New Brunswick Economic Support

Available Programs by Type

Support for Individuals

Support for Businesses

Employment Standards

Supports for Individuals

• The provincial government will provide a one-time income benefit to either workers or self-employed people in New Brunswick who have lost their job due to the state of emergency. This one-time $900 benefit will be administered through the Red Cross and will help to bridge the time between when people lose their employment or close their business and to when they receive their federal benefit. Furthers details on how to apply will follow in coming days. (March 24)
• Announced earlier this week is $4.5 million investment for workers who have recently become unemployed. The benefit will help to bridge the gap between when a person lost their job or closed their business after March 15, to when the national benefit takes effect. The objective will be to provide access to the benefit before the end of March. The benefit will end on April 30. (March 26)
• Applications for the 2020 Low-income Seniors' Benefit, will be available on April 1. To be eligible for the $400 benefit, a person must have been a resident of New Brunswick on Dec. 31, 2019, and have received one of the following federal benefits under the Old Age Security Act. (March 29)
• Applications for the New Brunswick Workers Emergency Income Benefit will end at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. (April 7)
• WorkingNB services are available to any New Brunswick employer or job-seeker looking for support. Staff are available to provide services over the phone, and more options will be available in the near future. (April 30)
• The province has sent a written request to the federal finance minister outlining a program to provide a monthly top-up of approximately $500 for 16 weeks for front-line workers in a number of sectors. Those eligible for the funding include employees in early learning and child care facilities, home support, special care homes, community residences and group homes, homeless shelters and food banks, and domestic violence outreach and transition homes. Workers must earn $18 per hour or less to be eligible. The top-up will be paid by employers every four weeks. Workers at early learning and child care facilities will receive their top-up retroactive to May 19 and it will continue for 16 weeks. All other sectors will be paid retroactively from March 19 to July 9. (May 20)
• The government has made amendments to the federally funded essential worker wage top-up program. The program now includes private sector home care support workers and early learning and childcare enhanced support workers who provide direct client care. (July 14)
• A subsidy program will be available for students from low- and middle-income families who do not currently own a device. Families will be provided with up to $600 per high school student to purchase a laptop through the program, depending on their eligibility. (July 22)

• The provincial government is working to minimize the financial impacts that childcare facility closures are having on parents. The government has committed to covering the fees of anyone who has lost their income due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. It will also continue to provide parent subsidies as scheduled. (March 20)

• Earlier this week, the federal government announced a six-month interest-free moratorium on the repayment of Canada student loans. This will also be the case for provincial student loans. (March 20)
• The Emergency Bridging Fund for Vulnerable Post-Secondary Students will support students who are directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will be distributed by post-secondary institutions based upon eligibility criteria and will provide a one-time amount of up to $750 per student. (April 3)

• The mandatory order under the Emergency Measures Act suspends the right for landlords to evict tenants for non-payment of rent, through to May 31. People can still be evicted. However, the reason for the eviction cannot be that they are unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (April 3)
• Landlords and tenants are reminded that the section of the province's state of emergency that prevented evictions for non-payment of rent will end on May 31. After that date, landlords will be authorized to serve tenants with a notice to vacate for non-payment of rent. (May 19)

Support for Businesses

• Though business property taxes must be paid by May 31, late penalties will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to see if the penalty can be waived due to undue financial challenges, such as having to close a business due to COVID-19. (March 20)
• WorkSafeNB is deferring the collection of assessment premiums for three months. The current interest rate is prime plus three percent. The rate will be reduced to zero percent to align with the three-month deferral. (March 26)
• On a case-by-case basis, the provincial government will defer loan and interest repayments for existing business loans with government departments for up to six months. Businesses can request deferrals by contacting the department that issued the loan. (March 26)
• Small business owners will be eligible for loans up to $200,000. They will not be required to pay principal on their loan for up to 12 months. (March 26)
• The province will provide working capital of more than $200,000 to help medium-sized to large employers manage the effects of COVID-19 on their operations. Businesses can apply directly to Opportunities NB. (March 26)
• Small, medium and large employers in New Brunswick whose businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 can now apply to the provincial government for loans for working capital. The new loans are to support New Brunswick-based companies. A total of $50 million has been allocated for two distinct loan programs for working capital. (April 7)
• Businesses with human resource challenges, including with recruitment, retention or training, can contact WorkingNB for support through a workforce consultant. (April 30)

Employment Standards

• Legislative and regulatory amendments will be introduced to provide job protection for workers who must take a leave of absence due to COVID-19. It will allow an unpaid leave of up to 15 weeks to New Brunswickers who have COVID-19 or are caring for someone with the virus. (March 26)
• Job protection is now in place, retroactive to March 12, for those who are not able to work because they have COVID-19, are caring for a person with whom they have a close family relationship who has the virus, or are following self-isolation or quarantine protocols as directed by Public Health. (April 30)