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CALL TO ACTION FOR BC MINISTER OF LABOUR HARRY BAINS TO DEAL WITH TEMPORARY LAYOFF EXTENSION

Businesses Province-Wide Call on Labour Minister to Urgently Act to Avoid More Employee Terminations and Forced Small Business Bankruptcies

AT ISSUE: The potential for bankruptcy and insolvency for thousands of small and medium sized businesses and not-for-profits as they are forced to pay out severance costs due to unforeseen circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister Bains has it within his power to provide a Ministerial order to extend the temporary lay-off time limits under the Employment Standards Act (ESA) to provide employers with the breathing room needed to survive, recover and facilitate return-to-work for laid-off employees.

The BC Government has a leadership opportunity to help businesses, especially our small and medium sized businesses, the driving economic engine of not only Surrey, but also British Columbia. The Surrey Board of Trade demands that the BC Ministry of Labour revisit their recent negative response to the business community. Take action. Extend the temporary layoff provision for at least a further 13-week period through to August 31, 2020 to provide employers with certainty during this tenuous economic recovery period. Employers have been hit hard by COVID-19. Severance payments will be significant and, in many cases, will lead to bankruptcy and/or insolvency. Is that what the BC Government wants?

Please see the following documents for our CALL TO ACTION by BC Labour Minister Harry Bains.

FINAL_Press_Release_MHB_Letter_Temporary_Layoff_June_22_2020_2

MHB_Letter_Response_Temproary_Layoff_Extension_Denial_June_22_FINAL_2-1

Anita Huberman
CEO, Surrey Board of Trade