Contributing to Economic Recovery in a Pandemic Context

The deficits being generated by the emergency measures that the federal and provincial governments have implemented since March 2020 are a reminder of the magnitude of our governments’ pre-crisis deficits. This situation will inevitably lead to a greater tax burden for businesses and individuals at some point. Despite the unprecedented nature of these circumstances and the difficult financial situations that organizations find themselves in, steps can be taken now to mitigate repercussions. For several years, there has been increasing speculation about the capital gains inclusion rate being increased. Rumours also abound about the potential creation of an inheritance tax, which would undoubtedly be accompanied by a gift tax and a wealth tax. In this context, it is becoming ever more plausible that the federal government will finally increase the capital gains inclusion rate and tax the value of inheritances and gifts as early as the next budget, which has been postponed because of the ongoing crisis. An annual wealth tax on high net worth individuals could likewise be in the pipeline. As is now customary, the measures would apply as of midnight the night before the budget is tabled, closing the door to most tax planning strategies to reduce the impact of such measures. In the face of this situation, several steps can be taken as of now as, for instance: Crystallization of unrealized capital gains using a business corporation, partnership or trust; Gifts of money or property to family members or trusts; Termination of Canadian tax residency in favour of a lower-tax jurisdiction. The majority of tax planning strategies aiming to reduce or postpone the impact of such measures can be reversed should the anticipated measures not be adopted. In the event that governments do not increase the tax burden straightaway or opt for other, difficult-to-predict measures, well-planned transactions, such as realizing an accumulated gain on certain assets, making a direct gift, or making a gift through a trust, will ensure that additional taxes need not be paid. If you would like more information, our taxation team is available to help you.

It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and many companies are attempting to market products intended to help consumers deal with the risks associated with COVID-19. Some of the most common examples of such products include face masks, testing devices, hand sanitizers, and hard-surface disinfectants. However, while many of these products can be useful (such as by helping reduce the risk of infection), there remains the question of what COVID-19 related claims, if any, can be attributed to the product (e.g. on the product's packaging or in an advertisement). An inaccurate or inappropriate statement can garner the attention of both Health Canada and the Competition Bureau. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, the Competition Bureau has been issuing compliance warnings to businesses across Canada regarding potentially false or misleading claims that their products and services can prevent the disease and/or protect against the virus.1  Accordingly, we have written this newsletter to summarize what Health Canada and the Competition Bureau are looking for when assessing COVID-19-related claims. We also provide examples of the types of statements that have been considered “unacceptable,” as well as a brief description of the consequences of utilizing such unacceptable statements. Please note that the following does not address which licenses are necessary to sell specific products in Canada, nor does it address which legal requirements apply. For example, hand sanitizers, in order to be sold in Canada, must meet the requirements of the Natural Health Products Regulations (NHPR). The general principles of the Competition Act and the rules of the Canadian Competition Bureau With respect to both COVID-19-related claims and product claims in general, the Competition Act prohibits false or misleading claims about any product, service, or business interest. This applies to both the literal meaning of a statement and the general impression it creates. Furthermore, the Competition Act prohibits performance claims that are not backed up by adequate and proper testing. First, such testing must be performed prior to the claim being made and on the actual product being sold, as opposed to a comparable or similar product. Second, they must reflect the product's real-world usage—such as in-home use. Third, the results of the tests must support the general impression created by the claims.  Since as early as May 2020, the Competition Bureau has enforced the above guidelines by issuing direct compliance warnings to a variety of businesses across Canada to stop potentially deceptive claims, including warnings against: Making claims that certain products (including herbal remedies, bee-related products, vitamins, and vegetables) can prevent COVID-19 infections; and Making claims—without first conducting the testing required by law—that certain UV and ozone air sterilization systems, as well as certain air filters or air purifiers, will effectively kill or filter out the virus. Accordingly, the above rules should always be followed when making any COVID-19-related claim about a product. Examples of advertising incidents addressed by Health Canada Health Canada has provided a list of more than 400 advertising incidents related to COVID-19.2 The table provided in footnote 2 lists products and corresponding companies or advertising media found to engage in non-compliant marketing, which are currently under review or have been resolved. While many of these incidents have been resolved, it is unclear what resolution occurred. Was the claim modified or removed entirely? Did the company have to pay a fine? Did the company manage to convince Health Canada that their claim was acceptable as is? Nonetheless, it is clear that the statements were questionable enough that Health Canada found it necessary to intervene. The COVID-19-related claims found therein can thus serve as an effective guide of what claims not to use when advertising products. Along with many unauthorized general claims of “preventing” or “treating” coronavirus and/or COVID-19, some interesting examples of statements flagged by Health Canada include the following: “To protect against Coronavirus” – with respect to a “bandana and protection mask set.” “Flatten the curve with these on trend Fashion Masks” – with respect to a face mask. “Anti-Microbial Micropoly Fabric” – with respect to a face mask. “Ideal for Covid-19” – with respect to a face mask. “Anti-coronavirus, blocks pollution like: exhaust fume, smog, flu virus” – with respect to a face mask. “Effectively isolates saliva carrying coronavirus” – with respect to an “Anti-Dust And Anti-Fog Hat Anti Coronavirus Hat.” “The importance of boosting the immune system during the threat of COVID-19” – with respect to various natural health products. “Suitable in bathroom, living room, bedroom hotel, flu Covid-19” – with respect to a “UV Disinfection Lamp Steriliser.” “labeled ‘COVID-19’ under tab” – with respect to a face mask. As can be seen, some of the statements do not even directly mention COVID-19 or coronavirus, and instead reference concepts such as “flattening the curve” or make general representations about having “anti-microbial” properties. Moreover, many of the claims simply reference COVID-19, without making any representations about treating and/or preventing it. In addition to consulting the above guidelines and examples, it may be wise to seek out products that have been approved by Health Canada for use against COVID-19. Some examples of such products include the following: Disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19. Authorized medical testing devices for uses related to COVID-19. Authorized medical devices other than testing devices for uses related to COVID-19. Based on the above, products should only bear COVID-19-related claims if they have been approved for use against COVID-19 by Health Canada, and, even then, such claims should be limited to said use and to what the supporting evidence demonstrates. Some of the links above also contain information on how to obtain the aforementioned approval from Health Canada. Please note that, as of the date of this newsletter, no hand sanitizers have been approved in Canada with COVID-19-related claims.3 Consequently, although hand sanitizers can help reduce the risk of infection by, or spread of, microorganisms, COVID-19-related claims should not be used with such products. Even so, Health Canada has provided a list of hand sanitizers that they have authorized for sale in Canada. In general, a sound policy is to thoroughly review your marketing materials to identify any claims related to the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 that may be false, misleading, or unsubstantiated, and immediately modify or remove such claims accordingly. Penalties for false representations and misleading marketing practices The penalties for using COVID-19-related claims that do not comply with the law can be quite severe and can include fines and jail time.4 In fact, false or misleading representations and deceptive marketing practices, regardless of whether they involve COVID-19-related claims, can be prosecuted under civil law and/or criminal law. As an example, under civil law, the court may order a person to cease an activity, publish a notice and/or pay an administrative monetary penalty. On first occurrence, individuals are liable to penalties of up to $750,000, and corporations, up to $10,000,000. For subsequent occurrences, the penalties increase to a maximum of $1,000,000 for individuals and $15,000,000 for corporations. Under criminal law, a person is liable to a fine of up to $200,000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year. We thus strongly recommend avoiding making false or misleading COVID-19-related claims at all times.     We hope that our newsletter serves as a useful guide regarding what Health Canada and the Competition Bureau consider an “inaccurate” or “false” COVID-19-related claim, and that it has clearly laid out what the consequences of making such a claim in association with a given product can be. However, whether a COVID-19-related claim is appropriate will depend on many factors, such as the exact wording of the claim and the exact nature of the product. Our intellectual property team would be happy to help you with any questions you may have regarding what COVID-19-related claims, if any, you should use on your products, as well as any other legal requirements that must be met before a specific product can be sold in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2020/05/competition-bureau-cracking-down-on-deceptive-marketing-claims-about-covid-19-prevention-or-treatment.html https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/covid19-industry/health-product-advertising-incidents.html https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/covid-19.html https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03133.html

In order to reduce community transmission and preserve everyone’s safety and that of our healthcare system, the government requires everyone to make extra efforts, both in their private lives and at work. The closure of retail businesses, save for some exceptions, is maintained, the lockdown to prevent gatherings continues and a curfew was added on January 9, 2021, to remain in effect until the currently announced date of February 8, 20211. How can employers review their work organization to the extent possible for them while complying with government guidelines? Here are a few questions and answers to clarify the situation. With the curfew in effect, do I need to review my work organization and schedules if my activities are not suspended or prohibited? If you operate an essential retail business, you are required to review your employees’ schedules and work hours in order to abide by the curfew and allow your employees to leave your business no later than 7:30 p.m. in order to be home by 8 p.m. Companies in the construction, manufacturing and primary processing industries must reduce their activities “to pursue only those activities necessary to fulfil their commitments” (our translation): To properly measure the scope of this requirement, the guidelines and directives issued by the authorities (including CNESST) must be closely followed. However, on the basis of this statement in the Decree adopted on the evening of January 8, 2021, in order to be able to demonstrate the steps taken to comply with directives, companies should review confirmed contracts and orders, agreed-upon delivery dates and inherent production delays to modify work planning (e.g. priority orders to be delivered by February 8, 2021, staff work days and hours, evening and night shifts). In its online communications, the Government of Quebec asks not only that activities be reduced to a minimum to complete commitments, but also that shifts be adjusted to limit the staff present at any time on production and construction sites. Businesses in this situation may require special negotiations to make the necessary adjustments given working conditions, policies or collective agreements in place. When should I consider temporary layoffs due to a reduction in my activities as a result of the increased lockdown or curfew? Subject to the provisions of a collective agreement or employment contract (e.g. guaranteed hours of work), an employer may consider reorganizing work and allocating working hours among employees by coming to an agreement on temporary working conditions with them to avoid layoffs. If such an agreement is not possible for legal, organizational or efficiency reasons, layoffs may be considered: With confirmation of the layoffs as being related to COVID-19, in which case concerned employees can verify their eligibility for the Canada Recovery Benefit or EI benefits depending on the circumstances. An employer should also document the reasons behind temporary layoffs and, for example, in its determination of who is affected according to the organization’s applicable criteria, for recall purposes and analysis of whether or not extending such layoffs is necessary. How do I protect my essential employees who would have to travel during curfew to get to work or return home? For each employee required to travel during the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, the employer must prepare an explanatory letter (attestation letter) as evidence that the employer’s activities are authorized under the applicable directives and that the employee’s work is essential to carrying out authorized activities (this includes transporting goods required for such activities). The attestation letter must include information that could reasonably lead the police to conclude that the employee is allowed to travel during the curfew because that employee qualifies for one of the exceptions provided by the government. Exceptions are known to be interpreted restrictively. On the basis of the form letter issued by the government and the purpose of the attestation letter, this letter should include information such as: The name of the employer and its authorized representative (with letterhead confirming the company’s contact information, including its website). The nature of the employer’s activities. The employee’s duties, home address and work contact information. The employee’s work schedule. The contact information and telephone number of the person available between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. to provide details to police officers who may stop the employee (this person must be familiar with the employer’s authorized activities involving the employee as well as the employee’s position and schedule). The validity period of the attestation and its date of signature. I operate a retail business that is not identified as an authorized priority business since December 25, 2020. Can I operate and sell goods online and how can my customers retrieve their purchases? E-commerce is allowed, even for non-essential goods (sales can also be completed by phone). The key points: Telework should be maximized as much as possible, with physical presence being limited to only  those employees whose presence is essential to the workplace. Goods can be delivered or picked up at the door without entering a store. Payment must be made by telephone if a sale is made in this way and without the customer entering the business. We will follow developments and keep you informed as it is important to keep track of possible—and often frequent changes and adjustments brought to the directives. The professionals of our Labour and Employment team are available to advise you and answer your questions. See https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/confinement-in-quebec/ and the January 8, 2021, Order in Council 2-2021 Ordering of measures to protect the health of the population amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed Canadian workplaces. For many organizations, the pandemic and its containment measures have fast-tracked the shift to teleworking.  In this context, the Canada Revenue Agency (the “CRA”) and the Agence du Revenu du Québec (the“ARQ”) have published administrative positions regarding deductible expenses for employees working from home as well as for their employers. Eligible expenses for an EMPLOYEE The first condition for claiming employment expenses related to teleworking involves being obliged to work from home. The CRA has announced some flexibility in this regard, to the effect that if an employer did not require an employee to work from home but gave them the option to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRA will consider the employee to have worked from home as a result of the pandemic. Temporary flat rate method: Federal and Quebec deduction of $2 per day without Form T2200 On December 15, 2020, the Government of Canada announced that employees who worked from home more than 50% of the time for at least four consecutive weeks in 2020 will be able to deduct $2 from their incomefor each day worked during that period and for each additional day worked outside that period, for a maximum of $400. The temporary flat rate method only applies to the 2020 taxation year. To qualify, the employee must only deduct only home office expenses and no other employment expenses. Details of expenses incurred for with teleworking or Form T2200 will not be required to claim this deduction. On December 16, 2020, the Government of Quebec followed the Government of Canada’s lead by announcing that taxpayers would be allowed to deduct $2 per day for each day worked from home, up to a maximum of $400, without supporting documents or a TP-64.3 form. Detailed method In general, an employee (whether a tenant or a homeowner) may deduct reasonable expenses directly related to the use of space in the home for work if and only if at least one of the following two conditions is met: (i)             The space devoted to work in the home is “the place where the individual principally (interpreted by the courts to be more than 50% of the time) performs the office or employment duties”; or  (ii)            The workspace in the home is “used exclusively [...] to earn income from the office or employment and, on a regular and continuous basis, for meeting customers or other persons in the ordinary course of performing the office or employment duties.”[1] The period used to assess eligibility criteria for 2020 must be at least four consecutive weeks. This period may last more than a month. If the workspace is part of a residence rented by the individual, a reasonable portion of the rent may be deductible. However, an individual may not claim any deduction for the rental value of the workspace in a home owned by the individual or for amortization, taxes, insurance or mortgage interest in respect of that home. Notwithstanding the above restrictions, the Income Tax Act provides that employees remunerated by commissions may deduct a reasonable portion of the taxes and insurance paid for the home they own, if one of the above criteria is met. It is important to note that these expenses are eligible only to the extent that they are not otherwise reimbursed by the employer. In order to determine the amount that can be deducted in this way, it is important to use a reasonable basis for calculation.For example, the calculation can be based on the area of the workspace in proportion to the total area of the home. Other possible uses of space must also be considered. The use of 100% compared to 75% of the space by an employee is an important factor in the calculation. For example, a kitchen table used as office space by an employee will have mixed use, which will have a direct impact on the amount of deductible expenses. Eligible expenses(salaried employees and those remunerated by commission) Electricity Heating Water Utility portion (electricity, heat and water) of the employee’s condominium fees Home internet service costs Maintenance and minor repair costs Rent paid for the house or apartment where the employee lives Eligible expenses(employees remunerated by commission only) Home insurance Property taxes   Rental of a cell phone, computer, laptop, tablet, fax machine, etc. that is reasonably related to commission income Ineligible expenses(salaried employees and those remunerated by commission) Mortgage interest Mortgage payments Internet connection fees Furniture Capital expenses (replacement of windows, floors, furnace, etc.) Wall decorations Note that if an employee can deduct an expense in calculating taxable income for income tax purposes, they may also qualify for a refund of the Goods and Services Tax / Quebec Sales Tax (“GST/QST”) paid. GST and QST refunds are taxable and must be included in the employee’s income tax return the following year. It is also important for the employee to keep supporting documents. The CRA recently developed an expense calculator to simplify calculating eligible expenses. An employee will have to complete the following forms to deduct expenses and obtain GST and QST refunds: a)    T777 – Statement of Employment Expenses; b)    TP-59 – Employment Expenses of Salaried Employees; c)     GST370 – GST/HST Rebate Application; and d)    VD-358 – QST Rebate for Employees. In order to deduct employment expenses from income, including certain expenses related to space devoted to working from home, the employee must have received two forms from the employer: a)    Form T2200 - Declaration of Conditions of Employment (“T2200”); and b)    Form TP-64.3 General Employment Conditions (“TP-64.3”) (Quebec employee only). Considerations for the employer On December 15, 2020, the CRA announced the launch of a simplified process to claim home office expenses for the 2020 tax year. Accordingly, a simplified version of Form T2200 was made available as Form T2200S. The form may be found here. In order for an employee to be able to deduct the expenses described above, Form T2200S must indicate: If the employee worked at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic; If the employer reimbursed or will reimburse the employee for some of the home office expenses; and If the amount was included on the employee’s T4 slip. Finally, the employer will have to certify that “this employee worked from home in 2020 due to COVID-19, and was required to pay some or all their own home office expenses used directly in their work while carrying out their duties of employment during that period.” It is expected that a large number of employees will meet the criteria for this deduction, at least as long as the workplace access restrictions attributable to COVID-19 remain in place. The ARQ, for its part, has announced that, exceptionally, an electronic signature of the employer on the TP-64.3 form would be permitted. In addition, on December 16, 2020, the Government of Quebec announced that it will launch, in early 2021, an online service for generating a large number of TP-64.3 forms to be sent to teleworkers. This service aims to reduce the administrative burden on medium and large companies. More information on the online platform is expected in 2021. Other eligible expenses for an employee An employee will also be able to deduct certain expenses for supplies consumed directly in the course of their duties to the extent that they are not reimbursed by the employer, such as: a)    Paper, pencils and ink cartridges; b)    Internet costs, if they are charged based on usage. To this end, the CRA has announced that for the 2020 taxation year, it will exceptionally accept monthly residential internet service costs (the cost of the plan must be reasonable). Expenses reimbursed by an employer Normally, an amount received from an employer to reimburse an expense is considered a benefit to the employee and must be added to the employee’s employment income, unless such expenses are necessary for the performance of the employee’s duties. Employees may not deduct reimbursed expenses. In addition, in the current context, the CRA and the ARQ have announced that the reimbursement of $500 by an employer to an employee to offset the cost of acquiring personal computer equipment or office equipment required for telework does not constitute a taxable benefit to the employee. For example, if the purchase is a $1,000 desk, the taxable benefit included in the employee’s income will be $500. The CRA has recently announced that this amount will not be increased. Allowance paid by an employer Some employers will prefer to pay an allowance directly to their employees who are teleworking to cover the additional costs they incur. In this context, the employer will be able to deduct this allowance in the calculation of its taxable income, provided that it is a reasonable amount. Normally, the amount of this allowance will be treated as a taxable benefit to the employee and will have to be included in employment income for the taxation year in which the employee receives it, except in the situation covered by the exception mentioned above. Other considerations for the employer It is also important for the employer to consider the tax implications—particularly with respect to source deductions—of the location where the employee primarily works during the pandemic if it differs from the location of the employer’s establishment where they normally report for work.  The CRA and the ARQ have announced relief in this respect for the 2020 taxation year. For example, the province of work will not change for employees who work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The province for the purpose of calculating source deductions will continue to be the province of the normal place of work. However, if the employee performs their work in a foreign country, certain tax implications for both the employee and the employer should be considered. Lavery’s tax law team can guide you and answer your questions regarding your company’s tax compliance. Technical interpretation IT-352R2.

The current crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has already caused, and will continue to cause, significant liquidity problems for some businesses. Companies whose financial difficulties threaten their very existence will have to restructure in order to avoid bankruptcy, either by availing themselves of the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act1 (the "CCAA") or by using the proposal mechanism of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act2 (the "BIA").  Tax considerations related to an arrangement or a proposal accepted by creditors  Making use of the provisions of the CCAA or the BIA entails tax considerations for the debtor corporation that directors and owner-operators need to consider. Some of these tax considerations are discussed below.  In the context of the restructuring of a debtor company, creditors may accept a partial settlement of their claim or a conversion of their claim into shares in the debtor company. If a corporation is not bankrupt within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the settlement of a debt for an amount less than its principal will have tax consequences for the debtor corporation. For example, certain tax attributes of the debtor corporation such as the balance of loss carryforwards, the undepreciated portion of the capital cost of depreciable property or the adjusted cost base of capital assets will be reduced by the amount of the reduction in the receivable, if any.   In certain cases, if the tax attributes of the debtor corporation are insufficient to absorb the amount of debt forgiven, inclusion in the calculation of its taxable income may occur, creating a tax liability.  Several strategies can be adopted to limit undesirable consequences in the context of a restructuring under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.  As mentioned, it may be possible, among other things, to convert the debt into shares of the debtor company without causing adverse consequences, if the fair market value of the shares issued upon conversion of the debt is equal to the principal of the debt.   In some cases, a debt held by a shareholder of the debtor company could be written off without consideration and without the need to issue shares.  Finally, it may be possible, in certain situations, to avoid inclusion in the income of the debtor corporation through the use of certain reserve mechanisms or through tax deductions.  Insolvency is a delicate situation for any business. Proper tax planning will allow the debtor company to maximize the effectiveness of the restructuring process offered by the CCAA.  Our taxation team can help you set up effective planning in this context.   R.S.C. 1985, c. C-36 and amendments R.S.C. 1985, c. B-3 and amendments

The COVID-19 pandemic has been not only causing major social upheaval but disrupting business development and the economy as well. Nevertheless, since last March, we have seen many developments and new projects involving self-driving vehicles (SDV). Here is an overview. Distancing made easy thanks to contactless delivery In mid-April 2020, General Motors’ Cruise SDVs were dispatched to assist two food banks in the delivery of nearly 4,000 meals in eight days in the San Francisco Bay Area. Deliveries were made with two volunteer drivers overseeing the operation of the Level 3 SDVs. Rob Grant, Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Cruise, commented on the usefulness of SDVs: “What I do see is this pandemic really showing where self-driving vehicles can be of use in the future.  That includes in contactless delivery like we’re doing here.”1 Also in California in April, SDVs operated by the start-up Nuro Inc. were made available to transport medical equipment in San Mateo County and Sacramento.  Toyota Pony SDVs were, for their part, used to deliver meals to local shelters in the city of Fremont, California.  Innovation: The first Level 4 driverless vehicle service In July 2020, Navya Group successfully implemented a Level 4 self-driving vehicles service on a closed site. Launched in partnership with Groupe Keolis, the service has been transporting visitors and athletes on the site of the National Shooting Sports Centre in Châteauroux, France, from the parking lot to the reception area.  This is a great step forward—it is the first trial of a level 4 vehicle, meaning that it is fully automated and does not require a human driver in the vehicle itself to control it should a critical situation occur. Driverless buses and dedicated lanes in the coming years In August 2020, the state of Michigan announced that it would take active steps to create dedicated road lanes exclusively for SDVs on a 65 km stretch of highway between Detroit and Ann Arbour.  This initiative will begin with a study to be conducted over the next three years. One of the goals of this ambitious project is to have driverless buses operating in the corridor connecting the University of Michigan and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in downtown Detroit. In September 2020, the first SDV circuit in Japan was inaugurated at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The regular route travels 700 metres through the airport.  A tragedy to remind us that exercising caution is key  On March 18, 2018, in Tempe, Arizona, a pedestrian was killed in a collision with a Volvo SUV operated by an Uber Technologies automated driving system that was being tested. The vehicle involved in the accident, which was being fine-tuned, corresponded to a Level 3 SDV under SAE International Standard J3016, requiring a human driver to remain alert at all times in order to take control of the vehicle in a critical situation. The investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the vehicle’s automated driving system had detected the pedestrian, but was unable to classify her as such and thus predict her path. In addition, video footage of the driver inside the SDV showed that she did not have her eyes on the road at the time of the accident, but rather was looking at her cell phone on the vehicle’s console. In September 2020, the authorities indicted the driver of the vehicle and charged her with negligent homicide. The driver pleaded not guilty and the pre-trial conference will be held in late October 2020.  We will keep you informed of developments in this case.   In all sectors of the economy, including the transportation industry and more specifically the self-driving vehicles industry, projects have been put on hold because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, many projects that have been introduced, such as contactless delivery projects, are now more important than ever. Apart from the Navya Group project, which involves Level 4 vehicles, all the initiatives mentioned concern Level 3 vehicles. These vehicles, which are allowed on Quebec roads, must always have a human driver present. The recent charges against the inattentive driver in Arizona serve as a reminder to all drivers of Level 3 SDVs that regardless of the context of an accident, they may be held liable. The implementation of SDVs around the world is slow, but steadily gaining ground. A number of projects will soon be rolled out, including in Quebec. As such initiatives grow in number, SDVs will become more socially acceptable, and seeing these vehicles as something normal on our roads is right around the corner.   Financial Post, April 29, 2020, “Self-driving vehicles get in on the delivery scene amid COVID-19,”.

