Below are the key government announcements made on June 26, 2020 that touch on workplace issues.
Our daily (weekday) and weekend overviews of previous government announcements, employment analyses and other COVID-19 information are available here.
The Federal Government
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2020.
Alberta
The COVID-19 Pandemic Response Statutes Amendment Act (PDF) was enacted and has made a number of changes to employment standards law in the province, including:
- increasing the temporary layoff period from 120 days to 180 days for employees who have been laid off for reasons related to COVID-19;
- extending the application of the ministerial order requiring health-care and continuing care facility employees to work at only one site until 18 months after the date of expiry or termination of the original ministerial order.
The government also published an amendment (PDF) to the Employment Standards (COVID-19 Leave) Regulation, which will take effect on August 15, 2020 and will extend the unpaid job-protected leave for care of a child due to school or daycare closures or for care for an ill or self-isolating family member to August 2021.
British Columbia
The government published an amendment to the Employment Standards Act Regulation. The amendment provides that employers may temporarily layoff employees for 24 weeks during any 28 week period, without triggering a termination under the Employment Standards Act.
This will not apply to layoffs beginning on or after June 1, 2020, and the amendment expires August 30, 2020.
Manitoba
The government published Orders (available here, here and here) which:
- remove restrictions on travel to northern Manitoba and remote communities;
- remove the requirements for people coming to Manitoba to work on film productions to self-isolate for 14-days before entering the province;
- clarify that professional sports teams from Manitoba are exempt from certain self-isolation requirement; and
- permit individuals who are self-isolating under federal or provincial health orders to visit a family member or friend who has a life-threatening disease in a health-care facility, if the facility permits them to do so and they are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
The government also announced a temporary ban on commercial evictions. The ban will apply if landlords and tenants are eligible for the Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program but have not applied for the program.
Applications for the Manitoba Job Restart Program are now available, through and until July 31, 2020.
New Brunswick
The government’s emergency order was revised on June 26, 2020 to allow for the following:
- the Campbellton region (Zone 5) moves fully into the Yellow level with the rest of the province; and
- all remaining businesses can open in New Brunswick with appropriate distancing and sanitizing, and operational plans respecting WorkSafeNB and Public Health guidelines.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a Special Measures Order in respect of travel across the Labrador-Quebec border. The Order is effective as of June 25, 2020 and provides the following:
- all individuals arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador by motor vehicle from the province of Quebec must immediately stop at their point of entry when indicated by a representative of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador;
- individuals who arrive in the province from Quebec via the Newfoundland and Labrador-Quebec border and who are exempted from the requirement to self-isolate are also exempted from the requirement to complete and submit a declaration form and a self-isolation plan when they enter the province;
- due to the interprovincial travel amongst local communities on the Newfoundland and Labrador-Quebec border and the level of social and economic integration between the communities of Labrador City, Wabush and Fermont and the Labrador Straits area of Blanc Sablon, asymptomatic individuals who are permanent residents of one of these communities and cross the Newfoundland and Labrador-Quebec border are exempted from the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days when arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador provided
that:
- they have not travelled beyond the named communities in the previous 14 days;
- residents of Labrador West do not travel beyond the boundary of the community of Fermont or the Mount Wright Mining Complex turn off at Rue 389;
- residents of Fermont do not travel beyond the community boundaries of Labrador City and Wabush;
- residents of the Labrador Straits area do not travel beyond the community of Blanc Sablon; and
- residents of Blanc Sablon do not travel beyond the Labrador Straits area.
Nova Scotia
The government announced the following:
- effective July 3, 2020, a recognized business or organization can host an outdoor event with 250 people and an indoor event at 50% capacity (to a maximum of 200 people), provided that physical distancing rules are in place. Gathering limit guidelines can be found here (PDF);
- restaurants and licensed liquor establishments can now operate at 100% capacity and serve patrons until midnight with appropriate distancing between tables; and
- private campgrounds can now operate at 100% capacity and public pools can reopen with physical distancing for lane swimming and aquafit classes.
Ontario
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2020.
Prince Edward Island
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2020.
Quebec
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2020.
Saskatchewan
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2020.
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon
In the Yukon, the government announced that regular road tests for driving licences will resume as of July 2, 2020.
In the Northwest Territories, the government announced an amended Public Health Order directed at remote camp workers in the mineral and petroleum resource sector.
In Nunavut, the government announced that its COVID-19 media updates would be broadcast once a week starting June 29, 2020.
