Canadians who’ve lost all or most of their income due to COVID-19 were told to start applying for the second tranche of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit starting on April 13.
But in the two-tiered CERB system set up by Ottawa — where applicants can access the benefit both through the traditional Employment Insurance (EI) system and through a Canada Revenue Agency portal — some have become stuck in payments limbo.
In Whitby, Ont., Julie Frost applied for regular employment insurance in late March before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of CERB.
The government has automatically processed her claim through CERB, resulting in an initial payment of $2,000 for the first four weeks of unemployment.