Below are the key government announcements made on June 24, 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. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
Alberta
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
British Columbia
The government extended the provincial State of Emergency to July 7, 2020.
The government tabled Bill 18 – the Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act which, if passed, would incorporate Ministerial Orders and Orders in Council into statute. This includes previously announced amendments to:
- the Carbon Tax Act;
- the Motor Fuel Tax Act;
- the Provincial Sales Tax Act;
- the Tobacco Tax Act;
- property taxes and penalties;
- the Employer Health Tax Act;
- the Emergency Benefit for Workers; and
- the Income Tax Act.
The government also announced that the province is entering Stage 3 of its Restart Plan. During this stage, travel within the province will be encouraged and supported, as will hotel, accommodation, cinema, and tourism businesses, in addition to motion picture and television production businesses.
Manitoba
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
New Brunswick
The government announced that residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador may travel within the four provinces and will not be required to self-isolate effective July 3, 2020, provided they:
- have not traveled outside of the Atlantic provinces for any reason in the past 14 days;
- have not been advised to self-isolate;
- are not awaiting results of a COVID-19 test; and
- are not experiencing at least two of the symptoms of COVID-19.
Those traveling between the Atlantic provinces will be required to provide proof of their province of residence. Each province will also choose its own public health process to track and monitor those individuals entering the province.
Further, the government announced that the state of emergency and applicable order will be extended and amended later this week to allow the following:
- the Campbellton region (Zone 5) will move fully into the Yellow level with the rest of the province; and
- the reopening of all remaining businesses 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 announced that the province will enter Alert Level 2 on June 25, 2020.
The following businesses and services are permitted to open at a reduced occupancy in Alert Level 2:
- bars and lounges (karaoke and use of dance floors are not permitted);
- indoor entertainment facilities, including movie theatres, bingo halls and bowling alleys; and
- performance spaces, including arts and culture centres.
Outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted if physical distancing is maintained.
A full list of business and other activities permitted under Alert Level 2 can be found here.
The government announced that the Atlantic provinces will form a "Travel Bubble". Effective July 3, 2020, interprovincial travel without the need to self-isolate will be permitted in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for residents of Atlantic Canada.
Nova Scotia
The government announced that as of July 3, 2020, interprovincial travel between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador will be permitted for residents of these provinces without the requirement of self-isolating upon arrival.
Ontario
The government announced the extension of the declaration of emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to July 15, 2020. The legal instrument extending the declaration was not yet published by 5 p.m. E.D.T.
The government also announced that the Windsor-Essex public health region, with the exception of the Municipality of Leamington and the Town of Kingsville, will be permitted to enter Stage 2 of the provincial reopening plan at 12:01 a.m on June 25, 2020. According to the government press release, the Leamington and Kingsville areas are being held back due to the higher transmission rates in the local agriculture and agri-food sector. More information about Stage 2 of the reopening, including a list of business that can re-open, is available here. The legal instrument shifting Windsor-Essex into Stage 2 was not yet published by 5 p.m. E.D.T. The regulation permitting the entering of all other regions in the province already in Stage 2 is available here.
The government announced a new plan to reduce the risk of transmission on farms and to address outbreaks in the Windsor-Essex region, which provides the following three-points:
- ongoing and expanded on-site testing at agri-food businesses and community assessment centres in the region;
- access to employment benefits and supports, including workers' compensation benefits and CERB and the protections of the infectious disease emergency leave provisions; and
- new public health guidance allowing positive asymptomatic workers to continue working as long as they follow the public health measures in their workplace to minimize the risk of transmission to others.
Prince Edward Island
Starting July 3, 2020, the province will participate in the Atlantic travel bubble. Islanders travelling within the four Atlantic provinces will not be required to self-isolate for 14-days.
Quebec
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
Saskatchewan
There were no major government updates as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon
In the Northwest Territories, the government announced that the Territorial Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency have been extended to July 8, 2020.
There were no major government updates in Nunavut or the Yukon as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T. on June 24, 2020.
