All the information on this page has been last updated on June 5, 2020 at 4:00PM Central Time.
We know that these are uncertain times for you and your business. The Government of Canada and
the country’s provincial governments have announced several initiatives to support businesses during
this health crisis.
As a member of the Reflexology Association of Canada (RAC), please know that we are here to help
and support you.
(Potential Federal Government Solutions for your Small Business)
Small business loans through Business Development Canada (BDC)
Effective March 18, 2020, BDC has implemented some new relief measures for qualified businesses including:
Access up to $2 million dollars with flexible repayment terms.
Existing BDC clients with loans of $1 million or less may postpone their payment for up to 6 months, free of charge.
Reduced rates on new eligible loans.
BDC is able to authorize up to $100,000 through their
online financing process.
If you’re seeking access to these funds for your reflexology business, please contact your financial institution first for an assessment. If you want to learn more, please contact BDC at: 1-877-232-2269 or read more below.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is temporary income support of $2,000 a month ($500/week) for up to 4 months to those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. You are eligible to apply for the CERB if:
In order to qualify, you must be resident of Canada who is at least 15 years old, and you must have earned at least $5,000 in employment income, income through self-employment, or maternity/parental leave benefits through EI, for 2019 or in the 12-month period before the day you apply for the CERB.
You can apply through the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Account portal. The CRA is recommending the following schedule in order to provide best service possible to everyone.
| If you were born in the month of | Apply for CERB on | Your best day to apply |
|---|---|---|
| January, February or March | Mondays | April 6 |
| April, May, or June | Tuesdays | April 7 |
| July, August, or September | Wednesdays | April 8 |
| October, November, or December | Thursdays | April 9 |
| Any month | Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays |
More information can be found here: Canada Emergency Response Benefit
UPDATE: People may earn up to $1,000 per month while collecting the CERB.
Things to do before you apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
*Note: If you’ve already applied for Employment Insurance (EI) and you’ve been approved, you will receive your regular EI benefits and should not apply for the CERB at this time. If you have applied for EI on March 15th or onward and you claim has not been approved, you application will automatically move to the CERB.
Eligible employers (which includes individuals,)may access a 75% wage subsidy for up to three months. eligible employers that see a drop of at least 15 per cent of their revenue in March 2020 and 30 per cent for the following months because of the coronavirus pandemic. For those that get the subsidy, the government will then cover “up to 75 per cent” of employees’ wages — but only for the first $58,700 worth of salary. This subsidy is to be retroactive to March 15, 2020.
Eligible employers would be able to apply for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy through the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Business Account portal as well as a web-based application. Apply here.
Click to read more.
*Note: If you do not qualify for this subsidy, your business may qualify for the previously announced Temporary Wage Subsidy. See next section.
The Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers is a three-month measure that will allow eligible employers to reduce the amount of payroll deductions required to be remitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The subsidy is equal to 10% of the remuneration you pay from March 18, 2020 to June 19, 2020, up to $1,375 for each eligible employee and to a maximum of $25,000 total per employer.
You do not need to apply for the subsidy. Once you have calculated your subsidy, you can reduce your current payroll remittance of federal, provincial, or territorial income tax that you send to the CRA by the amount of the subsidy.
The Canada Emergency Business Account aims to provide funding to eligible financial institutions so that they can in turn provide up to $40,000 interest-free (until December 31, 2022) , government guaranteed loan to help businesses pay for operating costs that you’re not able to defer as a result of COVID-19.
Eligible businesses include small businesses who paid between $20,000 to $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019.
These programs will roll out in the three weeks after March 27, and interested businesses should work with their current financial institution(s).
According to the Prime Minister of Canada, this program will lower rent by 75 per cent for small businesses that have been affected by COVID-19.
Applications are now open.
According to the Prime Minister of Canada, Canada’s six biggest financial institutions are committed to support small business banking customers to provide flexible financial solutions. If you have a reflexology small business, you may want to contact your bank’s local branch office to discuss the options available to you, especially about the Canada Emergency Benefit Account (see details above).
According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), businesses may defer tax payments until August 31, 2020, to help manage their cash flow. If you haven’t filed the taxes for your reflexology business, yet, and you owe the government money, you may defer the payment until August 31, 2020.
Read more: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance
Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits provide up to 15 weeks of income replacement and is available to eligible claimants who are unable to work because of illness, injury or quarantine. If you are quarantined due to COVID-19, you may apply for the EI sickness benefits.
If you are eligible, visit the EI sickness benefits page to apply.
Call 1-833-381-2725 (toll-free) for more information.
If you have lost your job through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for EI. Please note that RAC does not employ its members and therefore cannot issue a Record of Employment needed to apply for EI.
Self-employed Canadians can access EI special benefits by entering into an agreement, or by registering with the Canada Employment Insurance Commission.
For low- or moderate-income families, the Government is proposing to provide a one-time special payment by early May 2020 through the Goods and Services Tax credit.
There is no need to apply for this payment. If you are eligible, you will get it automatically.
As this is a quickly evolving situation, please check the following links for the most up-to-date information in your province and territory.
For more information, about COVID-19 please visit:
Government of Canada—Public Health Agency
Government of Northwest Territories
We strongly recommend that all members follow their respective municipal, provincial, and federal government recommendations.
RAC’s Executive Director issued a statement on March 16, 2020 which recommends that if members are able to postpone seeing clients for at least two weeks and then reassess.
