Anand Athiviraham, Senior Associate in our Business Law Group, joins Marco Russo, Wealth Management Specialist, for a webinar presentation on Wednesday, April 22, that reviews the benefits provided by the Canadian Government as a response to COVID-19, and the resulting legal implications. They will address how to deal with employee layoffs, how the virus has…

The novel coronavirus has disrupted British Columbia’s economy and the province may not fully recover from the effects of social distancing for months to come. For many business owners, working from home is either not possible with social distancing orders, or it provides limited (if any) economic benefits. Businesses are facing massive difficulties in trying…

On March 27, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada would be creating a 75% wage subsidy for all employers who can demonstrate a reduction in revenue of 30% or more due to COVID-19.  This benefit has since been named the “Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy” or “CEWS”. On April 1, 2020, Ministers Bill Morneau, Mary…

The global pandemic has forced workplaces around the world to adapt very quickly to the current crisis. It is critical that during this unprecedented event, employers set out written expectations for their employees. Whether it is meeting the challenge of working from home, or setting guidelines for employees who continue to attend on-site as permitted…

Both the federal and provincial governments have introduced various new measures to provide economic relief to Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following is a summary of the key support measures for business as of March 27, 2020.   Federal Government   1. Temporary Wage Subsidy A new temporary wage subsidy for eligible employers for a…

Government Benefits The federal government has existing programs to assist workplaces. Both the federal and provincial governments have also added a few additional programs and made amendments to current programs to streamline the application process to address the current crisis. Please see here for further details or to find applications for the benefits. This article…

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic has disrupted Canadian life in ways that our citizens and residents have not experienced since World War II. Mobility has been restricted to unprecedented levels, but still, commerce continues, albeit conservatively. Land related transactions are one of the most common occurrences at a lawyer’s office where, almost always, the…

*** UPDATE: On March 26, 2020, the B.C. Minister of Citizens’ Services signed an order under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, permitting the disclosure of health information by health care bodies and public bodies in certain circumstances related to COVID-19. Health care bodies may make disclosures for the…

On March 17, 2020, the Province of British Columbia declared COVID-19 a “public health emergency”. The realities of a global pandemic could not be foreseen just a couple of months ago. Now, it is impossible to read the news or scroll through a social media feed without being overwhelmed with information about the pandemic. Among…

In the coming months, a new Land Owner Transparency Registry, a fundamental requirement under the Land Owner Transparency Act, is expected to come into effect. The public disclosure of ownership information in the Registry forms part of the British Columbia government’s strategy to improve housing affordability by increasing transparency of property ownership in BC. In…