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Official RFD Thread for the British Columbia Emergency Benefit for Workers ("BCEBW")

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  • May 7th, 2020 4:42 am
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Official RFD Thread for the British Columbia Emergency Benefit for Workers ("BCEBW")

British Columbia has announced that its application portal for the British Columbia Emergency Benefit for Workers ("BCEBW"), a one-time, tax-free payment of $1,000 to those eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit ("CERB"), will go live May 1st. It has also provided details on the particulars. Still, though at the time it was announced, working students were ineligible for BCEBW, but since CERB has been expanded, they would appear to be. Nevertheless, those who will be eligible for the CESB are ineligible, creating an inequity.

News article: https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/298073 ... open-May-1

Portal: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/empl ... it-workers

Application Portal: https://www.etax.gov.bc.ca/BTP/EBW/?LINK=EBWAPP/

As always, post a reply with any updated details and, optionally, add those details to a thread summary. I will amend the original post periodically. :)

Cheers,
Doug
Last edited by dmehus on May 1st, 2020 4:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BC seems to be doing a lot more than Doug Ford is doing in Ontario.
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is BC the only province providing this sort of relief program? The other provinces seem to have no similar program in place, other than the national CERB, of course
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VinceJ35877 wrote: is BC the only province providing this sort of relief program? The other provinces seem to have no similar program in place, other than the national CERB, of course
I think so, yes. It's too bad, really. Despite the fact it's one-time only and doesn't include those eligible for the CESB, it's a good program. No idea why Ontario and Alberta didn't do this. :(

Cheers,
Doug
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Sgtalpowell wrote: Only for BC, but it is probably taxable income just like CERB.
First line on the OP's BC government link:
The B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers will provide a tax-free, one time $1,000 payment for B.C. residents whose ability to work has been affected due to COVID-19.
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JUnit wrote: First line on the OP's BC government link:
Thanks! I looked straight at eligibility and missed that.

I am surprised it is exempt from federal income tax too.
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dmehus wrote: No idea why Ontario and Alberta didn't do this. :(
Because they have Conservative governments.
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someweirdo wrote: Because they have Conservative governments.
Maybe, but actually Conservative governments (at least those under Harper) preferred direct monetary support to individuals than new or expanded welfare state social programs. ;)

Cheers,
Doug
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dmehus wrote: Maybe, but actually Conservative governments (at least those under Harper) preferred direct monetary support to individuals than new or expanded welfare state social programs. ;)

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Doug
How is it not direct monetary support when they're depositing money right into people's bank accounts?

These aren't expanded social programs. They're purpose-built for Covid. Once the pandemic is over, they'll be gone.
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dmehus wrote: Maybe, but actually Conservative governments (at least those under Harper) preferred direct monetary support to individuals than new or expanded welfare state social programs. ;)

Cheers,
Doug
Good point. I think that if the government is going to give money out at a time like this, it is best served to put it directly in the hands of the people it is intended to help INSTEAD OF via some non-profit who takes a big bite out of the funds leaving peanuts for the recipients. And for a variety of reasons. Not sure how much of the $87 billion+ at the federal level will actually go directly to Canadians. I have a feeling that a lot of it is presented in the name of helping Canadians when Canadians will really be at the mercy of whatever the middleman decides to give them in the form of assistance.
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choclover wrote: I think that if the government is going to give money out at a time like this, it is best served to put it directly in the hands of the people it is intended to help INSTEAD OF via some non-profit who takes a big bite out of the funds leaving peanuts for the recipients.
Which non-profit(s) are you referring to? Unless I'm misreading something, there aren't any non-profits involved in the BCEBW.
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someweirdo wrote: How is it not direct monetary support when they're depositing money right into people's bank accounts?

These aren't expanded social programs. They're purpose-built for Covid. Once the pandemic is over, they'll be gone.
@someweirdo, with respect, your replies in this thread have been nonsensical. I've said this, absolutely, is direct monetary support. Conservative governments, through the Universal Child Care Benefit and other refundable and non-refundable tax credits, prefer direct monetary support (i.e., GST cut to 5% from 7%).

No idea what you're arguing, but essentially, you're in 100% agreement with me.

