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Working with local businesses, charities and health services to coordinate subsidized meals, medicine and essential item deliveries to seniors. The Government of Ontario is investing $5 million dollars and the Government of Canada is investing $9 million that will help bring peace of mind and reduce the need for seniors to leave their homes.

Invested over $85 million to provide more physicians & nurses to rural and northern Ontario and enable physicians to conduct video, email and phone visits.

Seniors Home Safety Tax Credit: To help our seniors age in place, we have allocated $30 million to help fund a tax credit of up to 25% on home renovations designed to keep seniors in their homes up to a maximum of $10,000. This benefit applies to homeowners who have a senior living with them as a primary resident. To claim the tax credit, seniors or their family members should get receipts from suppliers and contractors, helping to ensure that vendors report these amounts for tax purposes. Check back soon for more information.

Budget investments towards building new homes and adding additional beds: The 2020-2021 budget has allocated $1.75 billion to quickly construct new long term Care Homes and build additional beds for those already serving our seniors.

Investing $243 million to long-term care homes to support 24/7 screening, adding staff to support infection control and purchase additional supplies.

Reducing minimum withdrawals for Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs) by 25% for 2020 in recognition of volatile market conditions and the impact on many seniors’ retirement savings.

Spark Ontario: The Government of Ontario is partnering with SPARK Ontario to help seniors and the most vulnerable stay connected and healthy as they self-isolate during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Volunteer organizations can visit www.sparkontario.ca to post volunteer opportunities available in their communities. The needs of each community vary, but groups across the province are looking for volunteers to help deliver food or medicines, run errands or check-up on seniors and the most vulnerable by phone or email while they self-isolate.

Ontarians interested in volunteering are encouraged to check the website for opportunities to make a difference where they live.

Seniors, people with disabilities, and others in need of assistance can also be connected to essential services in their community at any time by visiting www.211ontario.ca or by dialing 211 or 1-877-330-3212 (toll free). TTY service is also available by dialing 1-888-340-1001.

Ontario Community Support Program: The Ontario government is investing $11 million to help deliver meals, medicines and other essentials to those in need.

The province is working with the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) to launch a new Ontario Community Support Program to expand existing Meals on Wheels services to reach low-income seniors and people with disabilities and chronic medical conditions across Ontario. The program will also develop the capacity of community organizations and others to help deliver medication and other essentials.

To identify a Meals on Wheels provider in your local community and request service, visit the link below.

Those without Internet access or who require service in a language other than English or French can dial 211 or 1-877-330-3213 (toll free). TTY service is also available by calling 1-888-340-1001.

Caregiving Communities Portal

The Ontario Caregiver Organization has launched a new portal to connect individuals who need assistance with the organizations who can provide it in their community. This can include help with pick-up and delivery of groceries, medications, and meals, as well as friendly phone calls and mental health support, among other services.

Long Term Care Homes can also use this portal to locate community-based organizations who are collecting personal protective equipment, as well as technological devices to help keep residents connected.

Organizations who offer these services can register themselves on the portal so that they can be easily found by those that need their help.

Updated Screening Protocols for Schools/Childcare

Ontario has amended the COVID-19 School and child care screening guidance on the advice of our Chief Medical Officer of Health to provide information that will help parents determine when it is most appropriate for students, children and their families to seek a test for COVID-19.

• Reaching Home Initiative: $157.5 million to support a range of needs, including: beds, physical barriers for social distancing and securing accommodation to reduce overcrowding in shelters.

• Women’s Shelters: The Government of Canada is providing women’s shelters and sexual assault centres with an additional $50 million to help increase capacity to deal with COVID-19.

• Financial Crisis Assistance: If you are in an emergency situation and require financial assistance visit the link below to apply.

• Ontario Community Support Program: The Ontario government is investing $11 million to help deliver meals, medicines and other essentials to those in need.

The province is working with the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) to launch a new Ontario Community Support Program to expand existing Meals on Wheels services to reach low-income seniors and people with disabilities and chronic medical conditions across Ontario. The program will also develop the capacity of community organizations and others to help deliver medication and other essentials.

To identify a Meals on Wheels provider in your local community and request service, visit the link below.

Those without Internet access or who require service in a language other than English or French can dial 211 or 1-877-330-3213 (toll free). TTY service is also available by calling 1-888-340-1001.

• Emergency Community Support Fund: The Government of Canada has launched the Emergency Community Support Fund to invest $350 million to support charities and non-profit organizations that deliver essential services to the most vulnerable Canadians.