A recent Ministerial Order1 from the Minister of National Revenue has formally extended certain deadlines under the Income Tax Act (“ITA”) and the Excise Tax Act (“ETA”). The Order is retroactive to March 13, 2020. The extension is 6 months or until December 31, 2020, whichever is earlier. This Ministerial Order will have various implications for taxpayers and registrants, in particular in terms of limitation periods. For example, notices of reassessment may be issued until December 31, 2020, for taxpayers whose reassessment period under the ITA expired between May 20, 2020, and December 30, 2020, even in circumstances where there is no misrepresentations attributable to negligence, carelessness or wilful default in tax returns and no waivers of the regular reassessment period have been signed. As a result, the taxation years subject to the Order (in particular 2016 or 2017, depending on the taxpayer) and reporting periods would not be statute-barred in these circumstances. Reporting periods and taxation years that became statute-barred on or before May 19, 2020, are not subject to the Order. It remains to be seen how the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) intends to apply the Ministerial Order. The CRA has stated that “generally, taxpayers would be informed of the details of a potential (re)assessment, including whether or not the CRA is applying an extension to a (re)assessment period under the Ministerial Order.”2 Time limits extended by 6 months The period for claiming SR&ED expenditures (Form T661), normally 12 months after the corporation’s filing due date for a return;3 The period for claiming an SR&ED investment tax credit (Form T661 and Schedule 31 or Form T2038), normally 1 year after the corporation’s filing due date for a return; The normal reassessment period for a taxation year (normally 3 years or 4 years after the issuance of a notice of assessment under the ITA) that would normally have expired after May 19, 2020, but before December 31, 2020; The normal reassessment period for a reporting period (normally 4 years following the issuance of an assessment under the ETA) that would normally have expired after May 19, 2020, but before December 31, 2020; The deadline for applying for an extension of time to file a Notice of Objection under the ITA and the ETA that would normally have expired after March 12, 2020 (normally 1 year after the expiry of the time limit for filing a Notice of Objection), as well as the time limit for appeal of the Minister’s decision dismissing such an application with the Tax Court of Canada. Our taxation team can help you manage your deadlines and your interactions with the tax authorities.   Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 154, No. 37: COMMISSIONS, September 12, 2020 https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/covid-19-ministerial-orders/time-period-other-limits-faq.html For corporations and trusts with a tax year-end from September 13, 2018, to December 31, 2018, and an SR&ED reporting deadline from March 13, 2020, to June 30, 2020, the deadline is extended by 6 months. For corporations and trusts with a tax year-end from January 1, 2019, to June 29, 2019, and an SR&ED reporting deadline from July 1, 2020, to December 29, 2020, the deadline is extended to December 31, 2020. For individuals who operated a sole proprietorship for which the tax year ended on December 31, 2018, and whose SR&ED reporting deadline was June 15, 2020, the deadline is extended to December 15, 2020.

Cybersecurity will generally be a significant issue for businesses in the years to come. With teleworking, cloud computing and the advent of artificial intelligence, large amounts of data are likely to fall prey to hackers attracted by the personal information or trade secrets contained therein. From a legal standpoint, businesses have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the personal information they hold.1 Although the legal framework doesn’t always specify what such reasonable means are in terms of technology, measures appropriate for the personal information in question must nevertheless be applied. These measures must also be assessed in light of the evolution of threats to IT systems. Some jurisdictions, such as Europe, go further and require that IT solutions incorporate security measures by design.2 In the United States, with respect to medical information, there are numerous guidelines on the technical means to be adopted to ensure that such information is kept secure.3 In addition to the personal information they hold, companies may also want to protect their trade secrets. These are often invaluable and their disclosure to competitors could cause them irreparable harm. No technology is immune. In a recent publication,4 the renowned Kaspersky firm warns us of the growing risks posed by certain organized hacker groups that may want to exploit the weaknesses of Linux operating systems, despite their reputation as highly secure. Kaspersky lists a number of known vulnerabilities that can be used for ransom attacks or to gain access to privileged information. The publication echoes the warnings issued by the FBI regarding the discovery of new malware targeting Linux.5 Measures to be taken to manage the risk It is thus important to take appropriate measures to reduce these risks. We recommended in particular that business directors and officers: Adopt corporate policies that prevent the installation of unsafe software by users; Adopt policies for the regular review and updating of IT security measures; Have penetration tests and audits conducted to check system security; Ensure that at least one person in management is responsible for IT security. Should an intrusion occur, or, as a precautionary measure for businesses that collect and store sensitive personal information, consulting a lawyer specializing in personal information or trade secrets is recommended in order to fully understand the legal issues involved in such matters.   See in particular: Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Quebec), s. 10, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada), s. 3. General Data Protection Regulation, art. 25. Security Rule, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 45 CFR Part 160, 164. https://securelist.com/an-overview-of-targeted-attacks-and-apts-on-linux/98440/ https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/nsa-and-fbi-expose-russian-previously-undisclosed-malware-drovorub-in-cybersecurity-advisory

The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “CEWS”) is a key component of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 economic response plan. The purpose of the CEWS, adopted on April 11, 2020, is to help Canadians keep their jobs during the crisis and help companies maintain an employment relationship with their employees in order to recover more quickly when the economy returns to normal. On July 13, 2020, when the Canada Revenue Agency had already approved 667,400 applications, the Prime Minister of Canada confirmed that the CEWS will be extended until December 2020. A few days later, on July 17, the Minister of Finance of Canada announced that the CEWS will be extended until December 19, 2020. He also announced major changes to the structure of the CEWS, which, for the time being, should apply until November 21, 2020. Details are expected to follow for the eligibility period from November 22 to December 19, 2020. Summary of changes As the draft legislative proposal has not yet been adopted, the proposed changes may be modified. Duration of the CEWS Pursuant to the legislative proposal, the CEWS would now be available until November 21, 2020, and CEWS applications may be accepted until February 2021. Eligibility The concept of eligible entity remains the same, except that trusts would now be eligible for the CEWS. The changes to the CEWS are intended to make the eligibility criteria more flexible to enable more employers to benefit from the subsidy. Businesses that do not meet the 30% drop in revenue test would now be eligible to the CEWS. The base rate of the CEWS would now vary depending on the revenue decline’s level, and its application would be extended to employers with a revenue decline of less than 30%. However, despite being more flexible, the criteria would be more complex than those applicable to initial eligibility periods. CEWS’s “base” and “top-up” subsidy The amount of the CEWS for each employee would now vary according to the employer’s drop in revenue, expressed as a percentage. The CEWS would consist of two parts: a “base” subsidy and a “top-up” subsidy. During an eligibility period, the CEWS amount would be calculated by adding the base and top-up percentages, as defined in Appendix A below. Base subsidy: The maximum base CEWS rate would be gradually reduced from 60% in eligibility periods 51 and 6 to 20% for the last period (Period 9). The maximum base CEWS rate would be available for eligible entities that have experienced a revenue drop of more than 50%. It would then be gradually reduced by the percentage of the eligible entity’s revenue decline from the maximum base rate for the relevant eligibility period to zero. For example, for a revenue drop of 50% or more, the maximum CEWS amount would now be 60% for Periods 5 and 6, to be reduced to 50% for Period 7. Top-up subsidy: A maximum top-up subsidy of 25% would be offered in certain cases to provide additional support to companies particularly affected by the crisis. The top-up subsidy would be available to eligible entities that have experienced a revenue drop of more than 50% for a given eligibility period. To be eligible for the maximum top-up subsidy, a revenue drop of 70% or more must be registered for the three months preceding the relevant period. A transitional rule is provided for Periods 5 and 6 to allow eligible employers to elect the most advantageous subsidy, that is, the CEWS rate of 75% under the initial structure with a threshold of 30% or one of 60% (+ potentially 25%) under the new structure. In addition, the special rule providing for automatic eligibility forthe subsequent period would also be modified. Thus, an entity that qualified for Period 3 would automatically qualify for Period 4. However, for subsequent periods, the revenue reduction percentage from the previous qualifying period could be applied if the revenue reduction percentage for the current qualifying period is lower. For example, if an eligible entity had a 45% revenue reduction for Period 6 but its revenue reduction for Period 7 fell to 25%, the entity could benefit from the Period 6 percentage, that is, 45%. The base and top-up CEWS would apply to the remuneration of active employees. A separate CEWS rate structure would apply to furloughed employees. For furloughed employees, for Periods 5 and 6, the CEWS calculation would remain the same as it is now, but would be adjusted for Periods 7 to 9 to harmonize with income support through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) and/or Employment Insurance. Calculating the CEWS In order to calculate the CEWS, the proposed legislation introduces three new definitions that are further described in Appendix A below. These definitions are used to calculate the base and top-up subsidies. Base percentage (if revenue decline < 50 %) Base percentage (if revenue decline = 50 %) Top-up percentage (if revenue decline > 50 %) CEWS Period 5: July 5 to August 1st, 2020 CEWS Period 6: Period 6 : August 2 to August 29, 2020 1.2 x % decline 60 % 1.25 x (% of revenue decline on preceding three-month average – 50 %) Max 25 % CEWS Period 7: August 30 to September 26, 2020 1 x % decline 50 % 1.25 x (% of revenue decline on preceding three-month average – 50 %) Max 25 % CEWS Period 8: 27 septembre au 24 octobre 2020 0.8 x % decline 40 % 1.25 x (% of revenue decline on preceding three-month average – 50 %)Max 25 % CEWS Period 9: October 25 to November 21, 2020 0.4 x % decline 20 % 1.25 x (% of revenue decline on preceding three-month average – 50 %)Max 25 % CEWS amount The maximum weekly amount per employee would be increased from $847 to a maximum percentage of 85% (maximum base and top-up subsidies) of the lesser of the weekly remuneration paid and $1,129, for a maximum of $960 per week, per employee. This percentage would be reduced according to an eligible employer’s revenue decline. The concept of eligible remuneration would remain the same, but the concept of basic remuneration would no longer apply as of Period 5, except in the case of employees that do not deal at arm’s length with the employer. Other significant changes to the CEWS A variety of other changes were announced, including: An appeal process based on the existing Notice of Determination procedure to make it possible to appeal to the Tax Court of Canada. For example, an employer denied the CEWS in whole or in part could avail itself of the objection and appeal process under the Income Tax Act to challenge the CRA decision in this regard. On June 17, 2020, as part of the economic response plan, the CRA announced that it would begin post-payment audits of CEWS claims as early as September 2020. Employers whose employees are paid through a payroll service provider would now be able to claim CEWS for the salaries of their eligible employees; For reference periods beginning July 5, employees who have not received remuneration for 14 consecutive days would still be granted eligible status; New optional reference periods have been added to each qualifying period to account for the particularities of seasonal businesses; Corporations formed on an amalgamation would be deemed to be the same corporation and a continuation of each of the corporations existing immediately before the amalgamation; Trusts would now be eligible entities; Continuity rules would be introduced to make it possible for employers who have purchased all or substantially all the assets of a business to calculate their drop in revenues for the purposes of CEWS. Labour and employment law considerations As in the previous version of CEWS, an employer would not be required to pay employees the pre-crisis remuneration they were receiving in order to be eligible to the CEWS2. However, it is important to remember that a substantial change in an employee’s working conditions, especially one lasting for an extended period of time, may give rise to allegations of constructive dismissal. An analysis of the employment contract of employees affected by a change in their working hours, remuneration, position or duties is recommended, as well as obtaining legal advice. Considering the elimination of the requirement that an employee should not be “without remuneration from the eligible employer in respect of a period of 14 or more consecutive days in the claim period,” employers will now have more flexibility in terms of call-back dates and employee schedules. Caution is still advised when calling employees back to work. While employer eligibility for CEWS is no longer dependent on the “14-day rule,” employees may still be required to reimburse the CERB benefits received, depending on their income level during the applicable eligibility period. Currently, an employee must reimburse the CERB in the following cases: 1st1 CERB eligibility period Other CERB eligibility periods An employee will be required to reimburse the sum of $2,000 if they have earned or will earn, for at least 14 consecutive days during that period, , more than $1,000 (before deductions) in employment or self-employment income. An employee will be required to reimburse the sum of $2,000 if they have earned or will earn more than $1,000 (before deductions) in employment or self-employment income during this period. Finally, despite CEWS’s rules being more flexible, some employers will have to consider permanently laying off part of their workforce. Legal advice should be obtained in order to assess an employer’s obligations under the employment contracts’ terms and applicable law. Particular considerations also apply to notice and severance pay for an employer benefiting from the CEWS, as the amounts paid generally cannot be subsidized through the CEWS. Lavery’s tax and labour law teams are available to answer all your questions regarding the application of the CEWS and to support in the case of audits by tax authorities. APPENDIX A “Revenue reduction percentage” means the percentage of revenue reduction for the qualifying period relative to revenue for the reference period used to determine eligibility. For qualifying periods beginning July 5, 2020, employers would now have the option of calculating their revenue reduction percentage by electing the greater of: The revenue reduction obtained by comparing the current month with the same month in 2019; and The revenue reduction obtained by comparing the previous month with the same month in 2019. Otherwise, an eligible employer would have the possibility of electing to calculate the revenue reduction percentage by comparing either: The current month and the average of January and February 2020; or The previous month and the average of January and February 2020. Employers would be able to decide which calculation method they wish to use for the qualifying period beginning July 5, regardless of the election they made for qualifying periods prior to that date. The method chosen for the eligibility period beginning July 5 would become mandatory for all subsequent qualifying periods. The reference periods for the purposes of calculating the revenue reduction percentage of an eligible employer would thus be as follows: Reference period (revenue reduction percentage) Optional reference period (revenue reduction percentage) Qualifying period 5: July 5 to August 1, 2020 July 2020 compared to July 2019 or June 2020 compared to June 2019 July or June 2020 compared to the average of January and February 2020 Qualifying period 6: August 2 to August 29, 2020 August 2020 compared to August 2019 or July 2020 compared to July 2019 August or June 2020 compared to the average of January and February 2020 Qualifying period 7 : August 30 to September 26, 2020 September 2020 compared to September 2019 or août 2020 comparé à août 2019 September or August 2020 compared to the average of January and February 2020 Qualifying period 8: September 27 to October 24, 2020 October 2020 compared to October 2019 or September 2020 compared to September 2019 October or September 2020 compared to the average of January and February 2020 Qualifying period 9: October 25 to November 21, 2020 November 2020 compared to November 2019 or October 2020 compared to October 2019 November or October 2020 compared to the average of January and February 2020 “Top-up percentage” is the percentage equal to the lesser of: 25%; 1.25 multiplied by the result of the following subtraction: The average monthly revenue for the last three calendar months divided by the average decrease in revenue compared to their respective reference period; minus 50% The qualifying periods and their corresponding reference periods for the purpose of calculating the top-up percentage are set out in the table below: Qualifying period Reference period (top-up percentage) July 5 to August 1, 2020(Period 5) Average of April to June 2020 compared to the average of April to June 2019 or January and February 2020 August 2 to August 29, 2020(Period 6) Average of May to July 2020 compared to the average of May to July 2019 or January and February 2020 August 30 to September 26, 2020 (Period 7) Average of June to August 2020 compared to the average of June to August 2019 or January and February 2020 September 27 to October 24, 2020(Period 8) Average of July to September 2020 compared to the average of July to September 2019 or January and February 2020 October 25 to November 21, 2020(Period 9) Average of August to October 2020 compared to the average of August to October 2019 or January and February 2020 “Base percentage” means the percentage calculated based on the base percentage defined above and the qualifying period, as set out in the table below: Reference period (base percentage) Base percentage if the revenue reduction percentage exceeds 50% Base percentage if the revenue reduction percentage does not exceed 50% Qualifying period 4: June 7 to July 4, 2020 June 2020 compared to June 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 N/A N/A Qualifying period 5: July 5 to August 1, 2020 July 2020 compared to July 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 60 % 1.2 x revenue reduction percentage Qualifying period 6: August 2 to August 29, 2020 August 2020 compared to August 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 60 % 1.2 x revenue reduction percentage Qualifying period 7: August 30 to September 26, 2020 September 2020 compared to September 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 50 % 1 x revenue reduction percentage Qualifying period 8: September 27 to October 24, 2020 October 2020 compared to October 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 40 % 0.8 x revenue reduction percentage Qualifying period 9: October 25 to November 21, 2020 November 2020 compared to November 2019 or the average of January and February 2020 20 % 0.4 x revenue reduction percentage As set out in the table above, the base percentage rate, and therefore the total amount of CEWS paid relative to an employee’s salary, would gradually decrease over the qualifying periods. The maximum CEWS for an employee’s salary for a given week in the last qualifying period beginning October 25, 2020, would be $508. New CEWS calculation For qualifying periods beginning August 30, the amount of the CEWS that may be claimed for each employee would be calculated as follows: If the employee deals at arm’s length with the employer and is not on paid leave in a particular week: The percentage obtained by adding the base percentage and the top-up percentage for the qualifying period multiplied by the lesser of: The remuneration paid in respect of that week; and $1,129.00. If the employee does not deal at arm’s length with the employer and is not on paid leave for a particular week: The lesser of: The eligible amount of remuneration paid in respect of that week; An amount prescribed by regulation; and $0 if both the revenue reduction percentage and the top-up percentage are 0%. Eligibility periods: March 15, 2020, to April 11, 2020 (Period 1), April 12, 2020, to May 9, 2020 (Period 2), May 10, 2020, to June 6, 2020 (Period 3), June 7, 2020, to July 4, 2020 (Period 4), July 5, 2020, to August1, 2020 (Period 5), August 2, 2020, to August 29, 2020 (Period 6), August 30, 2020, to September 26, 2020 (Period 7), September 27, 2020, to October 24, 2020 (Period 8), and October 25, 2020, to November 21, 2020 (Period 9). It should be noted that the government strongly encouraged businesses to supplement employee remuneration to bring it back to pre-crisis levels wherever possible.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has now made a further announcement concerning the extension of deadlines, to the effect that  deadlines falling within March 16 to August 7, 2020, are extended to August 10, 2020. CIPO is otherwise still open for business and our IP team members have been continuing operations and transacting with CIPO on a regular basis, in a remote and secure manner. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of our IP group should you have any questions. In addition, the Canadian government has enacted the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, which, inter alia, has amended the Canadian Patent Act to add new section 19.4. This amendment provides a type of temporary compulsory licensing regime for patented technologies necessary to respond to a public health emergency. This is a temporary measure, since (1) if such authorization is granted, it will not last longer than 1 year (or may end sooner if the Minister of Health determines that such authorization is no longer necessary), and (2) no such authorization will be granted after Sept. 30, 2020. Under this provision, the authorized party may make, construct, use and sell the patented invention to the extent necessary to respond to public the health emergency. In return, the authorized party must pay the patentee what the Commissioner of Patents considers to be adequate remuneration under the circumstances. Rest assured that we remain at your service for all your legal needs, including those required to manage this pandemic, and that we will keep you informed as the situation evolves. We would like to offer our thoughts and support during these challenging times.

