Province now taking applications for wage supplements for lower-income care workers

Eligible lower-income workers at essential care facilities in the province can now apply to the Saskatchewan Temporary Wage Supplement Program.

For each eligible worker, the temporary wage supplement is $400 for each four-week period, up to 16 weeks, for the period from March 15 to July 4 .

To be eligible, a worker must earn a wage under $24 per hour at an eligible essential care facility, in the four-week period for which the worker has applied for the supplement.

An eligible worker must also have total earnings less than $2,500, including earnings from work outside an eligible essential care facility, in the four-week period for which the worker has applied for the supplement.

Eligible essential care facilities include:

• Public and private senior care homes;
• Community-based group and personal care homes;
• Licensed childcare facilities;
• Emergency shelters;
• Transition shelters (short stay/emergency, transition housing);
• Integrated healthcare facilities; and
• Home-care workers providing care to seniors in their own homes.

The wage supplement will be provided to full-time, part-time and casual essential workers, and includes anyone employed by an eligible facility, such as care workers, cooks, housekeepers, janitors and administrative staff, but does not include third-party contract service providers working at those facilities.

Cost-shared with the federal government, the new wage supplement is available to an estimated 35,000 lower-income workers at essential care facilities across Saskatchewan.

For more information about or to apply for the wage supplement, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/wage-supplement-program. If you have questions about the supplement you can also email stwsp@gov.sk.ca or call 1-800-667-6102.