The investment will flow through national organizations that can get funds quickly to local organizations that serve vulnerable populations. It will support a variety of activities, such as:

Increasing volunteer-based home deliveries of groceries and medications

Providing transportation services, like accompanying or driving seniors or persons with disabilities to appointments

Scaling up help lines that provide information and support

Helping vulnerable Canadians access government benefits

Providing training, supplies, and other required supports to volunteers

Replacing in-person contact and social gatherings with virtual contact through phone calls, texts, teleconferences, or the Internet

The federal government is providing a one-time, tax-free, non-reportable payment of $600 to help Canadians with disabilities who are recipients of any of the following programs or benefits:

• holders of a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate,
• beneficiaries as at July 1, 2020 of:
  • Canada Pension Plan Disability
  • Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension,
  • Disability supports provided by Veterans Affairs Canada
• If you are eligible but never applied for the Disability Tax Credit, or your certificate expired in 2019, you must have done so by September 25, 2020.
• Seniors who are eligible for the one-time payment for persons with disabilities would receive a total of $600 in special payments. The one-time payment to persons with disabilities would be adjusted to provide a top-up for eligible seniors, including:
  • $300 for Canadians who are eligible for the Old Age Security pension and who received the one-time seniors payment of $300; or
  • $100 for Canadians who are eligible for the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement or Allowances and who received the one-time seniors payment of $500.

The majority of these payments had been issued in October. However, if you did not receive it you may get a payment in January 2021 if you are confirmed eligible by end of November 2020. 

If you did not receive a payment in October or January and are confirmed eligible by end of February 2021, you may receive your payment in spring 2021.

• Temporary Deferral of OSAP Payments: Providing a 6 month moratorium on the repayment of student loans. No payment will be required and interest will not accrue during this time.

From March 30, 2020 to September 30, 2020, you were not required to make any loan payments, and interest did not accrue on your student loans. Any payments made during this period went entirely towards your loan principal.

As of October 1, 2020, you are required to resume repaying your loan, meaning:
• payments will be withdrawn from your account if you are on pre-authorized debit
• if you make payments through online banking or cheque, you are required to send in payments
• If you need help with repaying defaulted loans, you can bring them back into good standing through the Ontario Student Loan Rehabilitation Program.

• Once your outstanding loans are in good standing, you can apply for further aid from OSAP, including reduced loan payments through the Repayment Assistance Plan.

Learn about other supports from the federal government for students and recent graduates impacted by COVID-19.

• iPads for Low Income Students: In partnership with Apple and Rogers the Ontario Government is providing iPads with LTE data plans for students of low income families. This will allow all students access to the learn at home programs ensuring everyone can continue their education.

The iPads will be distributed by the Ontario School boards. School boards will determine requirements for student eligibility to receive an iPad.

Support for Indigenous Students: an increase of $75 million in 2020-21 to existing distinctions-based support for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation post-secondary students.

• Student Mental Health: Investing $19.25 million into mental health supports for postsecondary students in 2020-21, an increase of $3.25 million over last year. This funding will help students by strengthening community partnerships and increasing the number of mental health workers and programs at colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes.

• Boosting the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program: The Federal Government is providing $270 million to supplement the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program to address increased demand on the program, which will help individuals and families meet their essential living expenses. It will also help hire additional staff to better serve First Nations communities and connect individuals to other government programs.

• PSW Wage Increase: Ontario recently announced an investment of $461 million to temporarily increase wages for personal support workers (PSWs) and direct support workers in the home and community care, long-term care, public hospitals, and social services sectors.

The increase ranges from $2-$3 per hour and is available from October 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 to 147,000 workers who deliver publicly funded personal support services.

• $3 per hour for approximately 38,000 eligible workers in home and community care;
• $3 per hour for approximately 50,000 eligible workers in long-term care;
• $2 per hour for approximately 12,300 eligible workers in public hospitals; and
• $3 per hour for approximately 47,000 eligible workers in children, community and social services providing personal direct support services for the activities of daily living.

The wage builds on the province’s recent $26.3M investment to support PSWs & supportive care workers, including:

• $14M for training
• $10.3M for the new PSW Return of Service Program
• $1.3M to train 160 supportive care workers
• $700K in accelerated PSW training for 220 students.

Ontario is investing $52.5 million to recruit, retain and support over 3,700 more frontline health care workers and caregivers to ensure Ontario’s health care system can meet any surge in demand, while continuing to provide safe and high-quality care to patients and long-term care residents.

The provincial government has announced a $7.5 million Ontario Tools Grant to assist new apprentices purchase the equipment they need to help start their careers. Applications for this new grant will be available in August 2020.

Ontario is also forgiving $10.6M in outstanding loans to about 19,000 people who borrowed money to buy tools, equipment and manuals at the beginning of their careers.

Ontario is investing almost $2 million and partnering with UNITE HERE Local 75 to launch and run a Virtual Action Centre. The centre will offer counselling, training and job search supports for as many as 7,000 unemployed workers in the hospitality sector who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.