The sale of a business is often the most significant business transaction in an entrepreneur’s life. In addition, the net proceeds from such a sale often represent an entrepreneur’s only retirement fund. Therefore, it is crucial to maximize such proceeds by reducing or deferring the taxes resulting from the transaction as much as possible. The Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) recently reversed an administrative position that it had expressed in 2002 with respect to beneficial tax planning as part of the sale of a business. This change in its rather technical administrative position opens the door to very effective tax planning that offers real tax deferral opportunities to business owners wishing to sell their business. Consider the following example: Sale of 100% of shares to a third party without prior planning Ms. Tremblay wishes to sell 100% of the shares of her company (“Opco”) to a third party for their fair market value (“FMV”) of $10 million. These shares have an adjusted cost base of $1.00. Ms. Tremblay’s direct sale of 100% of Opco shares to a third party would result in a capital gain of approximately $10 million and total income taxes of approximately $2.7 million, assuming that her capital gain is not eligible for the capital gains exemption. In this scenario, Ms. Tremblay would be left with a sum of approximately $7.3 million after taxes. Sale of shares with the newly approved prior tax planning In the second scenario, prior to the sale to the third party, Ms. Tremblay would create a management company (“Gesco”) and transfer 50% of Opco shares to it on a rollover basis, with no immediate tax consequences. Gesco would then internally exchange Opco shares in order to realize a $5 million capital gain within Gesco, resulting in income taxes of approximately $1.26 million for Gesco, a portion of which would later be refunded through the use of a non-eligible refundable dividend tax on hand account. Subsequently, Ms. Tremblay would sell her remaining 50% of Opco shares to Gesco in two transactions of 25% each, both payable by a promissory note equal to the FMV of the shares—in our example, $2.5 million per transaction. Ms. Tremblay would then be deemed to have received two dividends of $2.5 million each. The first would be designated as a capital dividend by Gesco and would therefore be tax-free for Ms. Tremblay. The second would be designated as an ordinary (non-eligible) dividend, resulting in total income taxes of approximately $1.18 million for Ms. Tremblay. The designation of the second dividend as an ordinary dividend would result in a refundable dividend tax on hand for Gesco of approximately $766,000. Gesco, owning 100% of Opco shares having an adjusted cost base equal to their FMV, would sell them to a third party for a sum of $10 million, generating no additional capital gain within Gesco. By using the tax mechanisms of a capital dividend account and a non-eligible refundable dividend tax on hand account, the sale of Opco shares would result in total income taxes of approximately $1.67 million, split between Ms. Tremblay and Gesco. Ms. Tremblay would then be left with proceeds of $3.82 million after taxes, while Gesco would be left with $4.51 million after taxes. Given that Ms.Tremblay would keep funds within Gesco, she would be able to defer the time at which she would be taxed on them, that is, when Gesco would pay her a dividend. In the meantime, she could make investments through Gesco. This type of planning would result in a tax deferral of almost 38% of the income taxes that, without prior planning, would have been payable on the sale of the shares. Our taxation team will be happy to answer all your questions and advise you on the most appropriate tax planning for your business. The information and comments contained herein do not constitute legal advice. They are intended solely to enable readers, who assume full responsibility, to use them for their own purposes.

The COVID-19 crisis has significantly slowed economic activity in all respects. The area of corporate mergers and acquisitions is no exception, and the level of activity, which was high before the crisis, has dropped significantly because of it.   It is difficult to predict when and at what pace such activity will resume, but we expect that, like many other sectors of the economy, this market will be different from what it was before the crisis. Among other things, we expect that the uncertainty regarding economic recovery will see vendors and purchasers increasingly rely on earnout clauses to reach agreements on the value of a business. Opportunities to obtain financing for the acquisition of a competitor or a complementary business are also likely to be limited, which will change how such transactions are financed. The new behaviours made necessary by the post-crisis economic environment will certainly have considerable fiscal impacts. The tax rules applicable to earnout clauses can be complex, and parties to such transactions should learn about them before signing a letter of intent for a potential transaction. Those wishing to sell could get an unpleasant surprise in terms of the net result of the sale of their business if they aren’t properly advised from the outset. In some cases, the sale of a business that would normally be expected to generate a capital gain with only 50% of such gain being included as taxable income could instead be 100% taxable as business income. Earnout clauses offer very interesting tax planning possibilities in some cases, such as the maximization of capital dividend accounts that corporations can use to pay tax-free dividends to their shareholders. The same care should be applied by those wishing to acquire or sell a business with regard to the different methods of financing transactions that are likely to become popular after the crisis, such as partial financing by the vendor. Poor tax planning in this regard could result in liquidity problems for vendors if payment of the balance of the sale price is spread out over too long a period. Purchasers will also want to maximize the tax benefits of this type of financing. The main way to do so involves banking on interest costs resulting from the financing of the purchase price, but to reap such benefits and others, the commercial agreements relating to the purchase must be carefully structured. Tax complexities are numerous in M&A transactions, and those mentioned above are just two examples. The tax incidence of such transactions should be analysed as soon as they are contemplated. Parties to M&A transactions often wait too long before analyzing tax aspects. They thus greatly limit their opportunities to benefit from optimal tax planning.  For more information, our taxation team is available to help you.

It goes without saying that the economic upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are posing countless challenges for all companies, whether or not they are pursuing their activities within the limits imposed by the governments of Canada and Quebec. Food producers such as agricultural and food processing businesses, considered by the Quebec government to be essential services, are not exempt from this harsh reality. In this context, different levels of government and certain key economic actors have taken critical measures to support and protect businesses in the agriculture and agri-food industry, which are vital to both the health of individuals and that of the Canadian and Quebec economies. This bulletin presents the various support measures specific to agri-food industry businesses, which may also be eligible for general tax and economic support measures announced in response to COVID-19, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Canadian measures Recruitment support Many food producers depend on the additional input of foreign labour during the summer months. To offset the impact of the mandatory 14-day isolation period for anyone arriving from abroad, the Canadian government is providing financial assistance of $1,500 to such producers for each temporary foreign agricultural worker arriving in Canada to work. This financial assistance is conditional on compliance with the mandatory isolation period or other public health guidelines. Financial support The Government of Canada has also increased Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) capital base by $5 billion in order to increase its lending capacity for agribusinesses and food producers and processors. For existing borrowers, FCC offers: Deferral of principal and interest payments for up to 6 months or deferral of principal payments for up to 12 months; and Access to an additional secured line of credit up to a maximum of $500,000 (for Quebec borrowers only). FCC offers term loans of up to $2.5 million,with no fees, to any Canadian agriculture and agri-food business whose working capital or production is impacted by COVID-19. Borrowers have the option of paying interest only for 18 months and benefit from a 10-year amortization period. The Government of Canada additionally announced support measures for farm producers, agri-food businesses and the food supply chain, which consist of the following: A sum of $77.5 million to help food processors purchase protective equipment and adapt work areas; A $125 million injection into the AgriRecovery program to cover additional costs to meat producers; A budget of $50 million to buy back certain surpluses, including potatoes and poultry; An increase of $200 million in the Canadian Dairy Commission’s borrowing limit to support temporary storage costs for butter and cheese; Financial assistance of $62.5 million for the fish and seafood processing industry; and Income support for fishers who are not eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, in the form of benefits and subsidies. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy On May 15, 2020, the Government of Canada announced its intention to amend the legislation on the CEWS to include measures to increase support for employers that hire seasonal employees. These new provisions, once they are passed, will give employers that are eligible for the CEWS two options for the calculation of their eligible employees’ average “baseline remuneration”: (1) the period from January 1 to March 15, 2020, or (2) the period from March 1 to May 31, 2019. In both cases, any period lasting seven days or more without remuneration will be excluded from the calculation. To be eligible, the employees must not be residents of Canada. Quebec measures The reality of COVID-19 is demonstrating that the success of the agriculture and agri-food industry is one of the Government of Quebec’s top priorities, as it is for the population in general. Recruitment support On April 17, 2020, the Government of Quebec announced that it will pay a premium of $100 per week to anyone taking on work for farmers between April 15 and October 31, 2020. As of April 22, 2020, close to 2,300 Quebecers had applied for such positions, the government’s goal being to encourage 8,500 people to get involved. Financial support La Financière agricole du Québec (FAQ), a government organization serving the agricultural and agri-food industry, has also implemented exceptional measures: Loans of up to $50,000 to support farm producers experiencing liquidity problems related to COVID-19; A six-month moratorium on loan repayments; Interim payments increased to 75% under the AgriStability program to ensure that program benefits are quickly available; Notices of assessment for the Farm Income Stabilization Insurance Program deferred to July 1, 2020; Deadline to enrol in the Crop Insurance Program extended from April 30 to May 21, 2020. Deadline to apply for the Agristability Program extended from April 30 to July 3, 2020. Notices of assessment for the Crop Insurance Program deferred from June 1 to July 1, 2020;  Investment grant payments under many FAQ programs moved up from June1 to May 1, 2020. Finally, the investment company Fondaction, whose mission is to practice socially responsible development, has undertaken to allocate $40 million to Quebec SMEs in the agricultural and agri-food industry over the next year. In addition, Fondaction has made its financing offer more flexible in order to provide support to industry businesses that are solid and growing, provided that they were profitable before COVID-19. Such businesses can apply for assistance from Fondaction to finance any project of $500,000 or more requiring development capital.   The Lavery team is committed to supporting your agricultural and agri-food business. We are available to answer all your questions regarding the announced measures, how they affect your business and any aspect relating thereto. The information and comments contained herein do not constitute legal advice. They are intended solely to enable readers, who assume full responsibility, to use them for their own purposes. The information and comments contained in this document are limited to measures in Quebec or Canada announced or made public on or before June 4, 2020.

New challenges The appearance of COVID-19 disrupted the operations of many companies. Some had to initiate work from home. Others were forced to quickly set up online services. This accelerated transition has made cybersecurity vitally important, particularly considering the personal information and trade secrets that might be accidentally disclosed. Cybersecurity risks can stem not only from hackers, but also from software configuration errors and negligent users. One of the best strategies for managing cybersecurity risks is to try to find weak spots in the system before an attack occurs, by conducting a penetration test, for example. This type of testing has really evolved over the past few years, going from targeted trial and error to larger and more systematic approaches. What machine learning can bring to companies Machine learning, and artificial intelligence in general, is able to simulate human behaviour and can therefore function as a hypothetical negligent user or hacker for testing purposes. As a result, penetration tests involving artificial intelligence can be a good deal more effective. One example of relatively simple machine learning is Arachni: open-source software that assesses the security of web applications. It is one of the tools in the Kali Linux distribution, which is well-known for its penetration testing. Arachni uses a variety of advanced techniques, but it can also be trained to be more effective at discovering attack vectors-vulnerabilities where the applications are the most exposed.1 Many other cybersecurity software programs now have similar learning capabilities. Artificial intelligence can go even further. Possible uses for artificial intelligence in the cybersecurity field include2: A faster reaction time during malware attacks More effective detection of phishing attempts A contextualized understanding of abnormal user behaviour IBM has recently created a document explaining how its QRadar suite, which incorporates artificial intelligence, can reduce managers’ cybersecurity burden.3 What it means: Human beings remain central to cybersecurity issues. Managers must not only understand those issues, including the ones created by artificial intelligence, but they must also give users clear directives and ensure compliance. When considering which cybersecurity measures to impose on users, it is important for IT managers to be aware of the legal concerns involved: Avoid overly intrusive or constant employee surveillance. It may be wise to consult a lawyer with experience in labour law to ensure that the cybersecurity measures are compatible with applicable laws. It is important to understand the legal ramifications of a data or security breach. Some personal information (such as medical data) is more sensitive, and the consequences of a security breach involving this type of information are more severe. It may be useful for those responsible for IT security to talk to a lawyer having experience in personal information laws. Finally, a company’s trade secrets sometimes require greater protective measures than other company information. It may be wise to include IT security measures in the company’s intellectual property strategy.   https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/web-application-testing-with-arachni/#gref https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-is-changing-everything-about-cybersecurity-for-better-and-for-worse-heres-what-you-need-to-know/; https://towardsdatascience.com/cyber-security-ai-defined-explained-and-explored-79fd25c10bfa Beyond the Hype, AI in your SOC, published by IBM; see also: https://www.ibm.com/ca-en/marketplace/cognitive-security-analytics/resources

If you have any questions about this publication, please contact Nicolas Joubert. Thanks to David Nachfolger for his contribution to this article. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has imposed a series of travel and immigration restrictions for all travelers who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. These regulations govern both commercial airline carriers transporting foreign nationals to Canada and immigration processes and procedures for those seeking to visit, study, or work in Canada. For ease of reference, we have summarized these restrictions as follows: Visitors For foreign nationals seeking to visit Canada from outside the United States, travel will not be permitted save for individuals who, among other criteria, are: Immediate family members (spouse or common-law partner, dependent child or dependent child of a dependent child, parent or step-parent, guardian or tutor) of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Travelling for a non-discretionary purpose. It is important to note that officers of the Canada Border Service Agency make the final determination on admission into Canada at a Canadian port of entry. Recently, officers have been interpreting the entry into Canada of immediate family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents narrowly and refusing admission to some family members. Foreign nationals seeking to visit Canada from the United States must demonstrate that their reason for entering Canada is essential and non-discretionary (reasons include critical infrastructure support, certain types of work, and economic services and supply chains). Students International students who have a valid study permit or who were approved for a study permit on or before March 18, 2020, can travel to Canada. Temporary Foreign Workers Workers who hold valid Canadian work permits and normally live in Canada (even if they have been laid off) can enter Canada. This also applies to workers who have applied for work permits from outside of Canada and have a work permit approval letter from Canadian authorities. Foreign workers who have received work permit approval letters for jobs at Canadian businesses that have closed because of Covid-19 will not be admitted, along with individuals who have received work permit approval letters for open work permits (with no contract of employment). For foreign nationals who do not hold Canadian work authorizations, only those with offers of employment in critical industries such as agriculture, food processing, health, transportation and emergency services will be processed. For foreign nationals whose objective in travelling to Canada is to perform work normally exempt from the requirements of a work permit (such as urgent aftersales service or emergency repair work), they can self-identify to commercial air carriers with a letter of support from the their Canadian employer and documentation outlining the urgency of their entry, which will also be needed to persuade a CBSA officer of the non-discretionary and non-optional purpose of their entry. General Information Airline officials will conduct a health check, and anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board their flight to Canada. All travelers must have a plan to quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in Canada. This is mandatory, even if they have no symptoms. Travelers without a plan should not travel to Canada. All travelers should wear a non-medical mask during travel. Restrictions apply to individuals travelling to Canada by private and commercial operators. Canadian authorities have announced that Canadian visa application centres that collect biometrics are temporarily closed further to the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, any applicants who are required to undergo a medical exam with an approved panel physician will be unable to do so given that most, if not all, panel physicians are not currently performing medical examinations because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The inability to give biometrics or undergo a medical examination effectively prevents many foreign nationals from applying to enter Canada at this time, even if they are exempt from the travel restrictions. Canadian authorities have also confirmed that work permit applicants who are currently outside Canada must confirm that their employer is not subject to the mandatory closure of non-essential businesses and that they will be able to start their employment after the 14-day self-isolation period before making any travel arrangements. Workers should not travel to Canada if their employer is no longer offering them a job. CBSA officers may ask if the offer of employment still stands or if the employer is still operating. If not, CBSA may refuse the work permit as the foreign national no longer meets the applicable eligibility requirements. The members of our Business Immigration team are available to answer any questions you may have about measures you are considering or the solutions you are seeking given the realities of your organization and its activities.-->

Natural products play an important role in pharmaceutical innovation. They are active components in many medicines. For example, nearly half of the small molecules used to treat cancer are natural products or directly derived from natural products.1 They are also components of vaccines. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly seeking access to natural products and the traditional knowledge associated with them. These include plants (roots, bark, leaves), micro-organisms (terrestrial and marine), toxins, venoms and other natural biological agents.  In the current race to develop a drug and/or vaccine against COVID-19, natural products or derivatives are surely worth considering as a starting point. The harvesting of natural resources for use by the pharmaceutical industry is usually carried out by partners such as traditional healers, farmers, academics or businesses. Thus, the process usually involves several stakeholders, including providers and users of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge, which are often located in different parts of the world. Fair and equitable collaboration in such a context requires well-developed collaboration agreements and access and benefit-sharing agreements. Various instruments of international law encourage the signing of such agreements, including: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which recognizes the sovereignty of states over their natural resources. The CBD sets out fundamental principles to regulate access and benefit-sharing, including that access to natural resources, their use and the sharing of benefits arising from them should be based on “mutually agreed terms.”2 The Nagoya Protocol covers the sharing of the results of research and development, the payment of royalties and joint ownership of intellectual property (IP) rights.3 The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has developed a guide to assist providers and users of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge in the negotiation and establishment of IP clauses in access and benefit-sharing agreements. The guide describes how IP rights can be exploited and managed to achieve the desired objectives, and how the benefits arising from the use can be created and shared in a fair and equitable manner, thereby promoting the conservation and use of biodiversity.4 Furthermore, research and development activities in the pharmaceutical industry are known to be associated with high risk and high investment costs. Indeed, it is widely recognized that the process to develop a drug can take up to 15 years, only about 16% of molecules entering the clinical phase will be approved, and only 1 in 5 marketed drugs generates revenues equal to or greater than the research and development costs involved.5  In the pharmaceutical industry, intellectual property, especially patents and data protection, is thus considered an essential instrument for securing the economic benefits of an innovation. Efforts in this intense period of development of a drug/vaccine against COVID-19 are of course focused on the technical aspects directly related to research and development. Nevertheless, those involved should not lose sight of the importance of collaboration agreements and access and benefit-sharing agreements.  When it comes to natural products in particular, concluding agreements with solid clauses on possible innovations and patents is key for providers of natural resources and traditional knowledge. The same applies to users of these resources and knowledge. We explore some of these clauses below. Initial consideration – deciding whether or not to patent Factors to be considered include the nature and purpose of the project, the expected value of the project results, business objectives, and the ability to manage acquired patents. The decision to apply for a patent, or not to do so, depends largely on whether the benefits of patent protection will outweigh the cost of obtaining it. Confidentiality What information must be kept confidential to ensure that its disclosure does not jeopardize the chances of obtaining patent protection? Agreements should include clear clauses on information management (publication of scientific articles, presentations at conferences, press releases, etc.). The parties may agree to make public disclosures only after mutual approval and the filing of a patent application. Some jurisdictions (Canada, United States, Japan) offer a grace period after a disclosure of the innovation, but for other jurisdictions (Europe, China) there is virtually no such grace period. Where patent protection is desired, the US Provisional Patent Application is a key tool for managing the confidentiality of an innovation under development. Patentability of research and development results While a natural substance as such generally cannot be patented, some results derived from the use of natural resource and associated traditional knowledge can be protected by patent, provided that the innovation is new, useful and not obvious. Parties obtaining the patents Should a general principle applicable to all innovations resulting from the use of natural resources obtained from providers be adopted? Should users have the obligation of reporting all developed innovations? Should they have the obligation of agreeing on the terms for obtaining a patent? Countries where patent protection can be obtained Countries where patents can be obtained are determined by taking into account key markets, strategic locations for drug manufacturing and other considerations, such as the country of origin of natural resources and the traditional knowledge associated to them. Depending on the number of countries ultimately chosen, a strategy involving a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international application could be considered.  Inventors It is important to name the “real” inventors in a patent application—the validity of the future patent could depend on this. Those who participated only in collecting natural resources or verifying use results may not qualify as inventors. The extent of scientific contribution is one of the main factors to consider. Ownership of future patents The Nagoya Protocol mentions joint (provider-user) ownership of patents as a possible benefit-sharing mechanism. However, companies in the pharmaceutical industry are not keen on this practice. They try to avoid the complications and legal uncertainties associated with joint ownership. Although most countries, including Canada, require the co-owner of a patent to obtain the consent of the other co-owner in order to grant a license, this is not the case in the United States, where a co-owner can grant a license without the consent of the other party and without having to give any justification with respect to royalties or other payments. One commonly adopted solution allows the user to retain ownership of the patent while the provider is granted a royalty-free license. However, some providers consider this option unfair because the patent is not co-owned. In cases of joint ownership, it will of course be necessary to determine how responsibilities will be divided between the provider and user. The parties must decide who will be responsible for filing the patent application and for maintaining the continuing effect of the patent, and who will provide the resources necessary for performing these actions. Patent exploitation What is the most appropriate model for exploiting a patent and disseminating innovation? Which among a license, assignment or joint venture is preferable? Who will negotiate and approve the terms of any subsequent patent exploitation agreement? Should licenses be granted free of charge, or should preferential conditions be granted to entities in the provider’s country or to other partners? Benefit-sharing How, when and between whom will the monetary or non-monetary benefits arising from the commercial exploitation of a patent be distributed? What benefit-sharing mechanisms can be applied in this case? Management of conflicts between provider and user It is important to determine what jurisdiction will apply and how possible conflicts will be resolved (mediation, binding or non-binding arbitration, civil action, etc.). Disputes Only a patent owner can sue for infringement. If the patent is owned only by either the provider or the user, the other party’s cooperation can be negotiated. End of collaboration A collaboration can end for a number of reasons, for example, as a result of problems with the flow of natural resources (volume, quality). What happens to acquired patents then? Conclusion Providers and users of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge should carefully consider their relationship ahead of time. It is very likely that research and development using natural resources will lead to patentable innovations. If there are no plans for patent co-ownership, it is important to include relevant clauses in agreements that ensure a fair and equitable distribution of monetary or non-monetary benefits resulting from the commercial exploitation of patents.   Newman D. et Cragg G., “Natural products as sources of new drugs over 30 years from 1981 to 2014”, Journal of Natural Products (2016), 79.3, 629-661. Convention on Biological Diversity. Nagoya Protocol. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2018), A Guide to Intellectual Property Issues in Access and Benefit-sharing Agreements. Report of the Meeting of the Group of Legal and Technical Experts on Concepts, Terms, Working Definitions and Sectoral Approaches (UNEP/CBD/WG-ABS/7/2).

