Medical offices had bulk of wage top-ups

By COLLIN GALLANT on July 14, 2021.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

In Medicine Hat, doctors offices account for the most successful applications to a provincial program to pay essential workers a top-up of $1,200, though batch applications from several large local employers may account for most of the money coming to the city.

That comes from an evaluation of a partial list of successful applications, released by the province – which also lists no local eligible childcare, seniors housing or social service providers.

The Critical Worker Benefit is available to low-wage workers in a number of private and public professions, and the current round concludes July 23.

It provides up to $1,200 per employee based on hours worked during the height of the pandemic in 2020, but must be applied for by the employer in non-emergency health settings, transportation, food production, security guards, janitors, taxi drivers and restaurant workers.

The initial phase saw $355 million issued in April for health care, education, long-term care workers and some private sector and social service workers, providing a $2 per hour boost, thanks to an agreement with Ottawa to spend $347 million in federal funds.

The remainder of the province’s $118-million commitment is now available.

A study of the recent list of successful applications by the News shows that out of 103 listed companies with Medicine Hat designated as their location, 25 were medical professional corporations common for small practices and clinics.

Another 15 were attached to medical clinics, 16 physiotherapists, chiropractors or other health service providers, seven optometrists and three dentist offices.

Those likely comprise office staff or other employees, but the exact number of employees or amounts is not provided.

The total would most likely be eclipsed by major employees on the list, such as four major grocery stores (Sobeys, IGA, South Country Co-op and Family Food in Redcliff), though others applying may have been listed at head offices.

Redhat Co-op is the largest among local food producers to secure grants.

Cumulatively, those five entities could easily have more than 1,000 employees that might qualify.

Also listed are 11 smaller food production or distribution companies, including local bakeries and butcher shops.

Four trucking and courier firms with local head offices were accepted, as were seven drugstores, 10 convenience stores or gas stations and several numbered companies with no readily discernible line of work.

To be eligible the employee must have earned less than $25 per hour, and worked 300 hours between October 2020 and the end of January 2021 within the province.

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