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Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) Announced

Read more about the CRB, which took effect September 27 2020.

CERB Extended

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) has been extended to a total of 28 weeks (from the original 26 weeks). This will extend the original CERB payments to 27 September 2020.

Beginning 27 September anyone who qualifies for EI will be migrated to this program, and anyone else can apply for the newly announced Canada Recovery Benefit.

*NEW* Canadian Recovery Benefit

CRB starts 27 September 2020 for people who don’t qualify for EI (freelancers)

This program will offer $400 a week for 26 weeks.

You can claim income but your benefit will be reduced by $0.50 for each $1 earned.

Employment Insurance Program

With the revised EI program, you will receive 55% of your former income up to $573/week, but the floor (minimum payment) has been raised to $400.

You will qualify for between 26 and 45 weeks depending on the worked hours you have banked. You have to have worked 120 hours to qualify for this year.

You must claim outside income earned, but your benefit will be reduced by $0.50 for every $1 earned.

Canada Recovery Care-giving Benefit

$550 for week per household caregiving benefit up to 26 weeks.

Canadian Recovery Sickness Benefit

Also you can be eligible for $500 weekly for up to two weeks for those who don’t have paid sick leave or if you become sick or if you need to isolate for reasons linked to COVID-19

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Day of Visibility Date Change

The Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community is now TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER beginning an hour after sundown.

Why the change?

We want to ensure that everyone can participate, and our previous date is Rosh Hashanah, a celebration of the Jewish New Year.

Traditionally, theatres are dark on Monday, allowing everyone involved a day off. We will light the night RED on Tuesday, a night that would normally bring bright marquees and lit stages.

We support an amazing variety of industries and possess a remarkable collection of skills. We are coming together to showcase the magnificent scope of live events, and the people who create them.

We need your help to shine a light on the tens of thousands of live event workers who are in the wings while theatres, convention halls and arenas remain dark.

Sign up for Red Alert Day of Visibility updates!

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Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community

Dear Live Event Workers, Event Venues and Companies,

We were the first out of our jobs, and all indications are that we will be the last back. Many people are facing choices between food and rent, or are facing evictions. Production personnel and artists, companies all across production and entertainment are fading to black. 

We are proposing a Day of Visibility for the Entertainment and Events Industry. This is a “red alert”, reminding Canadians that we are still here and ready to work, but to stop the spread of COVID-19, large events, conventions and concerts have been cancelled indefinitely.

On Tuesday, 22 September 2020, an hour after sundown, we are asking technicians, suppliers and venues across the country to light the night red – raising awareness for an industry that is still dark. Campaigns in Germany (#nightoflight2020) and the UK (#LightItInRed) have been successful in raising the profile of an industry that has lost 80-95% of its business since March.

We need every jurisdiction in Canada to find the time and a red light. It does not need to be a giant show; it just needs to be a show of red. We need our venues, shops, homes (and gnomes!) awash with red. We would love to see YOU the workers lit up in red as well! Put your city’s twist on it.

We need our venues, shops, homes (and gnomes!) awash with red.

Starting 28 August, there will be an interactive map at liveeventcommunity.org/redalert where you can showcase your installation. There will be an opportunity to give some love to your installation sponsor/supporter as well. An appropriate hashtag will allow us to push our cause to the top of the trending lists on 22 September. In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter to get information as soon as it’s available.

This is not a protest. We are reminding our communities and our government that we have been told to stand by for the health of our fellow Canadians and that we want to be ready to return to work once the danger has passed.

The arts and live event community would like to thank our various provincial and federal governments who have been supportive to this point with programs like CERB, CEWS, arts and heritage grants — but it’s not over. Our stages, conference rooms, event centres, and venues are still dark. We need continued support until the lights are back on for good.

Get the word out:

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How to petition the government

It is important that the government hear from you. This helps them to shape decisions, and to hear from actual citizens.

Why can’t you speak on my behalf?

Great question! We do, but a letter or a call to your MP can have a big impact, especially if it is unique and personal.

Who should I talk to?

Head over to this website https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
Look up your Local MP by name, or postal code. Then call them. Or email them. You can also write to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.

What should I say?