As an employer, you are probably preparing for the reopening of the workplace in a pandemic setting and actively planning for your employees’ return to work. To help you in your thought process and preparations, we have prepared a list of items that you should address or consider in order to make the return to work as safe and effective as possible. While we don’t claim that ours is an exhaustive list, it does provide a general overview of things to consider before you resume your activities. Note that each business and industry is different and will need a specifically tailored plan. Our professionals are available to help you implement your return-to-work plan. Key planning steps Risk Assessment Before your employees return to work, conduct a site inspection to identify potential COVID-19 transmission or contamination risks. Implement measures to prevent and control identified risks with the collaboration of your employees, to the extent possible, and their union representatives, if any. Make sure that work methods comply with guidelines issued by the CNESST, the government and public health officials. Develop a plan to gradually reopen your workplace and share this plan with your employees. Encourage your employees to participate in identifying workplace risks and provide them with a forum or mechanism to make it easy for them to participate. Prevention Develop a procedure for checking employee and visitor health to avoid contagion in the workplace as much as possible. This may be done through a questionnaire, screening or self-reporting. Issue a directive that all workers and visitors must be vigilant and notify the employer if they experience COVID-19-like symptoms such as a fever or cough, difficulty breathing or sudden loss of smell or taste, or any other symptoms that government authorities may add, before reporting to the workplace.1 Set rules regarding hygiene, including hand washing, and respiratory etiquette at work2. Develop an environmental hygiene procedure involving daily disinfection of workplaces, objects and surfaces.3 Establish a procedure for isolating and managing employees or visitors who have symptoms in the workplace, as well as a procedure for disinfecting the premises. Encourage employees at higher risk of developing serious or severe complications from COVID-19 infection to follow appropriate prevention measures. Stay abreast of updates and guidelines issued by government, public health or occupational health and safety authorities, and follow them. Physical Distancing Issue clear guidelines regarding the physical distancing rules4 and how employees and visitors are responsible for respecting them. Inform employees and others such as customers, suppliers and business partners of these rules through the use of posters, memos, etc. Encourage telework for all employees wherever possible in order to reduce the number of employees on-site. Take steps to ensure that physical distancing is respected, and make certain that everyone can do so every day by rearranging workstations and work schedules, installing physical barriers, closing common areas, arranging or coordinating access to workplaces, installing contactless equipment, using technological means, holding virtual meetings, arranging for flexible hours, changing work methods, and so forth.  Revisit the organization of any in-person events or gatherings and consider holding these virtually or postponing them. Prohibit social practices that violate distancing rules, such as shaking hands. Develop protocols for the use of elevators or common areas. Policies Review your telework policies or procedures. Check your workplace civility or harassment prevention policies and update them to include virtual communications. Review your policies relative to attendance and leave for family or medical reasons in preparation for possible COVID-19-related absences. Create a policy or procedure for the return to work of employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, who think they may have COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone who has contracted the disease5. Develop procedures to monitor for positive COVID-19 cases in order to notify persons who have been exposed and prevent further spread. Review your occupational health and safety policies in light of these COVID-19 contamination prevention measures. Communication Before employees return to work, inform them of the risks related to their work, including those related to COVID-19, and the preventive measures put in place to prevent and control these risks. Provide training on each employee’s role and responsibility in preventing the risk of COVID-19 transmission and contamination and guidelines to be followed. If you provide or recommend protective equipment, make sure that employees are trained to use such equipment in a safe and optimal manner. Inform employees of any revised or updated policies and explain the practical aspects of these policies to them, where necessary. Maintain training logs and have employees acknowledge that they have read updated policies with a signature. Train supervisors and managers to help them monitor compliance and enforcement of new occupational health and safety rules and procedures. Stay abreast of updates and guidelines issued by the CNESST and government and public health authorities. Inform your employees of any important updates. Be respectful of employee privacy. Do not tolerate any violation of your occupational health and safety guidelines, policies and procedures. Other Considerations Assess the psychosocial risks inherent to a pandemic context, such as balancing telework and family, providing support for loved ones, working in a different work climate, etc. Prepare what your response will be should some employees refuse to return to work for various reasons, whether or not they can do so legally. Be aware of tax legislation or legislation regarding unemployment insurance or emergency benefits—for example, the need to update an employee’s Record of Employment if work is available but they refuse to return to work for a reason deemed invalid. Be familiar with laws involving labour standards, discrimination, privacy, occupational health and safety and industrial accidents. Develop an emergency response plan now to deal with a possible second wave of the pandemic or a spike in infections following the reopening of workplaces or the lifting of the lockdown. Start to consider a future plan to resume pre-pandemic activities such as business travel, client visits, team meetings, events, etc. Encourage employees to raise questions or concerns and designate a contact person to dialogue with them. The professionals of our Labour and Employment team can assist you in implementing these measures, and others, as you resume your activities.   For more information on the exclusion or isolation of workers during a pandemic, consult the CNESST reference document. For more details on respiratory etiquette, consult the CNESST reference document. For more details on maintaining a hygienic environment during a pandemic, consult the CNESST reference document. For more details on physical distancing in the workplace, consult the CNESST reference document. See the INSPQ’s recommendations [French only] on the rules to follow when isolation is lifted.

As distribution channels with a global reach, websites are a powerful tool for doing business, and during the pandemic, they even play a critical role. A website consists of a set of webpages accessible from an address hosted on a server through the internet or an intranet. A website is a collection of various elements protected by intellectual property laws. We will focus on the following: Copyright It protects an original work (i.e., the author’s own creative work), insofar as it involves the exercise of skill and judgment. This exclusive right allows the owner to produce or reproduce the work in any material form, to perform, represent or publish it, and to exercise other exclusive rights. A website may include the following works: the content of screen page, graphic designs, animation, texts, still and animated images, sounds, databases (which comprise a collection of works, data or other independent elements), software, as for example the ones relating to the creation, operation and launch of the website, computer programs, photographs, cartoons, videos. Ownership of Copyright Copyright is the author’s property, unless the author (i) has assigned his or her right, or (ii) has created the work in the course of his or her employment, in which case the copyright belongs to the employer. It is important to identify the various copyright owners of the works appearing on a website. If a company mandates an external firm to develop a website (website developer), the company will not immediately own the copyright to the website. A development contract entered into with a website developer will usually include a provision regarding the ownership of copyright. It is often provided that the assignment of intellectual property rights to the client who has commissioned a website will take place after payment for said website has been made in full. This poses a problem when the website developer does not complete the website or when a dispute arises over the course of the mandate. Stock Photos Generally speaking, websites that offer photographs do not transfer the copyright of the photographs to the users. They grant a licence to use (a right to use) for a limited time and for a specific purpose. The conditions of these licences must therefore be read carefully. Assignment of Rights An assignment must be in writing in order to transfer the copyright to the company that commissioned the website. Moral Rights Moral rights allow the author or performer (even if he or she is not the copyright owner) to: Claim authorship of the work; Claim respect for the integrity of the work (to protect the work against distortion, mutilation or modification or to prevent use that prejudice the honour or reputation of the author or performer or if the work is associated with a product or service without the consent of the author or performer). Recognition of Copyright in Other Countries Given that Canada is a party to the Berne Convention, copyright owned by a Canadian national, such as a company incorporated in Canada or a Canadian citizen, is recognized in other countries members of the Convention , and said copyright need not be registered in those other countries to acquire rights. In Canada, copyright registration is not mandatory, but it does give rise to a presumption of law that it is advisable to register, at the very least, for works that are important to the business, in order to more effectively  act against  infringement. Copyright infringement is the reproduction of an entire protected work or any substantial part of it without permission. In the same manner that website contents owned by the copyright owner may not be copied without permission, one must ensure that he or she does not import or publish on his or her website any work protected by copyright without first obtaining permission. Domain Name Some domain names are protected by trademark laws, and some are not. This depends on the nature of the domain name and the use made of it. Merely registering a domain name does not create a right that could prohibit the use of a conflicting domain name or trademark. Using a distinctive domain name could confer upon its owner the right to oppose the subsequent use by third parties of a confusing domain name, trademark or trade name. Effective domain name arbitration mechanisms exist for .com and for .ca in the event of misappropriation of a conflicting domain name. Trademark A website owner using a trademark on his or her website in order to identify his or her products or services should protect said trademark by registration. Without listing all the benefits of registering a trademark, suffice it to say that registering one’s rights is significantly less costly than trying to recover said rights once they have been appropriated by a third party. The trademark owner may oppose any confusing third party’s trademark, trade name or domain name (the test of confusion takes into account various factors) if his or her rights precede those of the other. In the case of unauthorized appropriation of a third party’s logo or figurative mark, the owner may, in many cases, not only invoke trademark infringement but also copyright infringement. Right to One’s Image and Privacy The Civil Code of Québec provides that every person is the holder of personality rights, such as the right to life, the right to the inviolability and integrity of his person, and the right to the respect of his name, reputation and privacy. Similar provisions exist in other legislation, such as the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The law is similar in other Canadian provinces, and comparable legislation exists in various countries around the world. Thus, as a general rule, a website owner may not: (i) Publish, for example, a photograph or image of a person without that person’s consent. This rule must be weighed against the rule relating to public interest in the right to freedom of expression and the right to information; (ii) Damage a person’s reputation; (iii) Imply or suggest that a person endorses a product or service without that person’s consent. The Civil Code of Québec further provides that the use of a person’s correspondence, manuscripts or other documents without his or her consent constitutes an invasion of his or her privacy. Trade Secret Various components of a website may be protected by trade secret if a confidentiality agreement was signed and the information remains secret. This could be the case with the website coding.   Many people have preconceived ideas about intellectual property in the world of e-commerce. Often, they wrongly assume that since they commissioned their website, they own its intellectual property rights or that they can post a photo of a product copied from another website without authorization because they sell the product. Although it is easy, fast and free to access, a website is governed by a legal framework regarding intellectual property, with which website operators must comply. We did not cover the wide array of rights that are involved in a website in just a few lines. For example, for some websites, there may be patent and industrial design issues to deal with. All these legal considerations are not self-evident. Several rules must be followed to avoid engaging in illegal practices, to avoid the unpleasant surprise of discovering that you do not own the intellectual property rights to parts or all of the website, and to avoid facing threats of legal action for violating the rights of third parties. Furthermore, all the work invested in the creation and operation of the website may not provide any additional value to your company if the intellectual property rights have been neglected, even though in many cases it is a significant asset to the company. It is important to become familiar with these rules, protect your rights and resolve legal pitfalls-ideally before launching a website. If the issue of intellectual property rights is only addressed after launching the website, there may still be time to seek protection or to attempt to overcome legal problems.  Whether the website is already online or is about to be launched, an audit should be carried out to determine the situation and, if necessary, obtain protection, sign contracts and find solutions to problems that could lead to illegal or disadvantageous situations.

Before selling your products and services online, you will need to determine the form and content of your contract, and ensure that you comply with the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act (the “CPA”). The CPA applies to any contract between a consumer and a merchant entered into in Quebec, including online contracts of sale, which are known as “distance contracts.” Rules applicable to contracts entered into on the internet Form Contracts concluded on the internet must be in writing and must contain the name and address of the merchant, as well as the date of the transaction. In addition, certain information must be provided to consumers before a contract is concluded, in particular: information identifying your business; a detailed description of the goods or services you are selling, including their characteristics and technical specifications; the price of each item or the terms of payment; all the applicable fees, whether required by law or charged by the merchant; the delivery date or the date on which the service will be provided; and other details regarding delivery, cancellation policies and any other applicable restrictions or conditions. This mandatory information must be presented prominently and in a comprehensible manner, and be expressly brought to the consumer’s attention. This could be done through a web page containing said information, which must appear on the screen before the consumer pays for the items in the shopping cart. It is good practice to ensure that the information is easy to print or save in PDF format. Acceptance Before the contract is entered into, the merchant must provide the consumer with an express opportunity to accept or decline the offer and to correct any errors. Copy The merchant must provide the consumer with a copy of the contract within 15 days after the contract is entered into, in a manner that ensures that the consumer may easily retain it and print it. Delivery A consumer may cancel a contract if the goods are not received (or the service is not performed) within 30 days after the date specified in the contract or within 30 days after the contract is entered into in the case of a contract that does not specify a delivery date. Note that goods for which delivery was attempted on the agreed date will be considered delivered. Cancellation The CPA allows consumers to cancel the contract in a number of cases, in particular when the merchant does not comply with the provisions set out above. Each merchant is free to establish a cancellation policy and set its conditions, so long as these are in accordance with laws of public order. The consumer must be informed of said policy before entering into the contract, which must include the cancellation policy. Warranties Legal warranty The Consumer Protection Act provides for a legal warranty that automatically applies to a good, whether purchased in store or remotely. Under said legal warranty, goods must be fit for the purposes for which goods of the kind are ordinarily used, durable for a reasonable length of time, having regard to their price, the terms of the contract and the conditions of their use. Goods must also match their description under the contract. Finally, a consumer is also entitled to a recourse against the merchant should there be a latent defect in the good. Additional warranty A merchant may offer consumers an additional online warranty, provided that said warranty complies with the relevant provisions of the CPA. Application and exceptions It is noteworthy that the aforementioned rules are the consumer protection rules which generally apply to the sale of goods and services, but they may not apply in certain instances, such as in the case of contracts for the sale of goods which are likely to deteriorate rapidly, such as food. One must be mindful that the Consumer Protection Act contains exceptions or provisions that are specific to certain commercial sectors. Different laws and regulations may also apply to certain types of goods and services that are sold. Competition law issues The CPA contains competition-related obligations that are specific to Quebec. All merchants in Quebec must also comply with the provisions of the Canadian Competition Act. The purpose of the Competition Act is to (i) maintain and encourage competition between businesses in Canada, (ii) provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices, and (iii) to protect consumers from fraudulent or prohibited practices. Prohibited business practices Misleading price display Under the CPA, when you advertise the price of a product or service, you are required to advertise an “all-inclusive” price, which includes all amounts that the consumer will have to pay for the product or service. The all-inclusive price should be more prominent than the sums of which it consists. Taxes (GST/QST), among other things, may be excluded from the advertised price, but must be added at the time of payment. Price-related representations and price display are also subject to specific rules under the Competition Act. False or misleading representations Advertising that contains false or misleading representations, or fails to mention an important fact is prohibited under the CPA. The Competition Act prohibits the making of materially false or misleading representations to the public. The provisions of the Competition Act dealing with false and misleading representations apply to a number of cases, including the following: Performance representations not based on adequate and proper tests: The making of representations to the public about the performance, efficacy or longevity of a product, which is not based on an adequate and proper test, is prohibited. Untrue or unauthorized use of tests and testimonials: The unauthorized use of product performance tests and testimonials (e.g., scientific tests, consumer testimonials, etc.) is prohibited. Needless to say, these cannot be distorted. Misleading warranties: Giving a consumer a warranty containing materially misleading representations that could influence the consumer’s decision to purchase goods or services is prohibited. The overall impression conveyed by a representation and the literal meaning of said representation is used to determine whether the warranty is misleading. Misleading promotional contests: Certain information related to the holding of promotional contests must be disclosed to the public. In addition, the sending of any documentation that would mislead the recipient into believing that he or she has won a prize or other benefit is prohibited. It is noteworthy that in Quebec, there are specific rules related to promotional contests. Other prohibited practices The Competition Act aims to prevent abuse of a dominant position and therefore provides stricter standards that apply to businesses holding a dominant position in a market. Conspiracy provisions aim to prevent a business from unduly reducing competition or unreasonably increasing the price of a product. This law also prohibits the refusal to sell a product, insofar as a business has no right to harm a customer by refusing to supply it sufficiently under normal market conditions. Finally, vertical restraints, that is, practices such as exclusive dealing, tied selling and market restriction, are prohibited, as they generally impose conditions that restrict the freedom of consumers. The CPA prohibits making use of commercial advertising directed at persons under thirteen years of age. Penalties Both the Consumer Protection Act and the Competition Act provide for penalties for prohibited practices. Judges can order punitive damages for certain violations of the CPA. Under the Competition Act, certain acts are considered criminal if a person does them knowingly or recklessly, regardless of the consequences they may have on the public.

Various ways of doing e-commerce E-commerce can take different forms. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to e-commerce where the contract of sale or of supply of services is concluded by electronic means, E-commerce will be said to be “direct” when the product or service is delivered electronically, such as in the online conclusion of a contract for a subscription to an online-only publication, and “indirect” when the item sold is tangible or the service is rendered otherwise than online. E-commerce can be conducted entirely online or in a hybrid manner, where the vendor operates both online and through brick-and-mortar stores. It is considered “closed” when it is between a relatively small number of participants who already have a contractual or professional relationship with each other. It can be conducted between a business and a consumer, in which case it is called “B2C,” or between a business and another business and is then known as “B2B.” E-commerce poses particular challenges for businesses and if these challenges are not properly addressed, they are likely to expose the business to additional liability. This means that e-commerce can be particularly risky for novice businesses that start to do carry out business electronically, without adequate preparation. For example, a merchant who transacts electronically will necessarily have to take direct possession of some of its customers’ personal data, such as their names, addresses and credit card numbers, or have an e-commerce service provider take indirect possession of it. The use of such personal data is subject to the provisions of privacy laws, and, given that the data is of great value to potential thieves or fraudsters, it must be protected. A merchant may also be the victim of fraudulent orders or payments made with stolen credit cards numbers. To better control its risks, a novice in e-commerce may be better off doing business with established e-commerce service providers such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace or GoDaddy, which have set up robust infrastructures for their customers. A corporation should nonetheless do its homework before choosing an e-commerce service provider. It should, for example, inquire about the terms and conditions of the service agreement to be entered into with the chosen provider, and, in particular, about the services offered (including how returns and chargebacks are handled), how the service provider protects its customers in the event of data theft or fraud, what fees are charged, and so forth. In all cases, whether or not a corporation does business with an e-commerce service provider, it should ensure that the information kept on its own servers and computers is limited to what is absolutely necessary. Likewise, once a transaction is completed, it should avoid, as far as possible, keeping personal data belonging to its customers, such as their names, addresses and credit card numbers. Moreover, a corporation that decides to engage in e-commerce must be aware of certain specific legal aspects relating first, to the particularities of e-commerce itself and second, to the fact that its customers may be located anywhere in the world. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the rules generally applicable to all types of e-commerce. A future article will deal with the specific rules provided in the Consumer Protection Act (Quebec). Consumption tax The majority of governments impose a consumption tax on goods (and sometimes services) sold within their jurisdiction. Applicable consumption tax laws generally provide that businesses with a presence in a jurisdiction must collect applicable taxes and remit them to the competent tax authorities. For a corporation that is otherwise not present in a jurisdiction, the mere fact of selling goods in that jurisdiction is generally not sufficient to require registering with its tax authorities and collecting and remitting applicable taxes. However, the definition of what constitutes a sufficient presence to require business registration and the collection and remittance of consumption taxes varies from one jurisdiction to another. A corporation wanting to sell its goods and services electronically must therefore ensure that it is aware of the applicable consumption tax rules in the main jurisdictions where it will sell these goods or provide these services. Licences and permits Although it is generally not necessary for a manufacturer or seller to obtain a license, permit or other governmental authorization for the vast majority of goods typically sold online, they  may be required before certain products, in particular medical or pharmaceutical products, can be sold online or otherwise, domestically or internationally. It is also important to note that a licence, permit or other authorization may not be required to sell goods in a jurisdiction while the sale of the same goods in another may require such license, permit or other authorization. Thus, if a merchant wants to sell its product in a jurisdiction where a permit, licence or other authorization is required, it will be required to obtain it before proceeding with any sales. In addition, in some territories, the sale of certain goods must necessarily be done through a State monopoly. For instance, such restrictions are still the norm in Canada for the sale of alcoholic beverages. For example, a resident of Ontario may not order alcoholic beverages directly online from a producer in another province and have them delivered to Ontario, which prevents a small-scale producer of alcoholic beverages in Quebec from selling its products online to Ontario customers, for delivery in Ontario. Shipping Not all goods can be shipped in the same way. Some must be specially packaged, and some may even not be shipped by regular means, such as Canada Post and major courier companies. For example, Canada Post requires that fish, game, meat, fruit, vegetables or other perishable products be properly prepared and meet certain other applicable requirements for mailing. Other products, such as objects classified as hazardous materials, may simply not be shipped by mail. To ship these products, it will be necessary to deal with a specialized courier service. Finally, Canadian laws prohibit the export of certain goods or require special permits for their export. In addition, merchants must ensure that the laws of the destination jurisdiction allow the goods shipped to be imported into that jurisdiction. Indeed, all countries either prohibit the import of certain goods into their jurisdiction or require the importer to obtain a permit or licence issued by their government. Age restrictions Under applicable laws and regulations, certain goods may only be sold to persons who have reached a certain age or may not be sold to children. These restrictions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance, in Quebec, one must be 18 years old to legally buy alcohol, while elsewhere in Canada the age is 19 and in the United States, 21. Merchants wishing to sell alcoholic beverages online must take these restrictions into account. The same applies to the sale of any other goods that are subject to age restrictions. PCI DSS compliance In 2006, the main credit card issuers, American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard and Visa formed the PCI Security Standards Council to standardize the rules and standards applicable to payments made with their credit cards. The council adopted a set of rules called “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard,” better known by its acronym, PCI DSS. All merchants wishing to accept credit card payments, including direct online payments, must adhere to these rules. Any merchant, regardless of its size, wishing to process credit card payments on its website must also be PCI DSS compliant, unless it is doing business through a compliant payment service provider. The PCI DSS include the following 12 compliance requirements, which are grouped into six categories called “control objectives.” The following table, taken from the document entitled “Payment Card Industry (PCI) — Data Security Standard — Requirements and Security Assessment Procedures”1, provides a summary of these requirements.   Control objectives PCI DSS conditions Build and Maintain a Secure Network and Systems 1. Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data 2. Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters Protect Cardholder Data 3. Protect stored cardholder data 4. Encrypt transmission of cardholder data over open, public networks Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program 5. Protect all systems against malware and regularly update anti-virus software or programs 6. Develop and maintain secure systems and applications Implement Strong Access Control Measures 7. Restrict access to cardholder data by business need to know 8. Identify and authenticate access to system components 9. Restrict physical access to cardholder data Regularly Monitor and Test Networks 10. Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data 11. Regularly test security systems and processes Maintain an Information Security Policy 12. Maintain a policy that addresses information security for all personnel   Although the PCI DSS are mandatory, only Visa and MasterCard require merchants and service providers that accept their cards to comply with these standards. However, a non-compliant corporation will nevertheless be held fully liable if fraud associated with theft of cardholder data occurs. In addition, should a security breach occur, all exposed merchants that are not PCI DSS compliant will be fined. It is up to merchants and service providers to achieve, demonstrate and maintain compliance through annual validations. Merchants may use the services of specialized service providers to help them comply with PCI DSS standards. Useful tools to ensure compliance are also available online for these purposes2. Should a merchant not wish to go through the PCI DSS compliance process, it may always use the services of a PCI DSS compliant payment service provider3.   PCI Security Standards Council, Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard Requirements and Security Assessment Procedures (Version 3.2.1, May 2018), online (PDF): Official website of the PCI Security Standards Council These can be found through a search using the keywords “PCI DSS compliance” or “PCI DSS conformity.” These can be found through a search using the keywords “PCI DSS Payment Gateway.”

