For Canadians
How To Apply For EI If Coronavirus Pandemic Affected Your Job
Lost your job because of COVID-19? Employment insurance might help.
On Tuesday, Adam Vettorel made soup for his staff.
It was a veggie minestrone soup, packed full of the produce that would otherwise sit and rot in the fridge of his Ottawa restaurant, North & Navy, where he is the chef/owner.
Vettorel laid off nearly all of his staff over the weekend in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he made the soup because he didn’t know what else to do, and so there was something for staff as they picked up their records of employment (ROE) from the restaurant, a vital document for applying for employment insurance (EI).
EI is a government assistance program that provides temporary income for unemployed workers in Canada. It’s funded by premiums paid by employed Canadians. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s going to become an invaluable resource for many.
Vettorel is one of thousands of small business owners forced to make the difficult decision to close or partially close during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We closed on Sunday — halfway through dinner service we wrapped things up,” he told HuffPost Canada. “Financially, we haven’t even really wrapped our heads around what it’s going to be like.”
Provinces like Ontario have declared states of emergency, leading to the mandated closures of daycares, theatres and restaurants and bars (except for takeout and delivery orders). Some businesses have already chosen to close temporarily on their own.
Many big companies like Lululemon and Lush have promised to pay out employee wages while stores are closed. But for many workers from small businesses like Vettorel’s, they will soon rely on EI to get by.
“It’s a horrible situation,” Vettorel said. “And it makes me feel horrible.”
Vettorel says the best thing small business owners can do is lay off their employees sooner rather than later, because they cannot collect EI until they get that record of employment.
“If you’re not going to be paying them, you owe it to them to lay them off immediately, because otherwise they have no recourse,” he said. “Once they’re laid off, then they can start applying for EI.”
Vetterol said his office manager read up on EI and offered assistance to former workers. Laid-off staff came into the restaurant on Monday and sat around laptops, filling out the Government of Canada’s online EI form.
Vettorel said further assistance for workers and small business is needed “drastically,” but in the meantime, laid-off workers should “fight like f—king hell” to receive EI payments.
“Every paycheque you’ve ever gotten has taken money from you,” he said. “So you’re not asking for a handout, you’re asking for money back that you paid.”
Here’s how to apply for EI.
What is employment insurance (EI)?
There are two types of EI that apply if you lost your job because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EI sickness benefits provide up to 15 weeks of income replacement for employees unable to work because of illness, injury or quarantine. If you’re quarantined, you can apply for sickness benefits.