Trudeau Announces Changes and Updates to Wage Subsidy Program

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed Canadians from Rideau Cottage and unveiled changes to Canada's wage subsidy program and more help is coming for students.

Under the new changes, Canadian businesses will only need to show a loss of revenue of 15% for March, rather than the previously announced 30% mark, to qualify the federal government's Emergency Wage Subsidy program. This update would allow the many businesses that were forced to shut down midway through last month as a result of COVID-19 to qualify.

Canada Emergency Response Benefit Applications Open Today

Businesses will also have the option of comparing March revenue to those in January and February 2020, rather than last year, which will help start-ups and other businesses qualify.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced temporary changes to the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program. Trudeau said the government will now offer subsidies to pay 100% of the wages for students hired by employers through the CSJ program, helping create up to 70,000 jobs for Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30.

Trudeau said the time frame for the job placements is also being extended until the winter, given that some jobs will “start later than usual.” Student hires can also be employed part-time, given many businesses have had to scale back their operations, Trudeau said.

The Prime Minister also said he's calling on the opposition to recall parliament to pass the legislation needed to enact the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.

Trudeau added that the government is working on a solution to help gig workers, those who work in home care, or work 10 hours or less a week. "I want to be clear, we will be doing more," said Trudeau.

The government previously announced the Emergency Wage Subsidy last month, which would provide a 75% wage subsidy to eligible employers for up to 12 weeks (March 15 to June 6). Eligible employers include individuals, taxable corporations, and partnerships, as well as nonprofits and registered charities.

The subsidy amount for a given employee would be 75% the amount of remuneration paid during the period, up to a maximum benefit of $847 per week. There is no limit on the number of employees per employer.

This comes as a total of 18,477 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Canada and 401 people have died.

Finance

Trudeau Announces Changes and Updates to Wage Subsidy Program

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled changes to Canada's wage subsidy program and more help is coming for students.

Trending

You may also like

The 0.95-acre development site, located at 7115 Yonge Street and 8-14 Grandview Avenue in Markham, has been approved for two towers with 873 total units.

“Own a condo for less than rent” promises Sean Homes’s 405 Essa project, slated for the west side of Essa Road just north of the Ferndale and Veterans Drive intersection in south Barrie.

Toronto’s top mayoral candidates — Incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow, and former urban planner and City Councillor Brad Bradford — both say they can put a good dent in Toronto’s housing and affordability woes, but they differ on how to pull it off.

"The demographic profile is shifting to the end user," says Neil Vohrah, president of High-Rise, North America at Great Gulf. "And end users demand more."

The office building at 495 Richmond Road in Ottawa is owned by DOV Capital Corp and was placed under receivership on September 17 by Addenda Capital, after — according to filings in Ontario Superior Court — the conversion commenced without the lender's approval.

For your information, reference, and networking needs, here are the moves, hires, and promotions the real estate and development industry saw in September 2026.

​"Every housing target ultimately depends on the availability of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, heavy equipment operators and dozens of other skilled tradespeople. Without them, housing policies become little more than plans on paper."

RBC Capital Markets Realty recently listed 8 and 18 King Street East in Toronto, on behalf of KingSett Real Estate Growth LP No. 6.

"For buyers trying to work out whether ownership is within reach, those transactions offer a more useful starting point than the GTA's $1,006,409 average price across all housing types."

LGA Architectural Partners won the City's RFP to design the plans, with accessibility, climate resilience, cost, and ease of construction among the stated priorities.

The Surrey City Development Corporation and Simon Fraser University recently submitted their development application for Phase One of Centre Block.

Developed by Monde Development Group, Mondria 1 is located at 1607 King Street East in Clarington, and its water damage incident occurred in December 2025.

STOREYS spoke with City of Toronto Programming Supervisor Johnson Ngo about the year-long process behind Toronto’s all-night celebration of contemporary art.

Sotheby's International Realty Canada's 20-year look at West Vancouver sales finds the median price has reached $3.1 million only a few times. As of September 1, 195 residential properties were listed above $4 million on MLS.

​While things are moving in the right direction, the key message from speakers at RESCON's Housing Summit 6.0 was that the country still has a long way to go.

All rights reserved SiteMedia © 2026.

"Every housing target ultimately depends on the availability of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, heavy equipment operators and dozens of other skilled tradespeople. Without them, housing policies become little more than plans on paper."

While things are moving in the right direction, the key message from speakers at RESCON's Housing Summit 6.0 was that the country still has a long way to go.