When Crisis Increases Risk Since the beginning of the crisis, we have been witnessing a spectacular collective effort marked by solidarity and the determination to ensure everyone’s health and safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for all levels of government, for employers and for employees. Employers have had to adapt their methods by changing the way work is organized. The state of emergency caused by the crisis has quickly engendered additional risk exposure. At the same time, employees have generally been understanding and flexible regarding the measures announced by employers. Going forward, however, employee cooperation, force majeure, and health and safety challenges may no longer be sufficient to maintain the kind of flexibility employers and employees shared during the crisis. As a result, it is important to get back on track right away, taking only calculated risks and returning to the conventional legal framework that governs the employer-employee relationship. Short-Term Crisis Recovery: Anticipating Challenges and Minimizing Risk Well organized companies focused on the challenges of recovery will likely be capable of successfully commencing their recovery while keeping any associated risks linked with new measures to a minimum.  The following are some suggestions on how to do so: It is essential to maintain, re-establish and/or preserve an effective, open channel of communication with employees. Workers will need assurance that their return to work is being properly managed and that their health and safety is a top priority for the company. Develop and implement health and safety measures for workers, or ensure that the measures already in place are adapted to the context of COVID-19. Employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of their workers and implement methods to identify, correct and control risks. Establish a policy for working at home (a subject recently discussed by our expert colleagues). Expect unusually high rates of absenteeism and work refusal situations and establish a plan to manage problem cases, keeping the rights and obligations of everyone involved in mind. Make sure these measures are applied in a consistent, unequivocal and uniform manner when it comes to your employees. Train managers on your organization’s key messages and positions in order to ensure that you are conveying a unified message. Coaching front-line managers will become even more important in the context of the recovery. Employers can evaluate the potential use of the Quebec government’s PACME program (which we have reviewed) as part of their recovery plan.  The most significant challenge businesses will face in the medium-term (and probably in the long-term as well) is the very unstable economic situation and potentially declining employee cooperation. Though many are current focused on short-term recovery, it is crucial to begin thinking of ways to help our organizations manage the crisis in the medium-term. The economic instability that will characterize this period will also create opportunities. In order to seize them, it is essential for companies to be flexible and agile. Every organization must set a solid action plan in motion now so that their human resources can operate with the flexibility that the unstable economic situation will require. Our Labour and Employment team is prepared to support companies facing this immense challenge. We can help you. Despite the challenging circumstances, crisis can often reveal new opportunities.

This publication was written in collaboration with André Laurin. By all accounts, the coronavirus pandemic and the measures implemented by the government have created a particularly difficult and delicate situation for almost all organizations. Despite this extraordinary situation, the general duties of directors (duty to comply with the law, duty of care and duty of loyalty or fiduciary duty) as required by the relevant laws of incorporation and by the Civil Code of Québec remain the same. However, in the current context, the directors of a legal person must greatly improve and intensify their thinking process and their actions, in order to ensure that they respect these duties and, in particular, to ensure that they act in the best interests of the legal person in question. According to the incorporation laws and the Civil Code of Québec, the board of directors is responsible for the management of the legal person or, as the case may be, for the supervision of the management performed by the persons to whom they have delegated their powers, namely the legal person’s management team. Duty of care For directors of legal persons, respecting their duty of care involves, now more than ever: an understanding of the challenges and risks associated with the impact of COVID-19 on the legal person’s business, clients, employees, suppliers, etc.; identifying the best management measures available, relying upon what they reasonably consider as being the best practices under the circumstances; attentively monitoring the implementation of the decisions made and making the appropriate adjustments as things evolve. On this subject, please note that the business corporations acts specify that directors are considered to have complied with their duty of care if their decisions rely in good faith on the reports of a person whose profession lends credibility to his statements. Duty of loyalty As well as a duty of care, the law also imposes a duty of loyalty, also referred to as a fiduciary duty, on directors of legal persons, which, among other things, requires them to act in the best interests of the legal person. The Supreme Court of Canada provided interpretations of the duty of loyalty in its 2008 BCE decision1 (many of these interpretations have been explicitly integrated into recent modifications to the Canada Business Corporations Act2): characterizing the interests of the legal person as being those of a responsible corporate citizen (or “good corporate citizen”); highlighting that directors pursuant to this duty of loyalty may consider the interests of the stakeholders, such as shareholders, employees, retired persons, creditors, consumers, governments and the environment, who may be affected by their decisions; specifying, however, that if the interests of the various stakeholders cannot be reconciled with the best interests of the legal person, the long-term best interests of such legal person viewed as an ongoing concern must prevail. In practice, in order to respect this duty, directors cannot disobey the law. They must also, in particular: ensure that the legal person takes necessary measures to respect the directives of public authorities; ensure that the legal person takes appropriate measures to protect the health of its employees, clients and suppliers; not tolerate practices that are generally detrimental to the legal person or that aim to fraudulently profit from the current crisis; prioritize measures that have the best chance of enabling a substantial part of the legal person’s business to survive and restart the majority of its operations once the situation returns to normal3. We believe that in the current circumstances, it would be consistent with best practices for directors to consider the interests of stakeholders. This involves identifying those interests and evaluating them reasonably and fairly, as well as evaluating whether they can be reconciled with the legal person’s best interests. It is clear that the current situation does not easily allow for reconciling, at least in the short term, the interests of all of stakeholders with the interests the legal person, which must prevail. Maintaining the conditions and relationships that existed before the crisis will be, in most cases, difficult to reconcile with the long-term best interests of the legal person, as defined and interpreted by the law and the courts. Directors therefore must arbitrate between these interests in a reasonable way, prioritizing the interests of the legal person, even if it is difficult to do so. This crisis, the government directives and their effects require leadership and creativity on the part of directors. As has been written by several observers, the current crisis will necessitate new approaches when the pandemic is over. In this endeavour, directors must be proactive and must help management find solutions to limit the negative effects of the crisis and plan on potential new ways for the carrying out of the legal person’s operations in the coming years.   BCE Inc. v. 1976 Debentureholders, [2008] 3 S.C.R. 560, 2008 SCC 69. See subsection 122 (1.1) of the Canada Business Corporations Act, RSC 1985, c C-44. A very apropos article on the way directors can fulfill their duties of diligence and loyalty was posted on the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance on March 29, 2020: GREGORY, Holly J., GRAPSAS, Rebecca and HOLLAND, Claire, Ten Considerations for Boards of Directors, Cambridge, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, online: https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2020/03/29/ten-considerations-for-boards-of-directors/.

The management of employment injury claims has not halted due to the current pandemic. Not only are new employment injuries taking place and claims being filed, ongoing claims are still being processed.  Managers must be vigilant in order to limit the financial impact of the pandemic with respect to employment injury claims. They can act in one of two (2) ways: Investigating the circumstances in which the worker contracted COVID-19 in order to determine whether it can be considered an employment injury; Monitoring employment injury cases to identify the impact of the pandemic on the way cases are treated to then try to obtain a reduction in financial consequences for the employer by an assignment of costs. Can COVID-19 be considered an employment injury? Although a worker infected with COVID-19 is at liberty to file an employment injury claim, they are responsible for proving that they contracted the disease or came into contact with the virus due to or in the course of their work. According to the current laws and jurisprudence, a COVID-19 diagnosis does not trigger the application of any legal presumption facilitating the acceptance of a worker’s claim under either the category of occupational disease or that of industrial accident. Helpful tip: If one of your employees has contracted COVID-19, investigate the origin of the infection. Ask the following questions and document the answers you receive: Has the worker travelled recently? Where and when? When did they return from abroad? Has one of their loved ones recently been diagnosed with COVID-19? Have one or more colleagues, clients or business partners contracted the disease? What symptoms did they experience, and when did they begin experiencing them? What was their schedule and who did they work with in the days before they began experiencing symptoms? Why do they believe they contracted the disease at work? What hygiene, preventive and protective measures and distancing did they use in the workplace? Can employers apply for an assignment of costs due to COVID-19? In terms of employment injuries, the pandemic can have many consequences, such as treatments and temporary assignments of work being temporarily interrupted and medical assessments and examinations by the Bureau d’évaluation médicale (BEM) being cancelled or postponed for an indefinite period. This situation will inevitably prolong the period during which employment injury benefits are paid, potentially significantly in some cases. Employers could apply for an assignment of costs for these claims in order to reduce the financial impact of the pandemic by demonstrating, for example, that the treatments necessary to consolidate the worker’s injury were suspended due to the pandemic, delaying consolidation or increasing the consequences o permanent impairment. A pandemic the size of COVID-19 is probably very much outside the scope of risks most employers generally have to face. When applying for an assignment of costs due to “undue burden”1, the employer will need to demonstrate that the consequences stemming from the pandemic such as delayed consolidation or more substantial permanent consequences represent a significant proportion of the costs attributable to the employment injury.  Helpful tips: If you have workers who are currently receiving income replacement benefits, find out whether their treatments or medical care have been interrupted due to the pandemic, if they have had medical or surgical appointments cancelled, etc. Document this information. The impact of these events on the cost of the claim can be documented retrospectively. Keep in mind, however, that applications for an assignment of costs due to “undue burden” must be submitted within the time limit established by law, as interpreted by jurisprudence2. The members of our Labour and Employment team are available to answer any questions you may have about occupational health and safety measures you are considering or the solutions you are seeking given the realities of your organization and its activities.   Section 326 of the Act respecting Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases (“AIAOD”). Section 326 of the AIAOD states that the application must be made in writing within the year following “the date of the accident”, and must include an explanation of the reasons for the application. However, the Court of Appeal has interpreted this time limit as being able to start from the day the right to the exception begins in Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail v. 9069-4654 Québec inc., 2018 QCCA 95 (known as the “Supervac 2000” case), as has the majority of the Tribunal administratif du travail jurisprudence that followed.

The impact of COVID-19 is particularly strong on start-ups in need of short-term financing and venture capitalists, whose contribution is essential to support the growth of these companies and who must make investment decisions in a context of widespread uncertainty. Like others, we have noticed the slowdown in investment activity and that many start-ups are now finding it difficult to close rounds of financing or even get time or attention from potential investors. In this context of uncertainty, we advise entrepreneurs who anticipate the need to soon close a round of financing to consider the following items: Current investors First and foremost, it is vital to consider the rights of your business’s current investors, contained in corporate documents and agreements between the investors and the corporation, as they could impact your round of financing’s feasibility. For example, if a valuation was obtained a few months ago and it is presently impossible to find a new investor to offer to purchase the corporation’s shares at an equal or higher valuation, the consequences of proceeding “down round” will have to be considered. In some circumstances, the success of a new round of financing may even depend entirely on existing investors’ support and consent. It is also possible that, under certain conditions, existing investors may be willing to take a share of the risk faced by the corporation by participating in a new round of financing, thus eliminating the need of seeking funding from new investors. Lastly, especially if one of the current investors is a venture capital fund or an active investor, it is likely that the corporation has agreed to specific milestones with that investor that could add to the difficulty of operating the business during a pandemic (for example, aggressive sales or production growth targets). But it is possible that your investor will be understanding and accept to review these milestones and associated timelines, which could lead to a positive impact on the corporation’s burn rate and give it  more leeway to weather the crisis. In all cases, we recommend transparency between the corporation and its investors, adopting a “partnership approach” and, above all, not to try to hide the corporation’s situation in its communications with its investors. Potential investors If there is no other option than seeking funding from new financial partners, it will be crucial to know the current situation of any targeted potential investor. As the current pandemic situation affects everyone, understanding the constraints faced by a potential investor is key in order to optimize the search for financing and the pitch process.  For example, if the potential investor has a specific investment thesis or policy, the investor may be even more thesis-driven and show less flexibility than before. Conversely, the investment thesis may be undergoing a re-evaluation. In addition, many potential investors will be impacted by the type of clients they serve. For example, a fund manager whose clients are government institutions may still have as much capital to deploy in the current context as before Covid-19, unlike a fund manager whose clients are high-net-worth individuals who face uncertainty and liquidity problems themselves and put pressure on the fund manager to take a more conservative stance. So, more than ever, you need to target your approach and make sure your potential investor is available to enter into a transaction in the near future. Assistance programs The various levels of government and some Crown corporations have released several assistance programs. In the context of a funding round, Export Development Canada (“EDC”) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (“BDC”) both announced co-investment assistance programs to provide access to additional financing for start-ups that already have a certain level of support from private investors. These programs are a good opportunity for entrepreneurs who need to complete or initiate a round of financing, who are not eligible for certain other government assistance programs, and who are not generating enough cashflow to finance their activities through credit facilities on conditions that are viable for their business. The program announced by EDC proposes a co-investment by EDC of an amount equivalent to that considered in an eligible round of financing, up to a maximum of $5,000,000. As for the program announced by the BDC, the BDC Capital Bridge Financing Program also provides assistance in the form of co-investment in an amount equivalent to the amount the company receives from qualified investors: BDC will offer financing as convertible notes whose default terms include a 20% discount rate on the price per share of the next round of financing and a term of three years. BDC may, however, decide to deviate from these terms and invest under the same conditions as the investors leading the round of financing. The company receiving the investment must be Canadian and have raised $500,000 in external capital in the past. It must also have a proven business model and an existing customer base prior to the impact of COVID-19. The business must have been “specifically impacted by COVID-19.” Unlike some other government assistance programs, this one does not have a fixed scale relative to this criterion. Businesses can demonstrate how the current situation affects them through qualitative and quantitative indicators (e.g. disruptions in their supply or distribution chains, difficulties in getting paid). The important thing will be to show that the lack of cashflow and the difficulty of concluding a round of financing are related to the impact of COVID-19 and not to a situation inherent to the company. The round of financing for which co-investment is being sought must have started after February 1, 2020. The round of financing must be for a minimum amount of $250,000 (prior to investment by BDC) and the overall round of financing must ensure 18 months of runway before additional funding is required by the company. For example, a business with a monthly operational burn rate of $30,000 and $300,000 in financing would meet this criterion since (1) the round, prior to BDC investment, is over $250,000, and (2) the overall round of financing, including co-investment by BDC, would be $600,000 and would ensure 20 months of runway, based on its current burn rate. There are no fixed criteria for determining who is an “eligible investor.” We understand, however, that the investor must be a private firm that has demonstrated its capacity as a lead investor for the funding round in question its ability to conduct the due diligence process. The investor does not have to be Canadian but must be sufficiently known and credible in Canada. We consider this convertible note financing offer to have three main advantages in the current environment: It increases the total “post-financing” value of the business in the form of additional cash, and the size of the funding round without increasing the principal investor’s risk, thus making the investment more attractive. It avoids immediate valuation issues for the company, allowing the lead investor to maintain control over the valuation process through the funding round. It is relatively simple, quick and inexpensive, and should not make the transaction process more complicated or burdensom for the lead investor. In short, these co-investment-based assistance programs are appealing as they can be presented to an investor by a company with financing needs whose planned or ongoing funding round is currently at a standstill due to the situation created by COVID-19. The programs may also be interesting elements to consider for an investor who wishes to have a co-investor or who would like the round of financing to reach a certain threshold to ensure that the company being invested in has sufficient runway after the investment, especially in the current context where it is difficult to predict subsequent rounds of financing. However, the parties wishing to benefit from such programs will have to ensure that their situation meets each program’s criteria and that they evaluate the financing terms offered as part of the assistance program in the context of the transaction. Conclusion Start-ups currently in need of financing should first discuss with their existing investors to try to find room for manoeuvre and assess the possibility of quickly obtaining financing, part of which could come from one of the assistance programs available. In all cases, it will be necessary to measure the impact that additional funding from new investors could have on the rights and obligations that exist between the corporation and its current investors and to ensure that it does not trigger any particular rights or recourse or create ambiguities, contradictions or even events of default. For more information in this regard or to find out about other measures that could help your business, do not hesitate to contact the Lavery team. Our team is following current developments related to COVID-19 very closely in order to best support our clients and business partners. We invite you to visit the web page that centralizes all of the tools and information produced by our professionals.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the introduction of strict government measures are limiting or changing many businesses’ operations. These measures impose unusual restrictions that make it more difficult to meet certain contractual obligations. In such a situation, many companies will want to assess the possibility of modifying certain undertakings and terms of their contracts in order to get through the pandemic and resume their business activities post-crisis. To that end, we have gathered a few thoughts on how to look into negotiating a temporary agreement, some legal principles that can be applied to begin discussions and negotiations, and some other elements to consider in a negotiation approach, which we share with you below. How to do it and where to begin: some ideas It is relevant to review all your contracts and sort them to determine which are essential for your business operations and which have the most significant financial impact.  Think about the other contracting party as well, who may also be affected by the pandemic. Has the other party defaulted of performing its correlative obligations to you, or is your inability to meet your obligations causing it prejudice in any way?  Most of the obligations included in a contract cannot be changed unilaterally. However, contracting parties must still perform their respective obligations in good faith. The occurrence of an exceptional situation such as COVID-19 is likely to force each of the parties to act more flexibly in order to comply with their duty of good faith. It is possible to validate whether some of these contracts, by their very nature, are still relevant or whether they will remain relevant once the curve flattens and economic activity recovers. For less relevant contracts, you can check whether they include provisions allowing for unilateral termination, by the mutual agreement of the parties or by a particular mechanism. Otherwise, you could then consider initiating a discussion with the other contracting party to negotiate certain terms of the agreement in order to mitigate negative impacts, if any, during the pandemic.  For each contract that must be maintained, you can list all the obligations that you are unlikely to be able to meet, in whole or in part, as well as those that your contracting party might not be able to meet, in order to open the door to an out-of-court  negotiation of certain provisions for the coming months. In your analysis, you should pay particular attention to the following clauses: Default: What constitutes a default under the terms of the contract? What are the consequences of defaulting? Does a default under this contract constitute a default under another contract? Does the contract provide for a time period to cure a default? On what conditions? Time limit: Does the contract set specific time limits for the performance of certain obligations? Which ones? Does the contract provide for the possibility of postponing the time limit for its performance? Should a notice be sent to this effect? Does it expire soon? Exclusivity: Is the contract exclusive? Can this exclusivity be overridden? Under what circumstances and on what conditions? Force majeure: Does the contract include a superior force clause (most commonly called a “force majeure”) forgiving a party’s inability to perform its obligations? What happens to each party’s obligations, especially financial obligations, in a context of superior force? Although the Civil Code of Québec defines such a notion, the contract can always provide its own definition. A case of superior force usually requires the presence of an unforeseeable, irresistible event external to the party invoking it. Continuous information: Does the contract provide for the obligation to keep the other contracting party informed when certain events occur? If so, which ones? Is COVID-19 or any other pandemic included? Negotiation: Does the contract provides for the parties the possibility to renegotiate certain terms ? Which ones? When? On what conditions? Payment: Does the contract set out time limits for payments to the other contracting party or for making any other kind of payment, depending on the nature of the contract? Does it provide for additional time limits to proceed to the payments? What is the impact of delaying or not making a payment? Financial performance: Does the contract establish financial performance criteria (e.g. compliance with certain financial ratios)? How often? What are the consequences of not meeting these financial criteria? Penalties: Does the contract contain penalties for late payment of certain amounts or for failure to meet certain contractual obligations? When is this penalty due? What amount can it reach? Liability: Is the liability of the contracting parties unlimited under the terms of the contract or does the contract instead provide for limits on the amount that may be claimed?(maximum/minimum amount)? Is there a predetermined time limit to make a claim? Does the contract provide for a notice to be sent to this effect? Dispute resolution: Does the contract provide for a dispute resolution process? Mediation or arbitration? Under which conditions can these mechanisms be applied? List all the impacts that result from a breach of obligations (e.g., penalties, notice of default, interest), and make a list of viable proposals that you can submit to the other contracting party as an alternative. What legal principles can you use to negotiate a temporary agreement with your contracting party or a postponement of your obligations?  Certain provisions or legal principles may make it possible to terminate a contract or may serve as arguments for a temporary agreement or a postponement of your obligations. Here are a few examples. (This list is non-exhaustive, of course.) Force majeure Some parties to a contract will want to invoke the concept of superior force to terminate or temporarily suspend the effects of the contract. Although this concept is interesting, it applies only to very specific situations and its application is not generalized. As previously mentioned, the Civil Code of Québec1 provides that superior force is an unforeseeable and irresistible event that must not arise from the actions of the contracting parties. Depending on the nature of the obligations covered, a contracting party may be released from its obligations or have its successive obligations suspended during the superior force period. The contract may also provide for other parameters and circumscribe the terms of what may constitute a case of superior force between the parties. The right to invoke superior force requires a case-by-case assessment of each contract and of the relationship between the parties. In any event, a party that is unable to perform its obligations, in whole or in part, must take all steps at its disposal to minimize its damage. You will find more information on the concept of superior force and its application in the bulletin The Impact of COVID-19 on Contracts.  Right to terminate Certain contractual provisions may allow for resiliation (termination) by either party, on specific terms or for specific reasons. Some contracts will provide for a termination mechanism at either party’s discretion or further to their mutual consent.  In the absence of such clauses in the contract, it remains essential to characterize the nature of the contract, since legislative provisions could allow its resiliation. That is also the case of a contract of enterprise or a contract for services, which the client may unilaterally resiliate as permitted by sections 2125 and following of the Civil Code of Québec, subject to certain limits, of course. Before deciding to unilaterally resiliate a contract, it is important to consult your legal advisor in order to properly determine the nature of the contract, validate its terms and conditions with respect to resiliation and determine the possible impacts of such resiliation (e.g., penalties, prejudice to the other party, etc.). Obligation of good faith in contractual performance The obligation of good faith imposes certain contractual duties, including those of loyalty and cooperation. The duty of loyalty entails certain prohibitions such as not increasing the burden on a contracting party, not compromising the contractual relationship, and not engaging in excessive and unreasonable2 behaviour. The duty of cooperation, on the other hand, is more positive in nature and aims for assistance and collaboration between the contracting parties to encourage contract performance. Thus, beyond the contractual relationship between the parties, the obligation of good faith allows for a genuine collaborative relationship, a partnership, even, between the parties. A party being a victim of its contracting party’s actions, which are not in accordance with its obligation of good faith under the terms of the contract or which are implicitly derived from those terms, may be in a favourable position to claim damages. Thus, if a party experiences difficulties in performing its obligations because of an event beyond its control, it is entitled to expect the other contracting party to show good faith in the performance of the contract and to act reasonably. Abuse of rights  A party’s exercise of its contractual rights may, in certain situations, constitute an abuse of rights. For example, a party that is in default of its payment obligations under the contract, due to the closure of its business as required by government authorities, may trigger the application of a contract default clause by the other party. Such other partycould proceed with the immediate resiliation of the contract upon simply providing notice. While the terms of the contract may be clear, the other party’s haste in resiliating the contract may constitute an abuse of rights. Indeed, the nature of the relationship between the parties, the duration of the business relationship and the facts that led to the default have an impact on the way a party may exercise its rights under the contract. The exercise of rights provided for in the contract in such a way as to create devastating or catastrophic effects for one of the contracting parties could constitute an abuse of rights in the performance of the contract. Mediation The contract may provide for dispute resolution processes such as mediation or arbitration. To the extent that a dispute arises between the contracting parties and that the contract provides for recourse to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, it will be possible or even mandatory to submit the dispute to a process such as mediation before a third party, which will attempt to help the parties find an acceptable common ground. In the event of non-performance by a contractual party, this may be a very good option, insofar as the contract contains a provision providing for recourse to such mechanisms, of course. How can a temporary agreement be negotiated, and are there elements that can be put forward as part of the discussions? Given the exceptional current situation, it may also be appropriate for the contractual parties to communicate and verify the impacts of the pandemic on the contractual performance. In this way, the parties may jointly conclude that there are particular difficulties in performing certain obligations under the contract. In such a case, propose solutions or present scenarios that aim to minimize the negative impacts for your respective businesses. Rely on the mutual aid factor to meet certain obligations and/or suspend others (performance, manufacture, delivery, time limits, forbearance, etc.). It is possible to suggest performing certain obligations in consideration for the performance of your contracting partner’s correlative obligations. Where feasible, consider partial payments, deferred payments, staggered payments over time or a reimbursement based on a percentage of revenues or sales once operations resume after the pandemic. If it is possible, offer additional guarantees to the other contracting party (e.g. collateral security, personal suretyship, third party guarantee). Validate whether your insurance covers the cessation of your operations, business interruption, delays in the performance of your obligations, or financial losses arising from some of your contracts, to enable you to propose viable alternatives.  Determine which suppliers or partners are willing to conclude a temporary arrangement and those who refuse or are less open to it. You can then to try to optimize your agreements with the more conciliatory partners, allowing you to continue performing certain obligations with your more reluctant contracting parties. Innovate! Think about alternatives that might not have been possible, or that you might not have considered before the pandemic, that allow you to optimize your business practices or relationships. In short, think outside the box. A few thoughts before undertaking a negotiation  Do not restrict your thinking to the period of restriction on non-essential activities which is, at the time of writing, until May 4, 2020.  Think instead about the weeks and months that will be required to re-establish your business relationships and resume normal business operations, while performing your ongoing obligations and any deferrals negotiated during the pandemic; The inability to adapt, or the maintenance of a hard line, will bring some businesses to the brink and force them to consider various insolvency processes. You must be in a position to show your contracting parties why a position that is too firm or inflexible will not, in the long term, be satisfactory or serve the parties’ interests, in addition to being detrimental to those parties who are likely to require flexibility in the performance of their contractual obligations. You need to be able to identify the considerations specific to your business and business model, and determine the elements that may influence your decisions, such as the nature of the relationship with the other contracting party, particularly if it is a long-standing customer or supplier, whether it is a relationship that will continue into the future or if it is a one-time contract that is non-recurring, and what impacts and reputational risk your actions may entail. Beyond legal principles, the long-term business relationship must be prioritized and protected. This argument should not be underestimated. The objective of most Quebec businesses is to find satisfactory common ground for the parties involved, while trying to minimize the impacts on both sides. The watchword the parties should keep in mind is “flexibility.” During these times when solidarity is in order, it seems to us that it would be wise for each party to make the effort to reach a duly negotiated temporary agreement. We are sharing these options to provide you with ideas on how to approach the negotiation of ongoing contracts, knowing that each contract, relationship and situation are  unique. For more information, our corporate law team remains at your disposal to accompany you during the pandemic. #WeWillGetThroughThis   Section 1470 para. 2 C.C.Q. Didier Luelles, La bonne foi dans l'exécution des contrats et la problématique des sanctions, Canadian Bar Review, Vol. 83, 2004, pp. 189-190.