Here are some talking points:

  • We were the first industry to stop and will be the last to come back
  • Our employers are not supported enough to be able to hire us any time soon (or you may not even have a single employer!)
  • Our jobs require specialized training that is not transferable for a job with equal wages in other industries

What we want:

  • Extend CERB until theatres, convention centres, stadiums, arenas and city-sanctioned events are running again
  • Keep restrictions and eligibility for CERB as they are. In fact, you can call on them to expand to include more gig economy workers.
  • We need the support to get back to what we do in this industry, entertaining Canadians.

REMINDER: A letter can be mailed to an MP without a stamp

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Fourth Open Letter

An open letter to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hon. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau,

The CERB is a key support for most Canadian live event technicians, artists and arts workers to survive this pandemic. It is imperative that you extend payments for CERB to entertainment workers, many of whom submitted for CERB early, and will reach their 16-week limit on 5 July 2020. The live events industry will remain shut down for the foreseeable future and this decision is solely in the hands of local health authorities, and the government.

It is imperative that you extend payments for CERB to entertainment workers

Live Event workers are resourceful, but we are in a market where our specialized skills are of limited use in competing for the jobs that would be required to replace our income from lifetime careers and dedication to the arts. We need support to continue and to be able to return to our careers.

There are provisions in Bill C-17 that specifically penalize CERB applicants who break the rules. However, since CERB was first proposed in March, these rules have changed several times, and will again once more with the passing of C-17. The government encouraged Canadians in need to apply for CERB promptly, and many of our Live Event Community did, especially since our industry was so quick to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is understood that the government should investigate and recover money from improper use of the benefit but asks that CERB applicants who unintentionally violate a CERB condition be given an opportunity to correct without penalty.    

We have confidence that the proposed changes to CERB as described in Bill C-17 will not affect our communities ability to receive support and will allow us to return to work when it is safe to do so.

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Third Open Letter

An open letter to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hon. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau,

On behalf of The Live Event Community we want to thank your government for the strides in protecting Live Event workers. “Gig” workers, freelance entertainment technicians and artists are often employed in periodic, sporadic and non-standard work, which leaves us vulnerable and not easily covered by a typical scenario. The CERB does not reach all, and even worse many of our artists, creators and technicians may inadvertently disqualify themselves for CERB. 

Many in our industry have found innovative ways to entertain and motivate Canadians to stay indoors, including online performances, educational opportunities and other novel experiences. These are often at reduced rates, or in some cases for cost only. The CERB requires that the applicant receive NO INCOME for 14 consecutive days in a 4-week period for which they apply for benefits, no income from:

Employment or self-employment; Employment Insurance; Any allowances/money/benefits in respect of pregnancy or parental leave, including adoption benefit of $2,000 paid every 4 weeks from March 15, 2020, until Oct 3, 2020.

We do not want to stop creating, producing, and building live event experiences, but require a system that will allow us to continue small projects, and that whatever income earned be deducted from the basic CERB amount. We are not asking for more than any other Canadian, but we need to guarantee that this basic amount, that you have deemed important for Canadians to survive during this crisis, will not be refused due to small residual income.

We await your response, and we need you to consider these important changes.
Thank you for your attention in these difficult times,

Sincerely,

the Live Events Community

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Our Website has Launched!

We are a not-for-profit group of entertainment professionals just like you! Since the arrival of this crisis, we have been working to support, engage and give voice to the unseen. I want to thank you for signing up — it helps us to help you.

I want to thank you for signing up — it helps us to help you

Signing up is twofold: you get access to the information and resources we have obtained, and are able to include you in our advocacy campaign.

Governments are listening. Every day, political leaders at all levels of government are meeting and making plans to respond to COVID-19. We are talking with the stakeholders at every step to ensure that you are represented.

That brings us to why we are sending this email today. It took our little volunteer organization some time, but we have compiled a database of health, financial, and educational resources. It is a wide collection of support and information (and growing!). This information is crowdsourced and updated in real-time. Please take advantage of it. Please contribute to it.

Come see our new resource section!

If you have any other ideas or suggestions on how to serve you, let us know.

Submit a new resource to the database

Nobody knows how long this crisis will last, but we do know that when it finally recedes our world will look very different, and we will all be needed to bring the joy of live events back and bring people together.

Be safe. Stay strong. You are seen. You are heard.
Live Event Community

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The CERB and You

The Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) includes money designated for distribution to sole-proprietor and small business owners who don’t qualify for EI.

The CERB applies to an extremely broad group of workers in Canada.

The following is a list of questions and answers, which will be updated as new information comes up.

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