Edmonton’s unemployed will now receive the same federal assistance as the rest of the province.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday the federal government was expanding the list of eligible regions from 12 to 15, to better reflect the latest jobless numbers.
“The commodities downturn has been particularly difficult for many Canadian communities, and the EI provisions announced today will make it easier for claimants who are eligible for EI to collect the benefits they need. We lend a hand in tough times. It is who we are, and what we do,” said Trudeau.
Southern Saskatchewan, British Columbia’s southern interior and the Edmonton region, which includes the counties of Parkland, Sturgeon, Leduc and Strathcona, now qualify for extended employment insurance benefits introduced through the federal budget.
Unemployed workers in these regions are now eligible for an additional five weeks of benefits, starting in July, but retroactive to January of last year. Long-tenured workers could receive a further 20 weeks of benefits, up to a maximum of 70 weeks.
Premier Rachel Notley was grateful for the relief offered to the capital region, but it was clear from her remarks earlier this week that the move comes a little late.
“We are well past point of justifying the need for the Edmonton area to be included under the new rules for EI,” she said, during an update on the Fort McMurray wildfire on Wednesday.
Edmonton was previously excluded from the list of eligible regions because it did not meet the criteria set out by Employment and Social Development Canada: an unemployment rate of at least two per cent higher over three consecutive months between July 2015 and March 2016 from the lowest unemployment rate recorded between December 2014 and February 2015, without signs of significant improvement.
February’s numbers showed unemployment in Edmonton had reached the necessary rate of 6.8 – two per cent higher than its lowest point of 4.8 in January 2015 – but the region had to wait to see if March and April numbers brought any improvement.
They did not. The unemployment rate increased to 6.9 in March and remained at that level last month.
The review is final and no other regions will be added, meaning regions such as Yellowknife and Thunder Bay that could have qualified next month (if their rates did not drop significantly) will not have access to extra EI help.
Trudeau was in Alberta to tour the damage in Fort McMurray. Earlier this week, he announced that EI claims for displaced Fort McMurray residents would be fast-tracked.
Northern Alberta hit the two per cent mark in February 2015 (from 7.7 in November 2014 to 9.2 in February 2015) and now sits at 12.3 unemployment – most likely exacerbated by the wildfire.