On March 30, 2020, the Government of Canada announced that it would grant the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “CEWS”) to qualifying entities, no matter their number of employees or their size. Bill C-14 bringing into effect the CEWS, received royal assent on April 11, 2020.  The Government of Canada will subsidize 75% of the first $58,700 of each employee’s wages, for a maximum amount of $847 per week. This measure is retroactive to March 15, 2020. For now, the CEWS covers a 12-week period from March 15, 2020, to June 6, 2020, inclusive. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy does not abolish the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers, but entities that receive it for a given period will see the CEWS reduced. For more information on the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers, click here. Qualifying entities Pursuant to subsection 125.7(1) of the Income Tax Act1 (the “ITA”), to qualify for the CEWS, an entity must first be an “eligible entity.” Eligible entities are the following: Taxable corporations; Individuals; Registered charities (other than a public institution); Partnerships whose members are eligible entities; Agricultural organizations, boards of trade or chambers of commerce2; Non-profit corporations for scientific research and experimental development3; Labour organizations4; and Non-profit organizations5. Subsidies of foreign corporations are also eligible for the CEWS under the same conditions, provided they are incorporated under the laws of Canada. Excluded entities Public institutions6, such as municipalities and local administrations, crown-controlled corporations, public universities, colleges, schools and hospitals, are not eligible for the CEWS. As such, a partnership of which a member is an excluded entity, such as a crown-controlled corporation, would not be eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Eligibility criteria To qualify for the CEWS, eligible entities will have until October 2020 to file an application for the qualifying periods. Filing will take place via a specific application process. Additionally, a person who has the principal responsibility for the eligible entity’s finances will have to attest that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy application is complete and accurate in all material respects. In order to qualify for the CEWS, an eligible entity should also have had a business number before March 15, 2020, for source deductions7 purposes. An eligible entity will need to demonstrate a drop in revenue of at least 15% for the qualifying period of March 2020 and of 30% for each subsequent qualifying period. Qualifying periods and reference periods for eligibility Eligible entities must use one of two methods to attest to the drop in revenue. Eligible entities must compare a current qualifying period to a past qualifying period via either: A year-to-year method (e.g., March 2020 compared to March 2019); or The average of its revenue earned in January and February 2020. An election will need to be made between these two methods in the entity’s first CEWS application. Eligible entities will have to use the same method for the whole duration of the program. Here is the list of the qualifying periods and the corresponding reference periods as announced on the Canada Revenue Agency’s website8: Claiming period Reference period for eligibility Period 1 March 15 – April 11 (reduction of 15%) March 2020 over: March 2019; or Average of January and February 2020. Period 2 April 12 - May 9 (reduction of 30%) April 2020 over: April 2019; or Average of January and February 2020. Period 3 May 10 – June 6 (reduction of 30%) May 2020 over: May 2019; or Average of January and February 2020.   The law provides that additional qualifying (and reference) periods could be added via regulation until September 30, 2020. Accounting method The eligible entity’s normal accounting method should be used to determine qualifying revenue. Entities can calculate their revenue according to either the accrual method or cash method but not a combination of both. Entities must choose an accounting method when filing their first CEWS application and will have to use the same method for the whole duration of the program. The legislation defines qualifying revenue, for the purposes of the comparison between the prior reference period and the current reference period, as “the inflow of cash, receivables or other consideration arising in the course of the ordinary activities of the eligible entity — generally from the sale of goods, the rendering of services and the use by others of resources of the eligible entity — in Canada in the particular period”9. Revenue must be gained from business conducted in Canada and arise from arm’s length sources. Extraordinary items and sums obtained or derived from a non-arm’s length person or partnership are excluded from the computation of revenue. Non-resident entities are not eligible for the CEWS unless they are taxable in Canada. Revenue from sales or transfers between non-arm’s length persons are excluded. An exception to this principle may apply to certain holding corporations. The amount of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy received for a qualifying period is not included in the calculation of eligible revenue for the subsequent qualifying period, of course. However, amounts received pursuant to the CEWS will reduce other incentives under tax legislation, like the SR&ED tax incentive program. Registered charities and non-profit organizations For registered charities, non-profit organizations, labour organizations, non-profit organizations for scientific research and experimental development, agricultural organizations, board of trades and chambers of commerce, the computation of revenue must include amounts received during its normal activities, which includes gifts and membership fees. These entities will be authorized to choose whether or not to include funds received from government. Once chosen, an accounting method must be applied for the whole duration of the program. Computation of qualifying revenue The calculation of qualifying revenue should normally be done entity by entity. Consolidated financial statements However, for an entity that is a part of a group of eligible entities that normally prepare consolidated financial statements, each member of this group may determine its qualifying revenue separately if it normally does so. Also, each entity of an affiliated group can make an election to establish its qualifying revenue on an individual basis. For such an election to be valid, every entity of the affiliated group must elect to establish its revenue on an individual basis. Joint ventures The ITA allows for a flow-through mechanism for participants of a joint venture qualifying as an eligible entity even if this joint venture is otherwise considered distinct from its members: If all of the interests in an eligible entity are owned by participants in a joint venture and all or substantially all (meaning 90% or more) of the qualifying revenue of the eligible entity for a qualifying period is in respect of the joint venture, then the eligible entity may use the qualifying revenues of the joint venture. Holding companies A joint election may also be filed in cases where all or substantially all (meaning 90% or more) of an eligible entity’s revenue arises from one or several non-arm’s length persons or partnerships. This mechanism is mainly aimed at holding companies providing services to other entities in a related group and whose revenue should otherwise be excluded pursuant to the “non-arm’s length source” criterion. A formula is provided for in the ITA, containing several presumptions in order to consider transactions with Canadian and foreign entities. Deeming provision for subsequent reference period Qualifying entities must file a new application for each qualifying period. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will be paid monthly by cheque or direct deposit. A deeming rule is provided for in the ITA. When an eligible entity meets the qualifying revenue criteria for a qualifying period, a provision found in subsection 127(9) of the ITA deems the eligible entity to have met the qualifying revenue criteria for the immediately following qualifying periods. In other words, if for the qualifying period of March 15 to April 11, 2020, the entity has demonstrated and attested to a reduction of 30% of its revenue, the entity will be deemed to satisfy this condition for the next qualifying period of April 12 to May 9, 2020. Eligible employees Pursuant to subsection 127(1) of the ITA, an eligible employee is an individual who has been employed in Canada by an eligible entity during a qualifying period and who has not been without remuneration for a period of fourteen (14) or more consecutive days during this qualifying period. Eligible remuneration Eligible remuneration for the purposes of the CEWS includes wages, salaries and other remuneration10. In addition, professional fees, commissions and other amounts for services provided are eligible11. The following forms of remuneration are excluded: Retirement allowances; Amounts deemed to have been received by the eligible employee as a benefit under or because of a stock-option plan12; Any amount received that can reasonably be expected to be paid or returned, directly or indirectly, in any manner whatever, to the eligible entity, a person or partnership not dealing at arm’s length with the eligible entity, or another person or partnership at the direction of the eligible entity; and Any amount paid in respect of a week in the qualifying period, if, as part of an arrangement involving the eligible employee and the eligible entity, the amount is in excess of the eligible employee’s baseline remuneration, after the qualifying period, the eligible employee is reasonably expected to be paid a lower weekly amount than their baseline remuneration, and one of the main purposes for the arrangement is to increase the amount of the CEWS. As such, any arrangement to improperly benefit from the CEWS will be excluded from eligible remuneration. For the purposes of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, eligible remuneration is computed using the average weekly remuneration paid to an eligible employee between January 1 and March 15, 2020, inclusively (the “baseline remuneration”). An exclusion is provided for any period of seven (7) days during which the eligible employee has not received any remuneration. There is no limit to the total amount of CEWS that an entity might claim. The CEWS applies to the first $58,700 of annual salary paid to each eligible employee, computed employee by employee. Under subsection 125.7(2) of the ITA, the CEWS is equal to the greater of the following amounts: 100% of remuneration paid, up to the lesser of the following amounts: 75% of the average weekly remuneration that the employee received before March 15, 2020; and 75% of weekly remuneration paid, up to $847 per week. Employees not dealing at arm’s length with the eligible entity If an eligible employee is not dealing at arm’s length with the eligible entity and he or she has not received eligible remuneration before March 15, 2020, he or she will not be eligible for the CEWS. Only 75% of the remuneration paid before March 15, 2020 will be eligible. This is aimed at preventing persons not dealing at arm’s length from increasing their salaries after March 15, 2020 to increase the amount of the CEWS they would be eligible to received. Example of a CEWS application Baseline weekly remuneration between January 1 and March 15, 2020 = $60,000 Average remuneration after March 15, 2020 = $60,000 % of remuneration paid % before March 15 Greater of: (A) 100% (B) 75% (C) 75% (A) up to the lesser of (C) and $847 (B) up to $847 Week applied for : 03/13-03/21 $1,153.85 $865.38 $865.38 $847 Week applied for : 03/22-03/28 $1,153.85 $865.38 $865.38 $847 Week applied for : 03/29-04/04 $1,153.85 $865.38 $865.38 $847 Week applied for : 04/05-04/11 $1,153.85 $865.38 $865.38 $847 Total CEWS for the eligible employee $3,388   The CEWS is equal to 73.40 % of remuneration paid. The net cost for the eligible entity is 26.60% (+ payroll contributions except if the employee is on leave without pay). Reduction in wages after March 15 If the baseline remuneration of the eligible employee was $60,000 prior to March 15, 2020 but, by agreement, the salary after March 15, 2020 is reduced to $40,000, the CEWS would then be $769, 23. In this example, the CEWS is equal to 100% of the remuneration paid after March 15, 2020 with a net cost to the eligible entity of $0. % of remuneration paid % before March 15 Greater of: (A) 100% (B) 75% (C) 75% (A) up to the lesser of (C) and $847 (B) up to $847 Week applied for: 03/13-03/21 $769.23 $576.92 $865.38 $769.23 Week applied for: 03/22-03/28 $769.23 $576.92 $865.38 $769.23 Week applied for: 03/29-04/04 $769.23 $576.92 $854.38 $769.23 Week applied for: 04/05-04/11 $769.23 $576.92 $854.38 $769.23 Total CEWS for the eligible employee $3,076,92   New Employee Should the eligible entity hire a new employee for a salary of $40,000 per year, the CEWS received in respect of this employee would be equal to $576.92 (75% of remuneration paid). Payroll contributions reimbursed under certain circumstances Certain employer-paid contributions can be reimbursed. This reimbursement would apply to the entirety of employer-paid contributions in respect of eligible employees, for each week during which these employees are on leave with pay and for which the entity qualifies for the CEWS regarding these employees. These contributions include: Employment Insurance; The Canada Pension Plan; The Québec Pension Plan; and The Québec Parental Insurance Plan. Eligible entities should continue to withhold and remit both employee and employer contributions as usual. They will then be able to claim a reimbursement at the same time as the CEWS. The Government of Canada has announced that entities benefiting from the CEWS will have to demonstrate having “done their best” to pay the remaining 25% of wages not covered by the CEWS to their employees. This criterion will be evaluated with flexibility in order to take into account the financial struggles of businesses. As of now, nothing with respect to this 25% is mentioned in the ITA. The CEWS will be deemed as taxable income for the entities benefiting from the program. Employees benefiting from the CEWS will be taxed at the source. How to apply An online portal will be launched between two (2) to five (5) weeks from now, for eligible entities to file a claim for the CEWS. Qualifying entities will be able to apply for the CEWS through the Canada Revenue Agency's My Business Account portal. The Minister of Finance will be able to communicate the name of any person or partnership that applies for the CEWS. More information should be released shortly. Anti-avoidance and penalties Specific anti-avoidance rules are provided for by the legislation. Also, in case of ineligibility, an employer must reimburse the amounts received. In case of abuse of the program, a penalty of up to 25% of amounts received could be imposed (up to 225% when computing all penalties that could be applied under the ITA), with the possibility of a prison sentence of up to 5 years. Eligible employees and interaction of the CEWS with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit The Government of Canada is considering putting in place a process allowing employees rehired by their employers during the same qualifying period to cancel their application for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and to reimburse any amounts received pursuant to this program. Lavery’s team is available to answer any question you may have regarding the announced emergency measures as well as any related aspects. The information and commentaries contained in the present document do not constitute a legal opinion. Their sole purpose is to allow readers, who bear all responsibility, to use them for their own ends. The information and commentaries contained in this document are limited to the measures announced or made public by the Government of Québec and the Government of Canada on or before April 13, 2020.   R.S.C. (1985), c. 1 (5th Suppl.) As defined in paragraph 149(1)(e) of the ITA As defined in paragraph 149(1)(j) of the ITA As defined in paragraph 149(1)(k) of the ITA As defined in paragraph 149(1)(l) of the ITA As defined by paragraphs 149(1)(a) to 149(1)(d.6) of the ITA Under section 153 of the ITA Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/04/the-canada-emergency-wage-subsidy.html [to date as of April 13, 2020] Definition of “Qualifying revenue” in section 125.7 of the ITA Under paragraph 153(1)a) of the ITA Under paragraph 153(1)g) of the ITA Under paragraphs 7(1)(a) to (d.1) of the ITA

Two weeks ago, we published an article on the challenge of retaining your workforce amidst the pandemic. Since that time, two new programs on the subject have been announced by the provincial government. The first is meant to respond to the effects of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) on employee retention, while the second promotes worker training. Incentive Program to Retain Essential Workers (IPREW) Although the CERB has been generally well received, it has led to difficulties for certain businesses that provide essential services. This is because the salaries of many workers (particularly those working part-time and those working as cashiers, delivery persons, security guards and maintenance workers) is lower than the CERB. In some cases, employees who were laid off and later recalled to work on a part-time basis felt penalized (unlike the regular Employment Insurance program, the CERB does not allow beneficiaries to keep part of the wages they receive by working). This disadvantage has led to surging rates of absenteeism. To incentivize essential services workers to remain in their posts, the IPREW provides a taxable bonus of $100 per week up to a maximum of $1,600 over the course of the program. This bonus is retroactive to March 15, 2020. The government estimates that 600,000 workers will be able to benefit from the program. Workers must submit their applications online beginning on May 19, 2020. The first payment is scheduled for May 27, 2020. To be eligible for the IPREW, workers must: Be working part-time or full-time in an essential service; Be over 15 years of age and living in Quebec; Earn $550 or less per week for an annual income of no less than $5,000 and no more than $28,600 for the year 2020; and Not be receiving CERB or PATT benefits. Workers whose employers receive financial aid from the federal government are still eligible. Non-essential businesses may want to consider implementing incentives inspired by the IPREW in order to retain their workforce when they are recalled to work following the gradual return to normal activities scheduled to begin on May 4, 2020. Non-essential businesses will most likely face problems similar to those that led to the creation of the IPREW, most notably because the CERB will be available until October 3, 2020. Concerted Action Program to Maintain Employment (PACME) It is reasonable to assume that companies resuming their operations after the province-wide shutdown will need to adopt many new measures, particularly in terms of workers’ health and safety and, as we wrote about last week, telework. Training workers will become even more relevant and essential. The PACME offers an opportunity to be proactive in that regard. PACME offers funding to employers seeking to promote training and best practices, with a special focus on human resource management during the crisis and in preparation for the reopening of the economy. It also aligns well with the federal wage subsidy program. The PACME is available to businesses whose operations have been reduced, suspended, increased or diversified by the crisis, as well as self-employed workers and organizational partners. To learn more about the PACME, please see the article published by our colleagues on the subject. Our Labour and Employment team is available to advise and accompany you throughout the crisis and the reopening process.

Most companies have seen their business operations seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the various government measures taken to mitigate its impact on the population. Companies have to contend with various issues in the short, medium and long term, such as the closure of many companies’, clients’ and suppliers’ places of business, restricted opening hours, and working from home. Businesses need to maintain the relationship of trust they have built with their lender a business partner with whom it pays to be proactive, show transparency and uphold best practices during these difficult times. Although each situation requires an individual analysis, it is in the borrower’s best interest to draw up an accurate picture of the company’s situation for the lender. The information that should be shared with the lender includes: A description of the plan implemented for clients, suppliers and employees to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and ensure that operations continue as efficiently as possible; A description of the plan implemented for employees to ensure their health and safety while working; Whether the company’s services and activities are considered essential; The availability and use of government programs developed for businesses and their employees; The possibility of allocating work to other places of business and other efforts to mitigate the impact; Short, medium and long term financial projections, it being understood that even though these projections may be difficult to establish in the circumstances, they will equip the borrower for discussions with its lender and will enable it to anticipate its credit facility drawdown requirements, including any need to increase them; Representations, warranties and covenants in credit agreements that could be compromised. This communication must be ongoing. Considering the fast evolution of the COVID-19 crisis and the proliferation of governmental and other measures, it is important to keep the lender informed as the company’s situation changes. The lender will obviously appreciate getting the most accurate picture of the company under the circumstances, which will allow it to assess the situation and develop customized solutions with the company. The relationship of trust between borrower and lender is, more than ever, an asset in these difficult times. It is proving to be a positive vector of stability for our companies, which will have to overcome the effects of COVID-19. The professionals of our Debt Financing and Banking team can assist borrowers in analyzing the credit agreements they have entered into with their lenders and in developing a communication strategy that is appropriate and effective in the circumstances.