Cheers,
Doug
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someweirdo wrote: Which non-profit(s) are you referring to? Unless I'm misreading something, there aren't any non-profits involved in the BCEBW.
You're misunderstanding. @choclover didn't mean non-profits were distributing the BCEBW. Or, @choclover likely meant by "non-profit" governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Cheers,
Doug
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dmehus wrote: @someweirdo, with respect, your replies in this thread have been nonsensical. I've said this, absolutely, is direct monetary support. Conservative governments, through the Universal Child Care Benefit and other refundable and non-refundable tax credits, prefer direct monetary support (i.e., GST cut to 5% from 7%).

No idea what you're arguing, but essentially, you're in 100% agreement with me.

Cheers,
Doug
You implied that Liberal and NDP governments favour expanded social programs over direct monetary support:
dmehus wrote: Maybe, but actually Conservative governments (at least those under Harper) preferred direct monetary support to individuals than new or expanded welfare state social programs. ;)

Cheers,
Doug
That is nonsensical in a thread about an NDP government offering direct monetary support.
dmehus wrote: You're misunderstanding. @choclover didn't mean non-profits were distributing the BCEBW. Or, @choclover likely meant by "non-profit" governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Cheers,
Doug
I don't think that's what Choclover meant because government organizations are never referred to as non-profits.
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someweirdo wrote: You implied that Liberal and NDP governments favour expanded social programs over direct monetary support:


That is nonsensical in a thread about an NDP government offering direct monetary support.


I don't think that's what Choclover meant because government organizations are never referred to as non-profits.
Absolutely did not imply that. You inferred that, incorrectly. Liberal and NDP governments do support direct monetary support, but in contrast to Conservative governments, they also favour direct monetary support. In an earlier post, you explicitly stated that the reason for B.C. offering the BCEBW was because of their NDP government and the Alberta and Ontario Conservative governments, for which there is absolutely zero corroborating evidence to suggest political inclination has anything to do with this.

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Doug
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dmehus wrote: Liberal and NDP governments do support direct monetary support, but in contrast to Conservative governments, they also favour direct monetary support.
This sentence doesn't make any sense. If they all favour direct monetary support, there's no contrast.
dmehus wrote: In an earlier post, you explicitly stated that the reason for B.C. offering the BCEBW was because of their NDP government and the Alberta and Ontario Conservative governments, for which there is absolutely zero corroborating evidence to suggest political inclination has anything to do with this.

Cheers,
Doug
Right-wing governments are substantially less likely to give their residents financial support than left-wing governments. Being stingy towards needy people is the defining feature of fiscal conservatism.

This is why it's no surprise that the BC NDP is creating a program like the BCEBW when Conservatives in Alberta and Ontario are not. Political inclination has everything to do with this.
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someweirdo wrote: You implied that Liberal and NDP governments favour expanded social programs over direct monetary support:


That is nonsensical in a thread about an NDP government offering direct monetary support.


I don't think that's what Choclover meant because government organizations are never referred to as non-profits.
Are you high?
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someweirdo wrote: This sentence doesn't make any sense. If they all favour direct monetary support, there's no contrast.


Right-wing governments are substantially less likely to give their residents financial support than left-wing governments. Being stingy towards needy people is the defining feature of fiscal conservatism.

This is why it's no surprise that the BC NDP is creating a program like the BCEBW when Conservatives in Alberta and Ontario are not. Political inclination has everything to do with this.
Both responses are simply not accurate. On the former, a type of party can favour one type of support, both types of support, or none.

On the latter, this is simply not accurate, too. The Conservatives created the Universal Child Care Benefit, which has since been combined with the Canada Child Tax Benefit into the Canada Child Benefit by the current Liberal government. Both are direct financial support measures. The Liberals, in turn, expanded federally funded child care programs, a social program of the welfare state, which the Conservatives had steadfastly opposed. Libertarians are a type of fiscally conservative party who support direct support through guaranteed minimum annual incomes.

Thus, you have been disproven on both counts.

Thanks,
Doug
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maketherightmove wrote: Are you high?
+1 to this.

I literally just said that political inclination has nothing to do with the latter; it can be both. Fully three users, including me, understood what I meant. It is @someweirdo that is confused, or high. ;)

Cheers,
Doug
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Vegas Golden Knights…
So if your getting E.I or waiting for E.I approval. You can't apply for this?

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