I’m here to help you

We all need to work together and stay healthy in order to beat Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Together our community and our country can manage this crisis.

As your Member of Parliament, I want to hear from you.

I’m always eager to hear feedback from Edmonton Griesbach constituents and other Canadians.

This is all the more vital during this time of a pandemic.

Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government have put together a package of responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

These include everything from financial aid measures to emergency phone numbers and e-mail addresses. 

If you’ve reached out to the federal government during this time of crisis, how satisfied have you been with the service or help provided? It’s essential during a time of crisis that citizens get the best and most timely service from their federal government.

If you’ve got a good story, please share it with me. Write to [email protected].

If you had service which was less-than stellar, I’d like to hear about that too.

By sharing our experiences we can ensure that all Canadians are well-served during these trying times.

If you’ve got any other questions, concerns or comments, please send them my way.

My Edmonton office is still open and I’m here to help you. Please call ahead to arrange an appointment as we are temporarily no longer accepting walk-ins due to COVID-19. I can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (780) 495-3261.   

Please also see below for some useful contact information

You can find up-to-date information from Alberta Public Health or the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Alberta Public Health can also be reached by phone at 811. 

Employment Insurance (EI) claims related to COVID-19:

• Waived the one-week waiting period for EI benefits.
• Waived doctor’s note requirement to access EI sick benefits.

Visit their website or contact EI’s COVID-19 phone line at (833) 381-2725.

For Canadians not covered under EI benefits there is the Emergency Care Benefit:

• This program will provide up to $900 every two weeks for up to 15 weeks for Canadians who are sick, have to take care of others who are sick or children out of school.
• Applications will open in April. Phone and program website are not yet available. 
• When it opens you can sign up with a CRA My Account secure portal, a My Service Canada Account or a yet-to-be disclosed phone number.

Tax and benefit changes to help Canadians:

• A one-time special Goods and Services Tax credit (GSTC) payment in May.
• Increase to the maximum annual Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payment amounts, by $300 per child.
• Tax return date is deferred until June 1.
• Payment for taxes owed is deferred till August 31.
• A six-month interest-free moratorium on the repayment of Canada Student Loans.

Support for small businesses:

• A wage subsidy equal to 10% of wages paid during the emergency period.
• Working Capital Loan available through the Business Development Bank to help support entrepreneurs during the crisis.

Contact information for Canadians oversees and in need assistance in this emergency:

• Global Affairs Canada 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre. They can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (613) 996-8885.

Help from the Government of Alberta

• Emergency Isolation Support:
  A one-time payment of $573.00 for working adult Albertans who meet the Government of Alberta’s criteria for self-isolation. Registration will be available at the alberta.ca website next week.
• Utility payment holiday: 
  Residential, farm, and small commercial customers can defer bill payments for the next 90 days. This will cover electricity and natural gas, regardless of the service provider.
• Provincial student loan holiday:
  Six-month interest-free moratorium on Alberta student loan payments.
• Emergency deferrals are available for ATB loans, lines of credit and mortgages for up to six months.

Our community’s charities are also here for you

• If you’re a senior in need, volunteers at Drive Happiness Edmonton can deliver food and medication. You can visit their website drivehappiness.ca or reach them by phone at (780) 424-5438 
• As senior centres are closing, we must also ensure the social wellbeing of our community’s seniors. Seniors’ Centre Without Walls is a great resource where people can call and interact with others from the comfort of their own home. You can register at (780) 395-2626.
• The Mustard Seed is also still serving less fortunate members of our community.

Good stories in the news

Even though we’re in the grips of an emergency, we Canadians continue to come together. I posted the links to several good news stories below.

• Glass Bookshop – located in City Centre Mall – is offering free online delivery of their books. Link.
• There’s an App for everything these days including, an Edmonton companies App that that shows where scarce goods can be found. (Reminder, there’s no need to hoard goods.) Link.
    
• Inferno Fitness Sherwood Park is offering live-streamed workout classes to clients. Link.
• Alberta distillers shift to producing hand sanitizer during outbreak Link.

Here for our community

As your Member of Parliament, I’m always here for our community.

The civic spirit of our residents and organizations makes Edmonton Griesbach the amazing place that it is.  

The events they host, are essential to the vitality of our community.

In the name of public health these events must temporarily be put on hold.

We must find other ways to come together.

Whether it’s on the internet, by phone or by good works our civic spirit continues.  

Productive meeting with Liza Bouchard, executive director of Drive Happiness seniors assisted transportation service that provided 20,000 rides annually in Edmonton using volunteer drivers.

 

Delivering food with Edmonton Meals On Wheels organization board member Michael Kirk.

 

 

Always enjoy meeting Africa Centre officials. The Africa Centre does a lot good work in our Edmonton community. Thanks for the productive meeting  Youth Programs Manager Emmanuel Onah  and Executive Director Sharif Haji. 

 

At the Ukrainian Christmas Shchedryi Vechir dinner held at Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex.

 

At the Edmonton Chinese Community 2020 Lunar New Year Banquet and celebration of the 90th Anniversary of the Chinese Benevolent Association.

With Christy Morin, executive director of Arts on the Avenue and also a director at Northlands.

I want to hear from you 

Email:
[email protected]

Phone:
(780) 495-3261

Mail (postage free): 
Kerry Diotte, MP 
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6