P.E.I. seasonal workers could face issues as temporary EI measures end

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Some seasonal staff on this province might face some points on the subject of claiming their employment insurance coverage advantages this winter as P.E.I. returns to its regular two-zone employment insurance coverage system.

On Sept. 24, short-term federal measures put in place through the pandemic, which negated the Island’s two-zone system and put everybody on the identical minimal necessities for EI, will probably be coming to an finish.

For seasonal staff or out-of-work residents within the Island’s Charlottetown EI area, the top of the short-term measures means they’ll want extra hours to qualify and can obtain fewer weeks of advantages than these within the rural zone.

This might make it troublesome for seasonal staff who’re hoping to assert their EI advantages this winter to qualify.

“If their seasonal job didn’t give them sufficient weeks, then they’re going to have issues with EI. They probably received’t be capable of work at one other place as a result of most seasonal locations may have shut down,” mentioned Carl Pursey, president of the P.E.I. Federation of Labour.

Pursey mentioned due to how the zones have been break up up in 2014 when the two-zone EI system was launched, the adjustments will have an effect on extra than simply these inside Charlottetown’s metropolis limits.

“It isn’t simply if you’re within the metropolis, it is if you’re within the metropolis zone, which works all the best way as much as the north shore,” mentioned Pursey. “In case you are on one aspect of the street, it’s possible you’ll want extra hours than your neighbour to qualify relying on the place you reside. It’s loopy the best way the strains have been drawn up while you have a look at the map.”

The Charlottetown EI area stretches from Rice Level and Canoe Cove as much as the Island’s north shore and east in direction of Mt. Albion and Clarkin, all of that are rural areas.

Pursey mentioned the Island needs to be modified again to a single-zone EI system, one thing the PEIFL has been pushing for.

“It is one office. It’s small, and we don’t want the 2 zones,” he mentioned. “It additionally makes it exhausting for folks to seek out work. In the event you go to work, a number of the locations will ask you the place you reside as a result of they know should you stay within the metropolis space, you’re going to wish extra weeks to qualify. Earlier than the employee scarcity, they wouldn’t rent you as a result of they knew you would want extra weeks and would doubtlessly depart to go some place else if one other job got here up.”

The short-term measures have been put in place as a method to put everybody on equal footing when it got here to accessing advantages through the pandemic, mentioned Charlottetown MP Sean Casey.

“It was a brief measure the place, no matter your zone, the entry level to avail your self of EI advantages was 420 hours,” he mentioned. “The 2 zones have at all times been there, however their affect has been negated by the measures we took underneath COVID-19.”

Casey mentioned he has been pushing for a return to at least one zone because the Liberals have been elected to workplace in 2015. He mentioned presently, a complete session is underway to modernize all the EI system, noting Section 1 had already been accomplished.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t in a position to present a timeline of when laws could possibly be put in place.

“I hoped to see it change the day after we have been elected, however clearly that hasn’t occurred,” mentioned Casey. “The minister (Carla Qualtrough, minister of employment, workforce improvement and incapacity inclusion), in her mandate letter, is required to introduce laws to modernize the EI system, and he or she’s within the technique of going by way of that. My hope is we’ll see it sooner fairly than later, and she is going to hearken to the recommendation that parliamentary committees have given, and she is going to do what’s proper for P.E.I.”

Casey mentioned he expects the modernization to be wrapped up earlier than the subsequent election known as however it will probably must occur inside the subsequent 18 months.

In the meantime, former senator Diane Griffin’s invoice to reverse the 2014 determination continues to be working its means by way of the senate – it’s presently awaiting third studying – earlier than it’s handed off to the Home of Commons.

Casey mentioned the 2014 determination, made by former conservative MP Gail Shea and the Harper authorities, was made when the identical system was carried out in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Nevertheless, consideration for the dimensions variations and unfold of inhabitants between the three weren’t thought of, he mentioned.

“The variations between the three are very clear,” he mentioned. “In reality, I had a dialog with the senator for Yukon the opposite day. Of their case, town is distinct and there are big expanses of miles between the city and rural areas within the territories. Not like right here the place the zones have folks on reverse sides of the road being handled in a different way with respect to EI.”

One of many downfalls of the two-zone system, mentioned Casey, is that it forces folks to do no matter they should with a view to survive by way of the winter, comparable to claiming they stay within the rural zone.

“It will get them by way of the winter, however it additionally skews the numbers between the 2 zones, which perpetuates the perspective that there actually is a distinction in employment prospects between the 2 zones,” he mentioned. “That could be a drawback that we all know anecdotally exists … it is under the radar, it is unimaginable to quantify and I don’t anticipate the ESDC (Employment and Social Improvement Canada) has the assets out there to police it. It’s unhealthy, it’s useless improper and other people shouldn’t be compelled into that place.”

Casey mentioned because the ending date grows nearer, he’s actively pushing for discussions along with his colleagues to doubtlessly prolong the short-term measures as a result of delay in modernizing the system.

For Pursey, although, he wish to see the federal government act upon the EI report that was given to Qualtrough in 2021, which incorporates suggestions to carry everlasting adjustments to the EI system.

“They’d the report on Qualtrough’s desk final 12 months,” he mentioned. “It needs to be acted on and the adjustments really useful from each side be put in place. Loads of the adjustments included, 80 to 90 per cent of them, companies need them, too. It’ll make it simpler to get seasonal staff.

“We’d like motion to revamp the EI system now.”

Cody McEachern is a enterprise reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @CodyInHiFi.