Alberta Critical Worker Benefit

Alberta Critical Worker Benefit

Source: Alberta Government
Date: February 10, 2021

The Critical Worker Benefit will provide a one-time payment of $1,200 to eligible Albertans in recognition of their hard work to provide Albertans with the care and critical services they need.

The benefit will be distributed to more than 380,000 workers in the health-care, social services, education and private sectors.

Applications from private sector employers will be accepted starting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Private sector employers have until Friday, March 19, 2021 to apply for the benefit on behalf of their eligible employees.

Private sector

Private sector employers must apply on behalf of their eligible employees. For more information, read the ‘How to apply’ section below. The application intake period will begin on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 and closes on Friday, March 19, 2021.

To be eligible for the Critical Worker Benefit, private sector workers must:

•  earn $25 per hour or less
• have worked at least 300 hours between the period of October 12, 2020 and January 31, 2021
• be located and working in Alberta

The Critical Worker Benefit program application guidelines will include more information on eligibility. These guidelines will be available on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.

Workers listed in the following private sectors are eligible to receive the Critical Worker Benefit:

Retail – grocery, pharmacy, gas, health, and personal care

The following occupations are eligible to receive the benefit if they meet the above criteria:

• store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
• cashiers
• retail sales supervisors
• pharmacy assistants
• material handlers
• shipper and receivers
• purchasing and inventory control workers
• storekeepers and parts persons
• retail butchers and meat cutters
• security staff
• other customer and information services representatives
• other sales-related occupations
• cleaners, janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
• food counter attendants and kitchen helpers
• bakers
• service station attendants

Food manufacturing

The following occupations are eligible to receive the benefit if they meet the above criteria:

• process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing
• industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• labours in food, beverage and associated products processing
• material handlers
• shipper and receivers
• cleaners, janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
• other service support occupations
• testers and graders, food, beverage and associates

Truck transportation

The following occupations are eligible to receive the benefit if they meet the above criteria:

• transport truck drivers
• supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit
• cleaners, janitors, caretakers and building super intendents
• security staff
• receptionists
• material handlers
• delivery and courier services drivers
• other trades helpers and labourers

Warehousing and storage

The following occupations are eligible to receive the benefit if they meet the above criteria:

• shippers and receivers
• cleaners, janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
• storekeepers and parts persons
• security staff
• purchasing and inventory control workers
• other trades helpers and labourers
• transportation route and crew schedulers

Private sector workers in First Nations communities

Eligible private sector employees working in First Nations communities can receive the benefit. Employers must apply for the benefit on behalf of their workers.

Additional details regarding eligibility will be available on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.

Click here to visit the Alberta Government’s Critical Worker Benefit information page: https://www.alberta.ca/critical-worker-benefit.aspx?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=all&utm_campaign=LNL&utm_term=CriticalWorkerBenefit