Workers helping Saskatchewan’s vulnerable citizens through the COVID-19 pandemic will have their salaries topped up by a cost-shared $400 per month temporary wage supplement.
Recognizing the vital work they are doing, this supplement will apply to an estimated 35,000 lower income, essential workers at senior-care, group homes, childcare facilities, and emergency and transition shelters.
“Workers at these facilities have been helping many of Saskatchewan’s most vulnerable citizens get through the COVID-19 emergency,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said. “This new wage supplement reflects how greatly we appreciate their ongoing efforts and dedication under challenging circumstances.”
The new wage supplement consists of a flat $400 per month benefit for up to 16 weeks (March 15 to July 4) for each eligible worker. The application process for the supplement will be outlined in the coming days.
Workers will be eligible for the new supplement if they earn less than $2,500 per month and are employed at:
• senior-care facilities, including private care homes and home care;
• licenced childcare facilities;
• group homes run by community-based organizations; and
• emergency shelters and transition shelters.
Essential workers such as caregivers, cooks and cleaners, both full-time and part-time, at these facilities are eligible.
“Often family members help support their loved ones in facilities, but visitation restrictions have made that impossible, putting even more emphasis on the essential roles of these workers,” Harpauer said.
The new wage supplement will be cost-shared with the federal government at an estimated total cost of about $56 million.