Deciding to claim the Canada Emergency Response Benefit

My two businesses have crashed.

I had a photography business with many contracts for the summer; weddings, birthday parties, and corporate events. All those contracts have been canceled.

I also had a dance school. In my school, we used to teach salsa, Argentine tango, and ballroom. Well, there is not going to be any dancing in a long time.

Who knows if any of my businesses will ever recover. Will it be worth it to start all over again?

I am one of the lucky ones

Don’t get me wrong. I consider myself lucky. I have an emergency fund that could last me for about 6 months.

In addition, I am selling my car, which could give me another four-month of living money.

Don’t feel sorry me. I wanted to sell my car anyway. I live in a neighborhood where having a car is more an inconvenience than an asset.

And now, with the help of the government, the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, I am getting an additional $2,000.So I am good. I can stay in lockdown for almost one year.I will do whatever it takes in order to follow government guidelines of maintaining social distancing and slow down the spread of the virus.

Millions of people have lost their jobs

I don’t know the exact numbers, but I know that millions of people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus.

We are social animals, and practically every business where there is social interaction, such as restaurants, movies, theaters, shopping centers, etc., have been closed. And all of a sudden, all those people who had a regular paycheck, they don’t have a paycheck anymore.

Thousands of self-employed workers, like myself, or part of the gig economy, we have no access to traditional benefits, such as employment insurance, and we have no way to replace our incomes.

The Canadian government steps up to help out

The Canadian government has stepped out to help its citizens. The help is called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and it consists of $2,000 every four weeks, up to 16 weeks. It covers the period from March 15 to October 3

Who qualifies for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit

The qualifications are simple: You have to reside in Canad, have a Social Insurance Number, be at least 15 years old, and have earned at least $5,000 over the last 12 months.

I applied to the benefit as soon as it was made available. It took only two days before I saw the money in my bank account.

I have to say it, I am damp proud of the Canadian government. I see the actions of the United States and I feel sorry for their citizens. Their government has managed the situation and a lot of people are dying or being left out without any assistance.

How to get subsequent help

I only received the help for the first four weeks, $2,000. I have to re-apply every four weeks to continue receiving the benefit. Altogether, the government is ready to help out for four consecutive months.

How does the application works?

The application was open on April 6 and it’s quite simple. All you have to do is to go to the Canada Revenue Agency‘s My Account page or through the phone.

What are you doing with this time of social distancing?

I am spending most of my time inside my apartment, reading a lot, writing a lot, and creating a new business, a website development business.

I want a business that doesn’t rely on social interaction and allows me to work from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection.

Please share with me, in the comments about how you are dealing with the economic hardship and the social distancing.

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