COVID-19 Alberni Valley Response

Island Health’s Medical Health Officer has lifted the order that closed all gyms, fitness centres, yoga studios or similar personal training facilities, effective May 19.

The order, issued April 2, is being rescinded in accordance with Phase 2 of B.C.’s Restart Plan. These facilities will be permitted to re-open provided they can meet provincial requirements to protect staff and clients against the spread of COVID-19.

Any facility wishing to resume operation must develop a plan that follows safety measures laid out by the Provincial Health Officer and WorkSafeBC.

Guidance for facility operators and for the public related to gyms and other fitness facilities is now available on the Island Health website.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit islandhealth.ca/covid19.

Health and social service workers delivering in-person, front-line care to some of B.C.’s most vulnerable people will receive a financial boost through temporary COVID-19 pandemic pay.

“From care aids to domestic violence workers, to people working in corrections and others delivering essential addictions and mental health supports, our front-line workers are providing vital support to people who are most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “Temporary pandemic pay recognizes all that our health and social service workers do to help keep people healthy, our communities running and deliver important care and services to the most vulnerable during this challenging time.”

As part of a cost-shared program with the federal government, temporary pandemic pay will support people working on the front lines in B.C.’s health-care system, social services and corrections. This includes workers delivering a range of health and social services to people most vulnerable to COVID-19.

More than 250,000 eligible front-line workers will receive temporary pandemic pay, a lump-sum payment of about $4 per hour for a 16-week period, starting on March 15, 2020. Eligible workers will receive the payment directly through their employer and do not need to apply.

“People at the front lines of the pandemic are working tirelessly to keep us and our loved ones healthy, while also delivering services to the most vulnerable in our community,” James said. “This cost-shared program with the federal government will benefit thousands of British Columbia’s front-line health and social service workers.”

Temporary pandemic pay is part of government’s $5-billion COVID-19 Action Plan to provide relief to people, communities and businesses in British Columbia. It builds off the planned minimum wage increase set for June 1, 2020, and existing supports for people during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers and the enhanced B.C. Climate Action Tax Credit boost in July 2020, which doubles the annual benefit for low- and middle-income people.

Learn More:

To learn more about temporary COVID-19 pandemic pay, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/pandemicpay

On May 14, BC Parks reopened the majority of provincial parks. BC Parks staff and park operators are looking forward to welcoming you back into our provincial parks, protected areas and marine parks!

For a list of parks re-opening on May 14, visit http://bcparks.ca/covid-19/parks-affected/ For Frequently Asked Questions, visit: http://bcparks.ca/covid-19/questions-answers/

Most provincial parks will open for day use only on May 14 and most campgrounds and backcountry camping will open on June 1. The Discover Camping reservation system will be back online on May 25 at 7:00 am to accept camping reservations.

We’ll do everything we can to ensure parks are safe, but visitors are reminded they are responsible for their own safety and to practice physical distancing by giving extra space when passing people on trails and in parking lots and practicing appropriate hygiene. In keeping with public health guidelines around non-essential travel, people are urged to only visit a park close to their home and avoid travelling to small communities. Some parks will remain closed at this time.

We are all in this together, and we are counting on everyone to do their part so our parks can stay open!

For additional information, refer to: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020PREM0026-000826

Throughout the pandemic, the Government of Canada has focused on keeping Canadians safe and healthy and helping families pay their bills. That’s why we have introduced strong measures to protect middle class jobs and support businesses, so they can keep Canadians on the payroll during this challenging time.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced an expansion to the eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to include many owner-operated small businesses. This extended measure will help small businesses protect the jobs that Canadians rely on.

The changes to the CEBA will allow more Canadian small businesses to access interest free loans that will help cover operating costs during a period when revenues have been reduced, due to the pandemic.

The program will now be available to a greater number of businesses that are sole proprietors receiving income directly from their businesses, businesses that rely on contractors, and family-owned corporations that pay employees through dividends rather than payroll.

To qualify under the expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 would need:

• a business operating account at a participating financial institution
• a Canada Revenue Agency business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return.
• eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.

