COVID-19 Updates
ACTRA will be updating this page regularly with information related to the COVID-19 pandemic as it becomes available. Please check back frequently for updates.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear ACTRA Members,
In February, we celebrate Black History Month and honour the achievements and contributions of Black people in Canada and Black communities. It is also a time to reflect on the ongoing struggles and discrimination many Black people face in the labour market, which has resulted in Black employees receiving lower wages and facing barriers in all aspects of employment, from the hiring process to advancement and retention.
Beyond Black History Month, we support the Black Lives Matter movement to help further advance initiatives that create social equality and economic equity in our communities, our industry and the broader labour movement. Read more…
SAFETY ON SET RESOURCES
As conditions on each set or workplace vary, members should contact their ACTRA Branch directly with any questions.
As production resumes across the country, provinces and industry stakeholders are releasing return-to-work health & safety guidelines for the screen-based media production sector:
ACTRA Branch Guidelines:
UBCP/ACTRA
ACTRA Alberta
ACTRA Manitoba
ACTRA Toronto
ACTRA Montreal
Provincial Guidelines:
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland/Labrador
Industry Guidelines:
DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE & Teamsters (USA)
Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force (USA)
International Federation of Actors (FIA)
GOVERNMENT INCOME SUPPORT
Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB): this benefit provides temporary income support of $300/week ($270 after taxes withheld) to employed and self-employed people who cannot work due to a COVID-19 lockdown. The CWLB is only available when a COVID-19 lockdown order is designated for your region. Your region may be designated if the lockdown lasts for 14 days or more. If your situation continues past 1 week, you will need to apply again. You may apply for any weeks your region is eligible between October 24, 2021, and May 7, 2022.
Online applications are open for the following benefits:
Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB): this benefit provides $500/week ($450 after taxes withheld) of paid sick leave to any worker in Canada who falls ill or has to self-isolate due to COVID-19. If your situation continues past 1 week, you will need to apply again. You may apply up to a total of 6 weeks between September 27, 2020, and May 7, 2022. Individuals cannot apply for periods that are closed, and may not claim this benefit and another sick leave payment at the same time.
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB): this benefit provides $500/week ($450 after taxes withheld) to Canadians who must stay home to care for a child under 12 or another dependent because their school, daycare or other day program facility is shut down due to COVID-19. If your situation continues past 1 week, you will need to apply again. Each household may apply up to a total of 44 weeks between September 27, 2020, and May 7, 2022. Individuals who choose to keep their children home even though the facility is open will not qualify unless they provide proof there is a medical reason to do so such as an immunodeficiency disorder.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- If your concerns are related to COVID-19, there will be a designated person responsible for enforcing the production’s COVID-19 health and safety policy. Check the call sheet for their contact information.
- If your issue concerns an intimate scene, assistance may be available from the intimacy coordinator if one has been engaged by the production.
- If this is an emergency, you have the right to refuse unsafe work. Provincial workplace health and safety legislation gives workers the right to refuse work they believe is unsafe to themselves or others. Workers who believe they are endangered by workplace violence may also refuse work. Please see your provincial workplace health and safety guidelines for the specific procedures to follow to establish a work refusal.
- You can also contact your ACTRA Branch or call HAVEN Helpline (1-855-201-7823) for assistance.
MEMBER RESOURCES
Government of Canada: COVID-19 Information
Financial Resources
AFBS
The AFC
Canada Media Fund (Assistance Programs Directory)
Creative Arts Financial
Canada Black Mutual Aid Fund
Glad Day Lit Emergency Fund for LGBTQ2S artists, performers, tip-based workers
Inside Out’s RE:Focus Fund
MBT
Health & Wellness Resources
Anxiety Canada
HAVEN Helpline
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
Calltime Mental Health
Canadian Mental Health Association
Depression and the pandemic – a deep dive
Ending Violence Association of Canada
How to wear a non-medical mask or face covering properly
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Prevention Link COVID resources
ShelterSafe
WellCan
Wellness Together Canada
Other Resources
Actsafe
Broadbent Institute
Canada Council for the Arts
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre – COVID-19 Fraud
Canadian Labour Congress
Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC)
National Film Board of Canada (Education Resources)
Telefilm Canada (Event Updates and Industry Resources)
Toronto & York Region Labour Council