisor confirming the length of their employment and duties. 

GSC applicants need a minimum of 100 credits to be approved to write the Gold Seal exam. 50 credits (10 per year) can come from experience, 25 from education and training, mandatory education requirements included, and the remaining 25 credits can come from either experience, education and training or both. For more information on the process and requirements, refer to the Gold Seal Certification guide and other materials posted on goldsealcertification.com.

The deadline to submit your GSC application for review for the October 23, 2020 Gold Seal exam is April 30. Read more about the Gold Seal exam.

COVID-19: COVID-19 in the Workplace

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All positive cases of COVID-19 are reported to Public Health through the lab testing processes. Anyone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be contacted by Public Health and they will work to determine who their close contacts are. If co-workers are identified as close contacts, Public Health will follow up with those individuals, typically within 24 hours, with instructions to self isolate. All other employees should continue to practice good hand hygiene and use cough and sneeze etiquette. Physical distance of 2 metres, or six feet, must be maintained in the workplace.

There is no requirement for businesses to close if an employee has tested positive.

Businesses that are open must take the following steps to keep employees and customers healthy:

  • Maintain a two-metre, or six-foot, distance among employees and customers
  • Clean and disinfect workplaces a minimum of twice a day, or as required
  • Employees must follow proper hand-washing and other hygiene guidelines

To clean and disinfect workspaces, wash with soapy water first. Then disinfect using household cleaning products, following the directions on the label, or a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Disinfect phones, remotes, computers, and other handheld devices with 70% alcohol or wipes.

COVID-19: Grant Thornton’s 26-Week Cash Flow Forecast Model

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Grant Thornton has developed the 26-Week Cash Flow Forecast Model that can assist clients with determining their cash flow needs and support in discussions with their bank. It quickly captures a company’s current cash position and forecasts the run rate for the next 26-weeks. Of significant importance, to business owners and banks, is the model incorporates all the latest federal and provincial COVID-19 programs and can do “what-if” analysis quickly and easily. Clients can use it for bank reporting as well as internal cash flow analysis.

Some highlights:

  • Projects cash flow for 6 months on a weekly basis;
  • Models business decisions and the related impacts on cash flows (lay-offs, principal payment holidays, government support, etc.);
  • Better understanding of cash flow /operating line availability; and
  • Provides timely information to lenders

Overall, the model will help to show lenders that an owner understands their expected cash flow, the levers available to manage the business and how the business is fiscally responsible under the current circumstances.

If you could benefit from the above, please do not hesitate to forward along the contact information for the following GT team members:

Sean Stager                                      902.491.2247       Sean.Stager@ca.gt.com

Louis-Pierre Francoeur                  902.491.7546       Louis.Francoeur@ca.gt.com

Jillian Murray                                   902.491.7745       Jillian.Murray@ca.gt.com

Kevin Fraser                                     902.491.7797       Kevin.Fraser@ca.gt.com

COVID-19: More provincial support for workers and businesses

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Yesterday, April 2, 2020, the Province announced two new programs valued at an estimated $40 million to further support small businesses and workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These two new programs are the COVID-19 Worker Emergency Bridge and the Small Business COVID-19 Impact Grant.

Click here to learn about these newly announced programs.

COVID-19: NS Small Business Loan Guarantee Program

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The Province has made an additional $10 million in credit available through the Program as part of its COVID-19 response efforts to support small businesses, creating a new opportunity for our members experiencing financial uncertainty to access support.

New loans and lines of credit can be issued through the Program, with up to $100,000 of the funds being guaranteed to the lender by the Province until June 30th. In addition, businesses with existing loans under the Program are now eligible for up to a 90-day deferral on principle and interest payments.

You can find details on the small business loan program here.

COVID-19: GOC offers details on Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

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On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Navdeep Bains, announced the details of the proposed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.

Click here for a summary of CEWS provided by Grant Thornton that you can download and read later.

See below for some quick facts about CEWS:

  • Qualifying businesses receive a 75% wage subsidy for up to 3 months, retroactive to March 15, 2020
  • Applies to the first $58,700 normally earned by employees, representing a benefit of up to $847 per week. Please note if you and your staff earn more than $58,700 per year, you will receive less than 75% in wage subsidy. 
  • Program would be in place for a 12-week period from March 15 to June 6, 2020
  • Eligible employers:
    • Employers who suffer a drop in gross revenues of at least 30 per cent in March, April or May, when compared to the same month in 2019, although Minister Morneau acknowledged in interviews that if there were no revenues last year that revenues from January and February 2020 would be considered.
    • Employers of all sizes and across all sectors of the economy, with the exception of public sector entities
  • The 10% wage subsidy is still available if you have not lost 30% in revenue
  • Not-for-profits: government will continue to work with the sector to ensure the definition of revenue is appropriate to their circumstances. Further details will be announced soon.
  • Eligible employers would be able to access the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy by applying through a Canada Revenue Agency online portal. More details regarding how to apply for the program will follow, but we would suggest you sign up immediately for direct deposit with CRA.

Here is a link to the backgrounder with more details.

Canada Emergency Business Account
The Federal Government has also announced a number of programs, including an interest-free loan of up to $40,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits to help cover operating costs during this period of unrest, where their revenues have been temporarily reduced. This loan will be forgivable up to $10,000.  Find more details here. 

COVID-19: Update on COVID-19 Rent Deferral Program participation

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The province has shared that they continue to see participation in their Rent Deferral Program and are pleased to see landlords and tenants working together during this difficult time. As of, April 2, 2020, 180 landlords from across the province representing 505 tenants have entered into agreements that will see $4 million in rent deferred.

COVID-19: CANS President & CEO, Duncan Williams, interviewed on CBC Nova Scotia

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CANS President & CEO Duncan Williams was interviewed recently for a piece featured on CBC Nova Scotia covering the government’s call for help with manufacturing medical supplies.

Read the full article, “Nova Scotia puts out call for help with medical supplies, services.”