Expenses will be subject to verification and audit by the Government of Canada. Funding will be delivered in partnership with financial institutions. More details, including the launch date for applications under the new criteria, will follow in the days to come. To date, over 600,000 small businesses have accessed the CEBA, and the government will work on potential solutions to help business owners and entrepreneurs who operate through their personal bank account, as opposed to a business account, or have yet to file a tax return, such as newly created businesses.

This measure is part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, which is putting Canadians and the protection of middle class jobs first. We will continue to help all Canadians, and together we will get through this crisis.

For more information, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-wage-subsidy.html

Agriculture, seafood, and food processing businesses in British Columbia can begin to access consulting and planning services to help with COVID-19 response and recovery, through a program offered by the federal and provincial governments.

The latest intake of the B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program is open to applications and has been expanded to include aquaculture and seafood companies in developing COVID-19 business recovery plans.

B.C. agriculture, seafood and food processing business owners are encouraged to apply if their revenues have decreased by at least 30% as a result of COVID-19. The funding available includes up to $5,000 in business planning services and coaching for individuals, and up to $20,000 for groups, from a qualified business consultant, to develop an immediate and long-term recovery plan. Eligible applicants may also apply to the specialized business planning stream of the program to further strengthen their business.

Funding for the B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program is provided through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The partnership is a five-year federal-provincial-territorial agreement that includes $2 billion in cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories, and $1 billion for federal programs and services through March 2023. The new activities related to fish, seafood and aquaculture companies are not eligible for funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Funding for activities related to fish, seafood and aquaculture companies will be provided by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture through the B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program. For more information: news.gov.bc.ca

Parents will have the choice of bringing their children back to class on a part-time basis this school year beginning June 1^st as part of BC’s Restart Plan, with the goal of returning to full-time classes in September 2020, provided it is safe to do so.

To make sure schools are safe for students and staff, the number of students in school each day will be reduced, with most receiving in-class instruction part time. School districts will determine scheduling for classes and transportation arrangements. For kindergarten to Grade 5, this means most students will go to school half time (such as alternating days), while grades 6 to 12 will go to school about one day a week. Children of essential service workers and students needing additional supports will have the option to attend school full time. Families that decide not to send their children to class may continue learning from home.

All boards of education and independent school authorities will be required to implement strict provincial health officer and WorkSafeBC health and safety measures to reduce the risk COVID-19 transmission.

Since returning to class is voluntary and most students will be attending part time, school leaders will contact families to make arrangements for children to return to in-class instruction. If parents have not heard from their schools by May 22, 2020, they are asked to contact their principal. Parents and caregivers are advised to follow the schedule provided for their child to ensure a safe and orderly restart.

Child care

Many child care centres have continued to operate safely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to support essential service workers in communities across B.C.

Updated health and safety guidelines for child care settings released by the provincial health officer will support child care centres that were closed to reopen safely as they are able, and will reassure parents as they return to work that their children will be cared for in a safe environment.

Information from the BC Centre for Disease Control states the COVID-19 virus has a very low infection rate in children. As well, children are not the primary drivers of COVID-19 spread in child care facilities, schools or in community settings. Like schools, child care centres will need to take additional precautions to maintain the health and safety of their employees and the children they care for.

These guidelines will be complemented by WorkSafeBC guidelines for child care providers, which will be released next week.

As British Columbia prepares to enter Phase 2 of its economic restart plan, the Province welcomes the release of the initial set of WorkSafeBC guidelines that will help businesses and organizations develop their plans to reopen safely in the coming days and weeks.

WorkSafeBC has released industry-specific guidelines and resources for the following sectors:

parks and outdoor spaces; and

office space.

restaurants, cafes and pubs;

salons and personal services;

museums, art galleries and libraries, real estate;

education;

health services;

retail;

in-person counselling;

Businesses in all sectors are required to use these guidelines and resources to develop their COVID-19 safety plans and post those plans for employees and customers as they resume operations. Additionally, businesses in sectors under health orders limiting service (such as restaurants, pubs, salons and personal services) will not be able to open until those orders are lifted or modified.Outreach with all sectors continues in order to support the production of sector standards, which will provide additional guidance for businesses and help the sharing of best practices.