Read full statement here: https://www.reflexologycanada.org/en/covid-19-coronavirus-and-rcrts
We understand that some provinces have issued statements on the closure of all non-essential services and have different definitions of what classifies as a non-essential service. If the definition of non-essential is not clear in your province (I.E. whether it includes reflexology or not) for the health and safety of our members and the public, we invite our members to refrain from seeing clients in person until further notice.
Our Winnipeg Head Office is closed to visitors until further notice. We will still be accessible via phone and email during our regular office hours.
We are hosting “Group Hangout Time” every Tuesday from 1:00 pm—2:00 pm Central Time, for all members. Log into your Membership Profile to retrieve the link.
We will be hosting more webinars/online learning opportunities. View our calendar: Our Webinars.
If you have liability insurance with Lackner McLennan, here are some items to consider.
Has my liability insurance changed now that I can resume my services?
As the provinces slowly open, Lackner McLennan understands there is still a lot of concern and uncertainty around opening up a business again. We have reached out to Novex, the insurance company, and they have released the following statement in regards Covid-19:
The circumstances of each claim are unique, so it’s difficult to provide a broad answer to coverage questions based on hypothetical situations. However, your Professional Liability Policy shall continue to offer you the same coverages as it did prior to the pandemic.
In this context, should a patient file a legal action against you after allegedly contracting Covid-19 in your clinic, your existing coverage still applies according to its terms, conditions and exclusions and Novex will provide the same legal response as they would have prior to Covid-19.
Our recommendation, would be that if you are going to start seeing clients again, follow all rules that are set in place by your provincial government and your governing body . Put all precautions in place for sanitizing and using the proper protective equipment recommended by the provincial government, this will limit the possibility of exposure and shows you took every precaution in the event that Novex is asked to defend you against an alleged claim.
For additional questions about your professional liability insurance coverage with Lackner McLennan Insurance please call – 1-877-768-2262 or send an email to: info@iNeedaPolicy.com
As per our scope of practice, a reflexology session cannot be delivered by online means, because it does not meet the Association’s definition of “reflexology.”
If a therapist chooses to provide other services via electronic or virtual means, they must ensure that clients understand that these services cannot be named or billed as reflexology.
Read our full statement here: Reflexology and telehealth
• Encourage customers to buy gift cards now (and use them later).
• Stay in contact with your client base:
1. Stream virtual classes, exercises, tips, etc. that clients can do at home.
2. Send email updates to your clients about your business (if you have permission).
3. Make your social media a place that people will go to feel better, etc.
As a membership driven organization, we are always looking for ways to better serve our members.
Currently, we are adjusting our priorities and working with experts to find ways to better support you during this time. We’ve been in touch with every provincial government to make sure that reflexology services are included in their reopening plans. Please stay tuned for more information and updates.
Click for Potential Federal Government Solutions for your Small Business
Click for Potential Provincial Government Solutions for your Small Business
Click for “Group Hangout Time”
Contact us at memberservices@reflexologycanada.org if you have any ideas or needs.
The 2020 International Reflexology Conference has been cancelled.
The 2020 Annual General Meeting has been postponed. Members will be updated as soon as possible.
For your safety, all RAC Chapters and Regional Group in-person activities and events have either been postponed or cancelled until further notice.
Members can connect with their Chapters via their respective Chapter Facebook Groups.
In these exceptional times certainly have consequences but being penalized for cancellations or postponements in your continuing education plans will not be one of them. Please do not add the stress of potentially not being able to honour your future continuing education obligations.
We encourage members to continue going through the pre-recorded webinars, sign-up for future webinars, engage in personal development, participate in virtual study groups, etc. to continue learning.
If you have any concerns, please contact us at continuingeducation@reflexologycanada.org.
To not penalize candidates as the situation unfolds, we are suspending RCRT™ Exam deadlines for the time being. And, we are exploring the possibility of administering the written component of this exam at a distance.
Given the exceptional circumstances around COVID-19 (Coronavirus), no exams will be administered until further notice. Interested candidates may still register and begin studying for the exam.
Many institutions are offering free or discounted learning opportunities. Please click below to learn more.
Harvard University – Free Online Courses
B2B Manitoba (For MB Residents)
BiancaAmor – Disinfectant, Face masks, face shields, gloves, and hand sanitizer – (BC, AB, SK, MB only)
Canadian Tire – Disinfectant, face masks – ships across Canada – (check local stores)
Equipment Medical Rive Nord – Gloves, gowns, face masks, and face shields
Healthcare Solutions – Disinfectant, gloves, gowns, masks, and hand sanitizer
Hawktree Solutions – Red Cross Products – Gloves, gowns, and masks
Nordstrand TTN Canada Inc. – Masks
PharmaDepot – Face shields, gloves, goggles, and gowns
PRACNS – Face masks, face shields, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizers
Pure Care – Face masks, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizer
Rapid Response Platform – Face masks, gowns, and hand sanitizer
Relaxusonline – Cleaning supplies, face masks, face shields, gloves, and hand sanitizer
Safe Direct Medical Supplies – Gowns and masks
Showcase – Face masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer – (ship all across Canada)
Staples – Face masks, face shields, gloves, and hand sanitizer – (ships all across Canada)
If you are a member and would like an additional PPE supplier listed on our site, please contact us a memberservices@reflexologycanada.org
