International Workers’ Day
For over a century, the first day of May has been celebrated internationally as a day to commemorate the struggle of workers around the world.
This year, under the veil of COVID-19, it has become ever more clear how important is the safety, service and sacrifice of our society’s front line workers – they are paramount to keeping us moving forward.
We want to thank all workers for their contributions to our country.
read more about IWD from the Canadian Labour Congress or TIME Magazine
Student Support Announced
This week the federal government announced a series of financial support measures for post-secondary students. Details for how to access these programs will come later.
The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) will provide $1250 a month from May to the end of August to post-secondary students who do not otherwise qualify for CERB or EI. This increases to $1750 for students with dependents or a disability. It will be administered by the CRA.
A series of changes to the Canada Student Loans Program for the 2020-2021 year. Max grants increased from $3,000 per year to $6,000 per year (they were due to increase to $4,200 anyway). Loan limits increased from $210 per week to $350/week. Personal and spousal contributions suspended (no apparent change to parental contributions).
Creation of a Canada Student Service Grant which will provide up to $5,000 to support student’s post-secondary education costs in the fall. This program is supposed to “encourage youth to mobilize and take part in national service activities”. Details to come.
Support to grad students! $292 million to the granting councils in order to “extend expiring federal graduate research scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships, and supplement existing federal research grants, to support students and post-doctoral fellows”.
Resources
Resource Highlight #1
- The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) offers free online courses on a variety of topics, including Mental Health Awareness and Health and Wellness Strategies, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Office Ergonomics, Pandemic Awareness & Pandemic Planning [more information]
Resource Highlight #2
- Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) produced a PDF document providing guidance on Health and Safety for Television, Film and Live Performance Sector during COVID-19 [more information]
Resource Highlight #3
The Workers Health and Safety Centre provides a variety of safety and workplace related courses. [more information]
View our searchable indexed resources on our website: https://liveeventcommunity.org/resources
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