Download your reference page of the financial aids put in place in Quebec and Canada The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is forcing different levels of government to institute measures to reduce the burden on taxpayers and protect the economy. The following is a summary of the principal measures announced to date:  Measures with respect to tax deadlines in Québec and Canada; Measures relating to businesses; Measures with respect to employees and self-employed individuals; Measures pertaining to judicial and administrative time limits. Measures to ease tax deadlines in Quebec and Canada On March 18 and March 27, 2020, the Minister of Finance of Canada announced the extension of filing deadlines for certain income tax returns and of payment deadlines for certain amounts owing for individuals, trusts and corporations for federal income tax purposes. The Minister of Finance of Québec matched the federal deadline extensions for provincial income tax purposes on the same day. Individuals New deadlines (Quebec and Canada) Income tax return filing June 1, 2020 For individuals conducting unincorporated businesses (and their spouse or partner) the deadline is June 15, 2020. Payment of income taxes For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 QPIP/QPP/HSF/RAMQ contributions For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 (Quebec only) Instalment payments For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020   Trusts (other than specified investment flow-through trusts) New deadlines (Quebec and Canada) Income tax return filing May 1, 2020 Payment of income taxes For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 QPIP/QPP/HSF/RAMQ contributions For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 (Quebec only) Instalment payments For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020   Corporations New deadlines (Quebec and Canada) Income tax return filing New deadline for tax returns normally due before May 31 is June 1, 2020 Payment of income taxes For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 Instalment payments For any balance that would normally be due on March 18, 2020, the new payment date is extended to September 1, 2020 Payment of QST/GST For payments of QST/GST normally due on March 31, April 30 and May 31, the new deadline is June 30, 2020. Source deductions No measure has been announced to date   Partnerships New deadlines (Quebec and Canada) Filing of Partnership Information Return T5013/TP-600-v May 1, 2020   Not-for-profit organizations and registered charities New deadlines (Canada only) Filing of Information Return T3010 December 31, 2020   Person making a payment to a non-resident New deadlines (Canada only) Filing of Statement of Amounts Paid or Credited to Non-Residents of Canada (NR4) May 1, 2020   Deadlines for payments of import and export fees have been extended to June 30, 2020. Deadlines regarding filings and payments of tax on lodging otherwise due before April 30, 2020 are postponed to July 31, 2020. Deferral of tax payments in many Québec municipalities Many Québec municipalities have decided to defer municipal tax payment deadlines in order to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Here are the new deadlines set by some of them: Municipalities New deadline for the next tax payment Montréal July 2, 2020 Lévis Interest on balances owing will be suspended until May 30, 2020 City of Québec Payments due on May 4, July 3 and September 3, 2020 are postponed until August 4, September 3 and November 3, 2020, respectively. Trois-Rivières September 8, 2020 Longueuil Payments due on April 6, June 6 and September 8, 2020 are postponed until May 6, July 6 and September 8, 2020, respectively. Gatineau Payments that were due on March 31 and June 30 are postponed until August 31, 2020 Sherbrooke Payments due on May 4, July 3 and September 3, 2020 are postponed until August 4, October 3 and December 3, 2020, respectively. Laval September 1, 2020 for the 1st and 2nd payments.   Measures concerning businesses In Québec Concerted temporary action program for businesses (PACTE) On March 20, 2020, the Government of Québec announced a temporary program administered by Investissement Québec aiming to facilitate access to credit for businesses in the form of a loan guarantee. Businesses that are already clients of Investissement Québec can communicate directly with their project director or account manager by email or by phone using the online directory. Businesses that are not clients of Investissement Québec and that wish to benefit from such a loan guarantee must first contact their financial institution, which will itself contact an Investissement Québec account manager. Any questions on a specific situation regarding this program should be directed to Investissement Québec’s client centre, reachable at 1 844-474-6367. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s 4 billions dollars fund The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) announced, on March 30, 2020, the creation of a 4-billion-dollar fund to assist Québec businesses temporarily affected by COVID-19. This financing will take diverse forms, which are not yet specified. In order to qualify for this financing, businesses must: Have been profitable before the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis; Have promising growth perspectives in their sector; Seek a minimum financing of 5 million dollars or more. Businesses that want to apply for this financing may do so by filing an online form. Accelerated treatment and payment of certain tax credits The Government of Québec and Revenu Québec have put in place several administrative measures aiming to supplement businesses’ cash flow. These measures are further described below. Concerted Action to Maintain Employment Program (CAMEP) (New) On April 6, 2020, the Government of Québec announced a new subsidy program of 100 million dollars aimed at helping businesses impacted by COVID-19 pandemic by supporting workforce skills development. The CAMEP is a two-pronged measure: Business Component, which targets businesses by supporting the business’s own activities aiming to improve human resources management and workforce skills. This support will take the form of financing of online or in-person training activities (subject to regulation on physical distancing set by Public Health Authorities), through reimbursement of eligible expenditures. Collective Promoters Component which targets organizations that offer a collective approach to meet the training needs of businesses and the workforce. A Collective Promoter is a group of employers or workers able to create employment-related projects and who can supervise or ensure their implementation, such as sectoral labour committees, training mutual and recognized employers’ associations, legally constituted workers’ associations, etc. Eligibility criteria The following entities will be eligible to CAMEP: Employers; Self-employed workers (whether or not they are incorporated) employing other workers; Workers’ and employers’ associations; Professional groupings; Group of employers; Group of workers; Collective Promoters recognized by the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail for the Collective Promoters Component of CAMEP; Cooperatives; Economic social enterprises; and Not-for-profit organization and community organization. Eligible training activities The following types of training activities offered by an entity listed above will be eligible to CAMEP: Basic employee training; Francization; Digital-skill training; Continuing education on business activities, no matter if they are related or not to the actual position of the trainee; Training encouraged by a professional order; Training essential to the resumption of business activities; Training related to a strategic shift in business activities in the context of economic uncertainties caused by COVID-19 and aiming to maintain or diversify business’ activities; and Re-qualification training for workers. Eligible expenditures The following expenditures, engaged by an entity listed above in the course of an eligible training activity will be eligible to CAMEP: Salaries and wages of workers (excluding social benefits) for a maximum of $25 per hour; Professional fees of consultants or trainer for a maximum of $125 per hour; Indirect fees for trainers (meals, transportation, accommodations, etc.) at real cost; Indirect fees for workers in training (transportation, meals, accommodations, etc.) at real cost; Elaborating, adapting or purchasing of training material, at real cost; Adapting of an in-person training course into an online training course; Registration or subscription fees of an online platform, at real cost; If applicable, fees related to management activities (banking fees, training material) paid by the delegated entity up to 10 % of those fees; Diagnostic of the human resources functions and, if applicable, of other management functions (Business Component only); Consultant fees in human resources management (organizational communication, telecommuting, etc.) (Business Component only); and Coaching and management training (Business only). Eligible expenditures, subject to certain exceptions regarding salaries and wages that will be explained further in this section, will give rise to a reimbursement of: 100 % of eligible expenditures on the first $100,000 or less; 50 % of eligible expenditures between $100,000 and $500,000. Reimbursement of salaries and wages: interaction between CAMEP and other wage-based subsidies granted by the Government of Québec or Canada The reimbursement terms of salaries and wages as eligible expenditures vary depending on the other wage-based subsidies granted by the Government of Québec or Canada that a business receives. Terms announced as of April 6, 2020, are the following: 25 % of total salaries and wages of employees in training (up to a maximum of $25 per hour), if the business receives the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy of 75 % described below; 90 % of total salaries and wages of employees in training, if the business receives the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers of 10 % described below; 100 $ of salaries and wages of employees in training if the business receives no wage-based subsidy from the Government of Québec or Canada. Duration of CAMEP Projects detailing eligible training activities must be submitted to Services Québec. Services Québec will accept new projects until September 30, 2020, or until the $100 million dollars envelope runs out. Eligible training activities are not subject to a minimum or maximum duration. Further details concerning this measure are expected to be announced within the next few days. Small and Medium Businesses Emergency Aid (Québec) (New) This program aims to relieve SMBs experiencing financial difficulties due to the present COVID-19 crisis through loans of up to $50,000.   Eligible Businesses Businesses operating in all sectors, including social economy enterprises, cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations conducting commercial activities are eligible under the following conditions: They are in business in Québec since at least one year; They are temporarily closed, on the brink of closing or showing warning signs of imminent closure; They are in a context of maintaining, consolidating or reviving their activities; They are able to demonstrate a direct link between their financial difficulties and the present COVID-19 crisis. Businesses under the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-36) or of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. B-3) are excluded from this program.   Eligible Financing Financing granted by this program aims to relieve businesses’ cashflow needs and is determined based on reasonable and documented expenses. Cashflow needs must be caused by either: Impossibility or substantial reduction of the capacity to deliver products (goods or services) or merchandise. Financing will take the form of a loan guarantee of up to $50,000   How to Apply Businesses wishing to benefit from this program must contact their Regional County Municipality (RCM), their municipality’s office or the organization in charge of administering their RCM’s Local Investment Funds. Flexibility towards loans granted by Local Investment Funds (Québec) (New) A 6-month moratorium on reimbursement (both capital and interests) of loans granted by Local Investment Funds. Interests accrued during this period will be capitalized. This measure is in addition to the previously announced moratoriums related to the investment policies of most Local Investment Funds. In Canada Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) (New) The Government of Canada announced, on March 30, that it will grant a temporary wage subsidy, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “CEWS”), to eligible employers, no matter their size and number of employees. Bill C-14 adopting the CEWS has been sanctioned on April 11, 2020. The Government of Canada will subsidize the first 75% of pre-crisis wages or salaries of existing employees, to a maximum salary of $58,700, amounting to a maximum amount of $847 per week, per salary. This measure is retroactive to March 15, 2020. As of now, this measure covers a twelve-week period, from March 15, 2020, to June 6, 2020, inclusively. The CEWS does not abolish the Temporary Wage Subsidy described below. An eligible employer who received an amount via the Temporary Wage Subsidy will see the amount of his CEWS reduced accordingly. For more details concerning he CEWS as well as examples of calculation of CEWS amount, read our complete CEWS brief here.   Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers Announced on March 18, 2020, the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers allows eligible employers (in respect to this specific measure, notwithstanding the status, or lack thereof, of eligibility to the CEWS described above), to reduce payments of source deductions of an amount equivalent to 10 % of remuneration paid between March 18 and June 20, 2020, for a maximum amount of $1,375 per eligible employee and a maximum total amount of $25,000 per eligible employer. Eligible employers are: Individuals (excluding trusts); Canadian-controlled private corporations (“CCPCs”) which taxable capital in Canada for the previous taxation ear (including associated corporations) is inferior to $15 million dollars; Registered charities; Not-for-profit organization; and Partnerships the members of which are eligible employers. Notably, this measure is a diminution of source deduction payments and does not incur any injection of cash in the eligible employer’s business: no check or electronic transfer will be paid to an employer in application of this measure. This measure does not allow to reduce payments of contributions to the Canadian Pensions Plan, Employment-Insurance premiums or payments due to Revenu Québec. Eligible employers are allowed to reduce payments of source deduction for the first payment period concerning remuneration paid from March 18 to June 20, 2020. Should the amounts of the subsidy for an eligible employer for the period exceed the amounts of source deduction due for the period, the eligible employer will be allowed to reduce payment of source deductions beyond the end of the period, after June 19, 2020. This measure does not alleviate employers’ obligations to remit income tax deduction (beyond the subsidy amount computed using the method described above), to contribute to the Canadian Pensions Plan and to pay Employment-Insurance premiums. The amount of this subsidy that will be deducted from an eligible employer’s source deduction will be included in the employer’s taxable income for the year. No registration or filing is needed to benefit from this measure. However, employers will have to keep supporting records, which include: the total remuneration paid between March 18, 2020, and June 20, 2020; the amount of federal, provincial and territorial income tax that was deduced from that remuneration; and the number of employees paid in the period. The Government of Canada announced that organizations that are not eligible to the CEWS described above may still be eligible to the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers. Amounts deducted from source deductions by virtue of this measure will diminish any amount due to an employer by virtue of the CEWS, thus eliminating duplication of benefits. Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) The Government of Canada has announced its intention to introduce the CECRA in order to provide loans, including forgivable loans, to commercial property owners who in turn will lower or forgo the rent of SMBs for the months of April (retroactive), May and June, 2020. A partnership between the Government of Canada and the provincial governments will be necessary to administer this program, as regulation of owner-tenant relationships is a private law matter. Announcements detailing these measures should followin the coming days. Canada Emergency Business Account – Loan guarantee of $40,000 to SMBs (New) On March 27, 2020, the Government of Canada announced that SMBs and not-for-profit organizations will be able to take out a government-backed loan from private banks up to a maximum of $40,000. These loans will be interest-free for a year. To be eligible, businesses will have to demonstrate that they had a total payroll ranging between $50,000 and $1 million for 2019. The reimbursement of this loan before December 31, 2022, will incur a write-off of 25% of the debt, for a maximum write-off of $10,000. Easing of the cash reserve requirements for financial institutions ($300 billion of additional funds) (Canada) The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has relaxed the rules concerning the mandatory cash reserves of Canadian financial institutions. This measure will increase the loaning capacity of Canadian large banks up to $300 billion and will facilitate access to credit for borrowers. Co-Lending Program for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises The BDC and certain financial institutions will co-lend to SMBs in order to fund their operational expenses and cash-flow needs. The BDC will loan a maximum amount of $5 million per loan. Eligible financial institutions will be responsible for managing this program and will be the point of contact with clients. New Loan Guarantee for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises EDC will guarantee new operating credit and cash flow term loans that financial institutions extend to SMBs up to $6.25 million. Measures for employees and self-employed individuals In Québec Temporary Aid for Workers Program (PATT) The Government of Québec announced on April 8, 2020 that the PATT program will end as of April 10, 2020, due to the introduction, by the Government of Canada, of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. Incentive Program to Retain Essential Workers (IPREW) The Government of Québec announced a new financial aid granted to essential workers during the period of the COVID-19 crisis, aimed at compensating differences between worker’s normal salary and the CERB. The IPREW consists of a payment of $100 per week, amounting to $400 per month, for a maximum duration of 16 weeks. The first IPREW payment is scheduled for May 27, 2020. All subsequent payments will take place every two (2) weeks. Workers eligible to IPREW are those who: Are working full or part-time in a sector related to essential services during the period; Earn a gross salary of $550 or less per week; Earn yearly employment revenues of at least $5,000 and at most $28,600 for the year 2020; Are aged of at least 15 years at the moment on which they claim benefits from IPREW; Are residents of Québec on December 31, 2019 and are planning to remain residents of Québec all through the 2020 year; Have not received, for a week on which they claim IPREW, benefits from CERB or PATT. IPREW claims can be filed from May 19, 2020 to November 15, 2020 through the My Account with Revenu Québec. Claimants must be registered to direct deposit with Revenu Québec in order to benefit from IPREW. Accelerated Treatment and Payment of Certain Tax Credits The Government of Québec and Revenu Québec have taken several administrative measures to supplement individuals’ financial situations. These measures are further described below. In Canada Buyback of Government of Canada Bonds The Bank of Canada has announced that it is expanding the scope of its Government of Canada bond buyback program to add liquidity to the market. Mortgage Default Management Tools The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and other mortgage insurers have ways to assist homeowners experiencing financial difficulty. Among these are payment deferral, loan re-amortization, capitalization of outstanding interest arrears and other eligible expenses, and special payment arrangements. Canada Emergency Response Benefit (New) The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) announced on March 25, 2020, and sanctioned by Bill C-13, replaces the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit previously announced. The CERB is a taxable benefit of $2,000 per month for a maximum period of 4 months. The CERB was put in place in order to provide financial aid that is faster than the normal Employment Insurance program would be under the circumstances. It is therefore advised that workers eligible for both the CERB and Employment Insurance first file a CERB claim, even though the CERB is limited to a 4-month duration, because CERB claims will be processed faster than Employment Insurance claims. Bill C-13 provides that workers must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the CERB: Whether employed or self-employed, they have ceased working for reasons related to COVID-19 for at least 14 consecutive days within the four-week period in respect of which they are applying for the payment; and They are not receiving, in respect of the consecutive days on which they have ceased working: subject to the regulations, income from employment or self-employment, benefits, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Employment Insurance Act, allowances, money or other benefits paid to the worker under a provincial plan because of pregnancy or in respect of the care by the worker of one or more of their newborn children or one or more children placed with them for the purpose of adoption, or any other income that is prescribed by regulation. For CERB purposes, a worker is any person aged 15 or more, who is a resident of Canada and who, for the 2019 calendar year or in the twelve (12) months preceding the date on which the worker files the CERB claim, earned at least $5,000 in income. The income must have come from one or several of the following sources: employment; self-employment; benefits paid under the Employment Insurance Act2; allowances, money or other benefits paid to the person under a provincial plan because of pregnancy or in respect of the care by the person of one or more of their newborn children or one or more children placed with them for the purpose of adoption. On April 15, 2020, the Government of Canada has announced that the CERB eligibility criteria will be broadened in order to: Allow persons to earn up to $1,000 per month during which they receive CERB; Extend CERB to seasonal workers who have exhausted their Employment-Insurance regular benefits and are unable to undertake their regular seasonal work as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; Extend the CERB to workers who have recently exhausted their Employment-Insurance regular benefits and are unable to find a job or return to work because of COVID-19; Allow artists to receive royalty payments for copyrighted works produced before March 1st, 2020 while collecting CERB. Dividends A taxpayer who receives dividends may be eligible to CERB if the dividends paid are ordinary dividends (in general, ordinary dividends are paid from business revenues on which the Small business deduction applies). How to apply CERB claims are available since April 6, 2020. Payments are planned to start in the ten (10) days following the filing of a claim concerning any period starting and ending between March 15, 2020, and October 2, 2020. To file an application, click here. A single CERB claim must be filed with Service Canada. A reimbursement must be made if you have received CERB twice or if you return to work earlier than scheduled. It is to be noted that certain appeals concerning Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan are suspended. Other measures (Québec and Canada) Many other measures will be put in place, including an increase in the Canada Child Benefit, an increase in the maximum GST credit, the reduction of the minimum withdrawal amount of RRIFs, an extension for reimbursement of student loans (both in Québec and in Canada) as well as several specific credits. Here are some of them: Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF): The AMF is granting an additional 45 days for the continuous disclosure filings of reporting issuers that were to be filed before June 1, 2020. For more details, click here. Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions (CEDQR): Starting April 1, CEDQR will defer payments due to CEDQR by its clients for a duration of three (3) months. For more information, click here. Export Development Canada (“EDC”): EDC will facilitate cash flow loans for exporting businesses by offering loan guarantees to their banks on loans of at most $5 million. Also, under certain conditions, EDC will cover losses on expedited goods even if the buyer has not accepted them. The cancellation of the 60-day waiting period for compensation claims was also announced. For more details, click here. Hydro-Québec: Since March 23, Hydro-Québec has suspended the application of management fees on outstanding bills for all clients. For more information, click here. Measures concerning judicial and administrative time limits Amongst the emergency measures announced, the authorities have also put in place measures to ensure the respect of the taxpayers’ rights, both in Québec and in Canada. In Québec Suspension of extinctive prescription in civil matters On March 15, 2020, through Order 2020-4251, the Minister of Justice of Québec and the Chief Justice of Québec suspended extinctive prescription and terms for forfeiture in civil matters until the health emergency declared by the Government of Québec on March 13, 2020, comes to an end. Proceedings in civil matters are also suspended during this period, with the exception of matters deemed urgent, such as injunctions and habeas corpus applications. This measure applies to, but is not limited to, the following: Appeals of assessment before the Court of Québec; Summary appeals before the small claims division of the Court of Québec; Application of review of the Minister’s decision refusing to extend the time limit for filing an objection; Request to extend the deadline to file an appeal or a summary appeal. Extension of various deadlines Several deadlines to exercise a right, provide information, send documents or make an election that would have applied before May 31, have been deferred to June 1, 2020. Failing to meet such a deadline can cause the loss of a right and generate a penalty or interest, depending on the nature of the obligation and the amount of time elapsed since the deadline. The deadline extension will cover, among other things, the following: Filing of an income tax return of a corporation; Election of a choice under legal or regulatory fiscal rules, such as a rollover; Claim of a tax credit; Claim of fuel tax reimbursement; Response to a request of information from Revenu Québec; Mandatory or preemptive disclosure with regard to aggressive tax planning; Claim of Québec Education Savings Incentive. Extension of time to file an objection to a notice of assessment For a notice of assessment subjected to a time limit for filing an objection ending between March 15 and June 29, 2020, the time limit is extended to June 30, 2020. However, notices of objection should still be filed within the required time limit (i.e., 90 days from the issuance of the notice of reassessment) provided for in section 93.1.1. of the Tax Administration Act, when possible. This is a mandatory deadline that cannot be amended. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, a notice of objection filed after the 90-day period provided for in section 93.1.1. of the Tax Administration Act, should also include an application for an extension of time to file said notice of objection. Accelerated treatment and payment of certain tax credits For businesses: On March 27, 2020, the Government of Québec announced the advance payment of tax credits to businesses in order to inject cash in businesses as quickly as possible. This measure will allow for the advance payment of more than $600 million to businesses. For individuals: Revenu Québec has accelerated processing of income tax returns granting a payment by Revenu Québec. Since February 24, 2020, almost $800 million has been paid in advance to individuals having already filed their income tax return. The 4-month extension of the renewal of the tax credit for Home-Support Services for Seniors as well as the deferral of the renewal of the Shelter Allowance Program to December 1, 2020, are improving upon the socio-fiscal measures already in place in Québec. Suspension of audits and debt collection Revenu Québec has suspended its audit activities, except for situations presenting a risk of fraud. No contact with a taxpayer will be initiated by Revenu Québec unless it is necessary for processing a payment to the taxpayer. Revenu Québec has suspended its debt collection activities and will be flexible in the application of payment agreements regarding a fiscal debt. In Canada Suspension of audits (New) The Canada Revenue Agency has announced that no communications aiming to audit SMBs regarding the GST/HST or income tax will occur.   Also, no request for information concerning an ongoing audit will be sent to taxpayers. Ongoing audits will stop and no new assessments will be made. If you have received a communication from the Canada Revenue Agency containing response dates or deadlines to transmit a document, no action is required from you or your representative for the time being. Objections and appeals (New) Objections regarding the right to a benefit or a tax credit, such as the Investment Tax Credit (SR&ED), have been deemed to be essential services. No delay should affect processing of such objections. Objections concerning any other tax matter regarding individuals or businesses are suspended. On March 28, 2020, the Canada Revenue Agency announced that the deadline for any objection to a notice of assessment for which the deadline to file a notice of objection is after March 28, 2020, is deferred to June 30, 2020. However, notices of objection should still be filed within the required time limit (i.e., 90 days from the issuance of the notice of reassessment) provided for in section 165 of the Income Tax Act, when possible. This is a mandatory time limit that cannot be amended. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, a notice of objection filed after the 90-day period provided for in section 165 of the Income Tax Act, should also include an application for an extension of the time to file said notice of objection. Suspension of debt collection (New) All debt collection activities on new amounts owing to the Canada Revenue Agency are now suspended. Existing debts that are already the subject of a collection measure will be re-evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Any taxpayer that cannot, before the payment deadline and for circumstances beyond its control, fulfill its obligations towards the Canada Revenue Agency, can file a Request for Taxpayer Relief in order to cancel interest or penalties that would be otherwise applicable. Administrative tax measures Administrative income tax actions required of a taxpayer by the Canada Revenue Agency that are due after March 18, 2020, can be deferred to June 1, 2020. Such actions include filing of an income tax return, elections and requests for information. Payments of source deductions and any related activities are expressly excluded from such deferrals. Suspension of Tax Court of Canada delays Appeals before the Tax Court of Canada are postponed due to the closing of the Tax Court until further notice. Conference calls scheduled between March 16 and May 29, 2020, are cancelled. The Tax Court’s calendar will be reassessed on May 20, 2020. However, notices of appeal should still be filed within the deadline provided for in section 169 of the Income Tax Act, when possible. The period ranging from March 16 to the 60th day after the eventual reopening of the Court and its offices will be excluded from the computation of time under: Tax Court of Canada Rules (General Procedure); all other Rules made under the Tax Court of Canada Act governing the conduct of matters that, pursuant to section 12 of the Tax Court of Canada Act, are under the  Tax Court of Canada’s jurisdiction; or an Order or Direction of the Tax Court of Canada. The Tax Court of Canada will process any applications of extensions of time to file Notices of Appeal filed during the period that the Court is closed and for 60 days thereafter as including an application for an extension of time to appeal brought on the exceptional grounds that the applicant was prevented by the crisis caused by the COVID-19 and the Court closure from filing within the normal statutory deadlines. Appeals to the Minister regarding the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance Taxpayers who wish to file an appeal of the Minister’s decision regarding the Canada Pension Plan or Employment Insurance may do so by filing a request through My Account. As of now, the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance appeals programs are only following up on cases in which benefits are suspended. All other appeals will pick back up when all services are back to normal. Lavery’s team is available to answer any question you may have regarding the announced emergency measures as well as any related aspects. The information and commentaries contained in the present document do not constitute a legal opinion. Their sole purpose is to allow readers, who bear all responsibility, to use them for their own ends. The information and commentaries contained in this document are limited to the measures announced or made public by the Government of Québec and the Government of Canada on or before April 20, 2020.   Normally, to be eligible for the small business deduction, a corporation must be a Canadian-controlled private corporation and its taxable capital (including that of its group of related corporations) must not exceed $15 million. Subsections 22(1), 23(1), 152.04(1) and 152.05(1) of the Employment Insurance Act.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and the resulting suspension of many company activities, certain employers are maintaining their operations by means of telework. Employers have had to swiftly redeploy their human resources to an extent that would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago. The redeployment of resources now working from home was done in a time of crisis, without the benefit of advanced planning, training, and strategic evaluation that usually accompanies changes of this magnitude. With no prediction yet available on how long the current crisis will last, employers must take steps now to ensure that the measures implemented to promote the continuity of their operations do not result in negative consequences, disputes or claims from their employees, clients or partners. In Quebec, thousands of employees are currently using new technological tools in a new environment (their homes), often without supervision.  The boundary between private life and work has never been more blurred. The magnitude of the current context can artificially obscure the importance of employers adapting their operational methods and associated human resource policies to avoid the risks associated with working remotely. Employers must remember that legal action could be taken after the crisis to address any problematic situations in play now. It is important to act now in order to avoid exposure to significant liability in a post-Covid environment. To that end, we have identified the following four areas of concern. These have been highlighted so that employers can take any required measures to ensure that the telework performed is not only appropriate and safe, but also of sufficient quality to satisfy client and company needs: Concerns Related to Health and Safety while at Work The employer’s obligations in terms of health and safety and its responsibility to take preventive measures continue during this period of telework; The idea that the workplace can include the employee’s home must be taken into account, as well as associated workstation ergonomics Concerns Related to Psychological and Sexual Harassment The need to preserve civility while using new methods of communication; The feeling of familiarity engendered by these new methods of communication can be fertile ground for misconduct or a failure to engage in proper teamwork; The employer’s legal responsibility to prevent and address psychological and sexual harassment situations; Events that occur outside the usual workplace and are related to work; The application and adaptation of administrative policies and codes of conduct; Reviewing complaint and inquiry procedures so that they can take place outside of the usual workplace. Concerns related to the Act Respecting Labour Standards1 Respecting and modifying work schedules; Managing overtime; Costs associated with working from home; Concerns related to Privacy and Confidentiality The contractual performance of work in the employee's home; Transporting and storing work documents; Setting up a workspace to ensure that documents are kept confidential and ethical obligations are respected ; Our Labour and Employment team will be happy to help you implement best practices for telework.   Act respecting labour standards, chapter N-1.1.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, governments and agencies are implementing an increasing number of measures of all kinds. The state of emergency is giving rise to a multitude of legal concerns, in particular contractual ones. The temporary closure of many businesses, public places and borders and the resulting economic uncertainty is leading businesses to question their contractual obligations, which may have become difficult to meet. In such a context, can debtors fail to meet their obligations without being held liable? The answer to this question can be found either in the text of the contract binding the parties or in the Civil Code of Québec (hereinafter “C.C.Q.”). Many contracts do in fact provide for exemption mechanisms. They set out which of the parties will bear the risks associated with events beyond their control. In the absence of contractual provisions to that effect, the rules set out in the C.C.Q. apply. The Civil Code of Québec and superior force Article 1693 C.C.Q. provides that the debtor of an obligation is released from said obligation when it cannot be performed by reason of superior force. However, the burden of proof of superior force is on the debtor. In Quebec law, superior force is defined as an unforeseeable and irresistible event that is external to the party subject to the obligation. It makes the performance of an obligation impossible1. Thus, in certain circumstances, natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, floods and others, or human acts, such as a state of emergency declared by a government, illness or death, may be considered superior force. Determining whether an event in a particular context constitutes superior force must be done by taking into account all relevant factors. For an event to qualify as superior force, it must meet the following three conditions or criteria. It must be: Unforeseeable Irresistible Exterior An event is unforeseeable when the parties to a contract, acting as reasonably prudent and diligent persons, could not foresee it at the time that the contract was concluded. There is no need for the event to be a new phenomenon. For example, ice storms in Quebec are not unusual. In 1998, however, the ice storm led to an unforeseeable situation. The magnitude of the 1998 ice storm was such that it was sometimes described as superior force.  An event is irresistible when (i) any person placed in the same circumstances cannot reasonably avoid it and (ii) it makes the performance of an obligation impossible. Thus, if the performance of an obligation remains possible, but is simply more difficult, more perilous or more expensive, the event having caused the complication cannot be considered superior force. For an event to be considered exterior, the debtor must have no control over it and must not be responsible for causing it. The debtor must even be able to demonstrate that it has taken all reasonable steps to mitigate its consequences. On the basis of these criteria, the current state of emergency in Quebec may be deemed to be a situation of superior force for some debtors. The analysis must be made on a case-by-case basis and consider the specific obligations of each debtor. For example, the production stoppage ordered by the Government of Quebec, imposing the suspension of workplace activities other than priority activities as of March 25, 2020, makes it absolutely impossible for certain businesses to perform the obligations covered by this decree. For others, the state of emergency may have financial consequences, but these do not make their obligations impossible to perform. While the ongoing crisis can be considered an unforeseeable event for the purposes of a contract concluded years ago, this can hardly be the case for a contract concluded in the last few days, when the disease was already endemic or the pandemic had been announced by the health authorities. In the event of superior force, a debtor is released from the obligation(s) affected by the superior force2. Depending on the importance of these obligations, the release may, in certain cases, lead either to the termination of the contract in its entirety, or to the suspension of the performance of certain obligations. Thus, suspension should only occur when the obligations are to be performed successively and the impossibility of performance is only temporary. A debtor who is released from an obligation by reason of superior force may not demand consideration from the other contracting party3. Superior force cannot be used as a means of exemption for a debtor who is subject, under the terms of the contract, to an obligation qualified as an obligation “of warranty4”. The debtor must then perform the obligation and assume all risks related to the occurrence of an unforeseeable and irresistible event over which it has no control. A debtor faced with the current difficulties arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic must, in all cases, take steps to minimize the damage. For example, it must try to find new suppliers or subcontractors before claiming that it is unable to fulfil its obligations. Contracts may provide for different conditions Parties to a contract may include provisions in the contract governing the consequences of uncontrollable situations, such as superior force, and thus deviate from what is provided for in the C.C.Q. In practice, many contracts contain a broader or more restrictive definition of events that may constitute superior force. For example, strikes and fires will generally not be considered cases of superior force within the meaning of the C.C.Q., but may be under the terms of a contractual provision. Likewise, a party may, at the time that a contract is concluded, undertake to fulfil its obligations even if it is subject to a situation of superior force. In so doing, it waives the right to invoke such grounds for exemption in advance. The parties may also provide for steps to be taken in order to benefit from a contractual provision governing superior force, such as the sending of a notice within a stipulated time limit. The usual provision dealing with superior force requires the party invoking it to send a notice to the other party justifying its use of the provision. Failure to send such notice within the prescribed time limit may result in the affected party being barred from availing itself of the superior force provision. It is therefore particularly important for a party to pay close attention to the formalities and other requirements set out in the contract when invoking such a provision. A contract may additionally contain a provision that determines what effects the occurrence of an event considered as superior force will have. For example, the parties may agree that superior force will result in the termination, suspension or modification of an obligation, such as the proportional adjustment of a minimum volume to be delivered. Finally, the parties to a contract may set out the consequences of unforeseen and external situations that do not, strictly speaking, make the performance of an obligation impossible. For instance, the parties may anticipate the risk of an unexpected increase in the cost of an input by means of a hardship clause. A matter of sound foresight, such a clause may have significant consequences in the current situation, even if it does not specifically address superior force. Conclusion A superior force situation and the exercise of the rights that may result from it must be analyzed with the following in mind: A case-by-case analysis is required for each situation. Other legal concepts may apply depending on the circumstances, such as the duty of good faith of the parties to a contract, the duty to minimize damage, and the duty to demonstrate the absence of an alternative. Business risks or reputation risks may apply to both the party wishing to invoke superior force and the party against whom it is invoked. A review of the terms and conditions of the parties’ insurance policies, which may provide compensation for financial losses, may also be appropriate.   Article 1470 C.C.Q. Article 1693 C.C.Q. Article 1694 C.C.Q. This is opposed to obligations qualified as “of result” or “of means,” for which the debtor may be released by reason of superior force.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice refuses to suspend a father’s access rights to his child and specifies the criteria for determining the urgency to intervene in family matters  The global crisis we are going through brings its share of challenges and worries, including the protection of our loved ones. Several parents wonder about the protective measures to be taken and the advisability of maintaining the arrangements for shared custody or access with the non-custodial parent. Should these modalities be maintained despite the present crisis or, on the contrary, should they be suspended because of the social distancing requirements? The Ontario Superior Court of Justice rendered the first published Canadian judgment which sheds light on these important issues and bring guidance not only to Ontarian parents and lawyers but to those across the country, including in Quebec. Moreover, a judgment rendered recently in Quebec puts forward the principles established in the Ontario judgement. In Ribeiro v Wright1, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice was seized of an urgent motion brought by the Mother of a 9-year-old boy to suspend all in-person access with his father because of COVID-19. The mother was concerned that the father would not maintain social distancing for the child during periods of access while she and her family were practicing social isolation in their home for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. She did not want her son leaving her house for any reason, including seeing his father. In his judgment of March 23, 2020, Justice A. Pazaratz of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice did not authorize this matter to proceed on an urgent basis but explained his reasons in detail. First of all, the Court insisted that the health, safety and well-being of children and families remained its foremost consideration during the COVID-19 crisis which is an extremely difficult and stressful period for everyone. Orders should be respected and complied with In the above-mentioned case, the Court stressed that there was an existing custody and access judgment. Justice Pazaratz insisted that there is a presumption that all judgments should be respected and complied with even during the COVID-19 crisis and that an existing judgment granting custody or access rights to parents reflects a determination that meaningful personal contact with both parents is in the child’s best interest. As a general rule, existing parenting arrangements and schedules should continue, subject to whatever modifications may be necessary to ensure that all COVID-19 precautions are adhered to, including strict social distancing.  The Court indicated that in “many respects we are going to have to put our lives “on hold” until COVID-19 is resolved. But children’s lives – and vitally important family relationships – cannot be placed “on hold” indefinitely without risking serious emotional harm and upset”. In the Court’s opinion, a general policy that children should never leave their primary residence, even to visit their other parent, would be inconsistent with a comprehensive analysis of the best interests of the child. In some cases, parents may have to forego temporarily their time with their child, for example in the following cases:  When a parent is under self-isolation for a 14-day period as a result of recent travel; Because of personal illness or exposure to illness; Because of a parent’s personal risk factors (for example through employment); The Court insisted, however, that there would be zero tolerance for any parent who recklessly exposes a child (or members of the child’s household) to any COVID-19 risk, such as failure to comply with social distancing or to take reasonable health precautions. Justice Pazaratz acknowledged that each family will have its own unique issues and complications, that temporary changes may be required and that there will be no easy answers but “no matter how difficult the challenge, for the sake of the child we have to find ways to maintain important parental relationships – and above all, we have to find ways to do it safely.” Justice Pazaratz called upon the parents to act responsibly and try to attempt some simple problem-solving before they initiate urgent court proceedings. The Court mentioned that despite extremely limited resources during this crisis, it would always prioritize cases involving children. If parents have concerns that COVID-19 creates an urgent issue in relation to custody and access arrangement, they may initiate an emergency motion but should not presume that the existence of the COVID-19 crisis will automatically result in a suspension of access or custody time nor that it will necessarily result in an urgent hearing. The Court indicates that it will deal with COVID-19 custody and access issues on a case-by-case basis according to the following test which will be used to determine whether it is urgent for the Court to intervene:  The parent initiating an urgent motion on this topic will be required to provide specific evidence or examples of behavior or plans by the other parent which are inconsistent with COVID-19 protocols; The parent responding to such an urgent motion will be required to provide specific and absolute reassurance that COVID-19 safety measures will be meticulously adhered to – including social distancing, use of disinfectants, compliance with public safety directives, etc.; Both parents will be required to provide very specific and realistic time-sharing proposals which fully address all COVID-19 considerations, in a child-focused manner; Judges will likely take judicial notice of the fact that social distancing is now becoming both commonplace and accepted, given the number of public facilities which have now been closed. This is a very good time for both custodial and access parents to spend time with their child at home. Justice Pazaratz dismissed the mother’s urgent motion as he was not satisfied that she had established a failure, inability or refusal by the father to adhere to appropriate COVID-19 protocols in the future. The judge concluded that “none of us have ever experienced anything like this. We are all going to have to try a bit harder – for the sake of our children.” The Superior Court of Quebec confirms that as a general rule the status quo must be maintained The judgment Droit de la famille - 204742 rendered on March 27, 2020, the Superior Court of Quebec applied essentially the same principles as those set out in the above-mentioned Ontario decision, namely that :  The existing custody or access orders are maintained allowing the child to benefit from the presence of both parents; A parent wishing to suspend existing orders must establish: the urgency of his request; sufficient grounds; A parent's living environment that threatens the health or safety of the children, or presents symptoms of the disease, may constitute sufficient grounds; Both parents must comply with the health and safety directives; This decision indicates that for the Superior Court of Quebec, as for the Superior Court of Ontario, existing judgments on custody and access must be maintained, except when there is a concrete risk to the child’s health because of one of the parents’ behaviour or living environment, which may give an opening to a modification. Parental authority to be exercised jointly by both parents Furthermore, it is worth noting that in Quebec parental authority allows parents to jointly take decisions relating to their child even when they no longer live together, except in the rare cases where a parent is deprived of this right by a judgment of the court. Thus, regardless of the applicable custody arrangement, both parents must consult each other on any matter of importance relating to the child, in particular with regards to his health. Before making an important decision regarding the health of a child, a parent should consult with the other parent and discuss the best options under the circumstances. Professionals to help you see more clearly In summary, we are living in an exceptional situation that requires flexibility and understanding on the part of each parent while complying with the directives issued with respect to COVID-19. If you have any doubts or concerns about your child's situation, or if your discussions with the other parent prove fruitless, it may be helpful to consult with professionals to determine the best course of action in the circumstances. Our Family, Personal and Estate Law team remains available and fully functional to assist you, advise you and take the legal steps required in the best interest of your child.   2020 ONSC 1829, available online: http://canlii.ca/t/j60jj. 2020 QCCS 1051.

