British Columbians will be able to apply to receive a one-time COVID-19 recovery benefit from the provincial government starting December 18, with the benefit arriving via direct deposit potentially before Christmas, Finance Minister Selina Robinson said December 8. She expects that a call centre will be operating by December 21 for those who do not want to apply online.
Here is a link to the provincial website where applications are set to be processed. The call centre number is set to be 1-833-882-0020, and it is toll-free within North America, with agents working 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
The NDP touted the benefit as one of the cornerstones of its re-election platform, and its intention is to help up to 3.7 million low- and middle-income B.C. residents manage financially during the pandemic. Robinson estimated that the program will cost the provincial treasury between $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion.
Eligible single recipients will get the full $500 tax-free grant if they made $62,500, or less, in the 2019 tax year. They will receive incrementally less money if they have incomes ranging up to $87,000. Couples, and single-parent families, can get a $1,000 benefit if they made $125,000, or less, in 2019. They would then receive incrementally less money until they reach the $175,000 threshold, Robinson said.
"A two-adult family with an annual income of $174,500 to $175,000, will just get like a one time payment of $10," she explained.
BIV asked Robinson whether there would be a mechanism for the province to share and confirm information with Revenue Canada, or otherwise verify that applicants are providing accurate information.
"There's a significantly stringent verification process that staff have built into the system, making sure that we reduce any potential fraud because it's really important that we get it into the hands of British Columbians," she said.
Many people hard hit by the pandemic may have had significant incomes in 2019, and therefore will fail to qualify for this new benefit. Robinson said that the government made the decision to use 2019 tax information because that way the program, and the direct deposits into recipients' bank accounts, could come this year. She would not commit to having a second iteration of the program launch in 2021, and use 2020 tax information.
People who live on disability benefits may apply for the benefit program and get full grants, she said. They will also start receiving an additional $150 per month, starting in January and going through to March.
"That means individuals on income and disability assistance could receive up to an additional $950 over those months," Robinson said.
The government will not mail cheques, and having an account with a Canadian financial institution is required in order to get the benefit.
She explained that these individual direct deposits will flow through the economy and help businesses.
"By putting money, this money, in people's pockets, they're going to spend it in their communities, whether it's taking the family out for dinner because they haven't had a chance to do that," she said. "That's going to help the local restaurateur."