WorkSafeBC indicated additional sector-specific guidelines will be available in the coming days for child care, health services, and recreation and sports. For more information visit: news.gov.bc.ca.

JOINT NEWS RELEASE - Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 12 noon

THE ALBERNI VALLEY & BAMFIELD THANKS RESIDENTS

FOR STAYING CLOSE TO HOME OVER MAY LONG WEEKEND

As the Province of BC continues to restrict non-essential travel, we want to thank Alberni Valley and Bamfield residents for staying close to home during the upcoming May long weekend. It is taking an immense collective effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and we recognize the tremendous sacrifice, patience and understanding that residents are undertaking to ensure the health and safety of our entire region.

We acknowledge that May long weekend is typically a time for gathering, recreating, and enjoying leisure activities and we understand that residents often look forward to travelling to other communities during this holiday weekend. But these are not typical times and as we readjust to our “new normal” we would like to remind you to enjoy the splendor of your own beautiful community and explore your own backyard.

Residents of the Alberni Valley and Bamfield are blessed with incredible surroundings that allow us to enjoy nearby lakes, outdoor recreation, green spaces, and hikes on local trails. We ask you to stay within your own area and to take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures near to you.

COVID-19 continues to pose a risk to small and rural communities, and while the Bamfield and Anacla communities and that of the Alberni Valley are not ready to welcome visitors, we are preparing for the time when we can safely do so.

A time will come when all communities will eagerly open their arms to welcome visitors but that time is not now. We look forward to the day when we can travel between communities safely and with ease. This day will come and we thank you for your patience.

Quotes:

“Huu-ay-aht has made the health of our citizens our priority and must protect the vulnerable population in Pachena Bay, so our treaty lands and private lands will remain closed to the public,” Chief Councillor Robert J. Dennis Sr. explained, adding this includes monitoring areas like Pachena Bay Campground, Sarita Lake Camp area, Blenheim Main, Sugsaw Main, and more on May long weekend. “We look forward to welcoming people back to our ḥahuułi when it is safe.”

“Tseshaht are a resilient people and have done a great job practicing social distancing. During this May long weekend we encourage visitors to not visit Tseshaht ḥahuułi including the City of Port Alberni and the Broken Group Islands and remain in their own communities for the health and safety of all. We are all in this together.” – Tseshaht Chief Councillor, Cynthia Dick

Every person in our province has been impacted by COVID-19 and the effects have been far reaching. Today, a province wide survey – called Your story, our future – has been launched to hear about your experiences and actions in the COVID-19 pandemic so far. The survey can be accessed through the BC Centre for Disease Control website:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-survey

For those who cannot complete the survey online, or need assistance in another language, you can call 1 833 707-1900 toll-free to take the survey over the phone. Assistance is available seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Pacific time), in 150 languages.

The information gathered will help inform the decisions we make in the weeks ahead. The survey is also an opportunity for you to express your interest in participating in two important future initiatives: serology blood testing to determine immunity in B.C., and using technology to co-ordinate information sharing for contact tracing.

We have learned much about the COVID-19 virus, but there are still many questions and much more for us to understand.

New Buy BC e-commerce funding is available to help the province’s farmers and food and beverage processors overcome some lost sales during the COVID-19 pandemic by moving their products online.

The B.C. government is providing $300,000 to support industry-led Buy BC e-commerce activities. The funding is under the Ministry of Agriculture’s Buy BC Partnership Program. It helps farmers, ranchers and food and beverage processors market their products as locally grown, raised, harvested or produced, making it easy for British Columbians to Buy BC.

The program provides financial support to access and develop websites that accommodate online sales and helps cover the costs of marketing and shipping products to consumers throughout the province.

Online applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, from May 15 to May 29, or when the funding is fully subscribed. The provincial government's Buy BC Partnership Program is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia. For Buy BC application details, visit: https://iafbc.ca/buy-bc/