COVID-19 Provincial Support and Information

Please note that information is changing daily, and all efforts are taken to maintain the accuracy of the following information. If you feel that a section needs to be updated, please email admin@prcyfss.com

NEW PROVINCIAL ADVICE AND MEASURES:

✔️NEW: New emergency supports for province’s most vulnerable: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020SDPR0012-000620

✔️NEW: B.C. taking further action to support essential service providers during pandemic: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020AG0029-000616

​The Province of BC declared a state of emergency to support COVID-19 response.

For Support for British Columbians, you can call 1-888-COVID19 and speak to a ServiceBC agent for any non-health related information and services such as childcare, travel advisories, school closures and more. Service is available from 7:30am to 8:00pm PST.

• Within Canada call 1-888-268-4319
• International calls 1-604-412-0957
• Text 1-604-630-0300

For daily updates from the government and the Provincial Health Officer, click HERE

If you are feeling unwell, check your symptoms with the BC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

The BC Centre for Disease Control has an informative website on how to protect yourself, your family and your community and what to do if you suspect you have the virus.

Government of Canada has also set up an Outbreak Update with stats on the current situation and additional information
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Local Health Information

Local Access to Food

A few local grocery stores and pharmacies have dedicated early hours to seniors and immunocompromized shoppers.  We will update that info as it is gathered.

• Quality Foods –  starting Monday, March 23rd all Quality Foods locations will open at 7am to allow for 2 hours of shopping time before the general public.
• Save-On-Foods –
• Mitchell Bros –  We will be opening daily from 10am to 4pm starting Sunday March 29,2020. Sorry, we are not able to provide shop and pick or delivery service.
• Townsite Fruit & Veg –   Shop the store. No crowds. Max 2 in store.  Shop online. Veggie box or pick your shopping list. Pick-up or delivery.  No credit card. No worries. Shop online. Pay in the store at pickup. Debit tap is here for you.
• Pacific Point –  Remember, our hours are now 8am – 9pm and we offer free, same-day delivery on grocery or deli orders over $25.  Call us at 604.489.9111 to place your order!
• The Chopping Block-  Just a reminder that as of today, we will only be accepting phone orders. The doors will be locked and there is a doorbell you can ring to let us know you have arrived. You may also call ahead to let us know you are on your way. Also a reminder that aside from meat, we have a lot of fresh produce, deli meat and cheeses, and some dairy and grocery items. Call 604-485-4838 to place an order. The hours for pickup are 9am to 4pm

Powell River Town Centre –

Please be advised that going forward the Powell River Town Centre will be CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.  The following tenants remain open on their reduced hours, via their main entrance:

• Walmart
• Save-On-Foods
• Shoppers Drug Mart
• Subway

MONDAY – SATURDAY: 9:30am – 4pm

CLOSED SUNDAY
We will continue to operate the shopping centre on reduced hours, until further notice.

Local Transit Information

From the BC Transit Website:  Effective immediately, we are reducing the number of passengers on board BC Transit buses. Transit operators are monitoring passenger capacity based on direction from BC Transit operations. Please leave extra time for your journey. Learn more about physical distancing onboard: bctransit.com/covid19

https://bctransit.com/powell-river

Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan: Support for Canadians and Businesses

The Government of Canada is taking immediate, significant and decisive action to help Canadians facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. There is temporary income support for workers and parents. For details on the current options available to assist, click HERE for the Government of Canada Department of Finance website

Apply for Employment Insurance HERE

The NEW Canada Emergency Response Benefit is also available to some. To read the Department of Finance Canada’s March 25th news release concerning eligibility, click HERE

If you are sick, quarantined or have been directed to self-isolate, you can apply for Employment Insurance Sick Benefits HERE

In addition, the Government of Canada has increased the Canada Child Benefit by an extra $300 per child for 2019-20. This will be as part of the scheduled Canada Child Benefit payment in May

Mortgage Payments, Utilities and Financial Stress

RBC, BMO, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, Scotiabank and TD Bank said late on March 17 they are allowing mortgage payment deferrals for up to six months as part of extraordinary measures to help borrowers struggling with the financial impact of the COVID-19 health emergency. There are links below with phone numbers to contact your mortgage and/or loan providers.

For a list of contact information for the banks, please see our COVID-19 Resources page

BC Hydro announced a bill on March 13th, to help customers affected by COVID-19. The COVID-19 Customer Assistance Program provides customers the option to defer bill payments or arrange for flexible payment plans with no penalty. Customers are encouraged to call BC Hydro’s customer team at 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224 9376) to discuss bill payment options. For the BC Hydro News Release, please click HERE

On the Fortis BC website concerning the outbreak they have written, “We understand the concern and uncertainty you may be experiencing surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19). As an essential service provider, our field services teams and contact centres are ready to respond and support BC’s energy needs.” Click HERE for further details

Shaw notes, “We encourage any customer to proactively contact us if they need to make adjustments to their service in order to address their changing financial or connectivity needs due to COVID-19.” Click HERE for further details

On the Telus website concerning the outbreak they have written, “we’ll support our consumer and small business customers facing financial challenges because of COVID-19 by providing them with flexible payment options. We don’t want anyone to worry about not being able to pay their bill on time if they have been financially affected by the crisis.” Click HERE for further details