In order to best support our clients and business partners, our team is following developments related to COVID-19 very closely. We invite you to visit on our website the page that centralizes all of the tools and information produced by our professionals. There is a concern that simply laying off employees could lead to companies experiencing a major loss of expertise and skill. This expertise will be essential to rebuilding after the end of the crisis, a time that for many will be the greatest challenge in the history of their organization. Organizations recognize that employees have value over and above their skills. They have acquired an in-depth understanding of the company’s goals and operations. They have established a relationship of trust with the company, a network of contacts, and a certain degree of autonomy, to name only a few examples. These make all the difference. We are working with many employers to identify solutions designed to protect this invaluable asset during this unprecedented crisis. The latest government announcements, which include provisions for increased wage subsidies for some companies, are certainly a positive response to current concerns and realities. Other programs with solutions that might be of interest include: New Flexibility in the Federal Work-Sharing Program The federal government has recently established measures to increase the flexibility of the Work-Sharing program (“WS”), which has been the subject of many questions from both employers and employees. Considering the frequent changes made to various government programs, it is possible that by the time you read this, some information may no longer be up to date. We therefore invite you to visit the Employment and Social Development Canada1 (“ESDC”) website or consult our labour and employment law professionals for more information. What is the Work-Sharing program (“WS”)? The goal of the program is to allow employers to keep all of their workers by reducing hours rather than laying off part of their workforce. This program may be a good option for employers who are facing a decrease in their normal level of operations due to COVID-19, but who still have some work for their employees in a reduced capacity.  During the program’s implementation period, available work is redistributed equally among employees in one or more work units.  The employer submits an application and fills out the form outlining the agreement between the employer, the affected employees and their representative, through which the employees voluntarily accept a reduction in their work hours and the sharing of available work. In order to compensate for this reduction in income, the program allows workers who are part of the agreement to receive employment insurance benefits. Under the Employment Insurance Regulations2, remuneration received for a given week of work-sharing is not deducted from the benefits payable under the Employment Insurance Act3. For companies that are directly or indirectly affected by the decline in business due to the current situation, the program’s duration is a minimum of six weeks and a maximum of 76 weeks. The reduction in employees’ regular work schedules must be between a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 60% on average during the period of the agreement. We invite you to visit the ESDC website or consult with our professionals to obtain more information about the eligibility criteria and the general requirements of the program. What Are the New Measures Related to COVID-19? On March 25, due to the downturn caused by COVID-19, the federal government updated its temporary special measures regarding the WS program, including the following, which: Reduce the requirements associated with preparing the application and the attachments. Starting now and until further notice, employers are no longer required to submit: The recovery plan, Attachment B, which used to be required, has been removed and replaced with a single line in the text of the application; Sales and/or production data from the last two years; Broaden program eligibility to include companies that have only been operating for a year, instead of the usual two years; Remove the required waiting period in between WS applications. How to Submit an Application and the Expected Processing Times Following the recent changes made to the program, there is now a simplified way to submit the application. Employers must fill out the following forms, which have been revised by the federal government: Revised form: Application for a Work-Sharing Agreement (EMP5100) Form - Attachment A (revised): Work-Sharing Unit (EMP5101) For businesses located in Quebec, the application must be sent to the following email address: [email protected]. As of the date this bulletin was written, the ESDC website that provides information on the special measures implemented due to COVID-19 does not specify the amount of time it will take to process applications. However, it does indicate that employers are now asked to submit their applications 10 calendar days before the requested program start date, and that Service Canada will endeavour to reduce processing time to 10 calendar days. Before COVID-19, employers had to send their Work-Sharing application (and the supporting documents) 30 calendar days before the requested start date. Due to the major increase in applications, the federal government now has nine (9) processing centres in Canada for the purpose of processing WS applications and has the additional capacity to further support employers who have questions. A new email address has been created for the purpose of handling requests for information about the WS program: [email protected]. Conclusion Considering the constant changes, we invite you to consult our labour and employment law professionals to ensure that your decisions are in conformity with the various government programs. The federal government may further increase the flexibility of the program’s conditions and wait times. If necessary, we will keep you informed of any changes to the program with future updates. It is also important to note that there are other kinds of programs that could be of interest in the current situation, such as the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Program, which allows employers to increase their employees’ weekly earnings when they are unemployed due to a temporary stoppage of work or quarantine. If the conditions are met and the plan is registered with Service Canada, the amounts paid by the employer are not deducted from employees’ employment insurance benefits4. The Lavery team is available to help you implement measures and determine the best way to endure this crisis, protect your organization and prepare to return to normal.   See also https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/notices/coronavirus.html#h4.01. Employment Insurance Regulations, DORS/96-332, subsection 47(1) and section 49. Employment Insurance Act, S.C. 1996, c. 23. Employment Insurance Regulations, supra note 1, subsection 37(1).

The spread of COVID-19 is having a considerable negative effect on the global economy. Several tax planning strategies adapted to the current situation can be considered in order to mitigate the impact. Tax planning for individuals helps to (i) reduce the taxes payable upon death, (ii) encourage intergenerational business transfers, and (iii) maximize the use of the capital gains deduction, through a trust or otherwise. For businesses in the current economic crisis, creativity and strategic vision are needed. In this context, certain tax plans will allow businesses to (i) maximize liquidity, (ii) reduce a corporate group’s taxes payable in the short term, (iii) optimize the use of losses, and (iv) bring about major tax savings in the long term. Here are a few examples of tax plans that are particularly appropriate for the current situation: Employee stock option plans Reviewing strike prices Strategies for using the capital dividend account Strategies for using losses within a corporate group, including: Intragroup management fees Loans between corporations Amalgamation or liquidation of business corporations Deferral of taxes on imports Recovering the GST/QST on bad debts Strategies to increase the fiscal cost of certain corporate assets and shares Estate freeze in order to lower taxes upon death Estate thawing and refreezing Applicable to a previous freeze whose value exceeds the current value Planning with regard to the rule of the average cost of identical properties Income splitting Leaving Canada Dismantling or creating legal entities to facilitate tax planning These plans are particularly effective in a context of economic downturn and a decrease in the fair market value of investments and assets. It is therefore important to act quickly.  Our taxation team is available to answer all of your questions about establishing a tax plan to suit your needs.

In recent weeks, and especially in recent days, we have seen the serious repercussions of the spread of COVID-19 on Quebec businesses and SMEs. Government authorities are planning financial assistance measures for businesses, and some chambers of commerce have already announced that new services will soon be offered to businesses to help them deal with the crisis. We are as yet unaware of the details of this assistance and how it will be allocated.  In the meantime, what will happen to companies with a franchise business model that are required to meet certain financial undertakings and standards as part of their day-to-day operations? During these unpredictable and uncertain times, how can you be a good franchisor and support your franchisees? Assistance and guidance from franchisors is important in a situation like this. It can take different forms, some of which are described in this bulletin.  This is an extraordinary opportunity to show franchisees that you are a caring provider that considers the survival of their businesses to be a priority.  Here are a few suggestions for supporting your franchisees over the next few weeks, if not the next few months: Give them a temporary break from their financial obligations under the franchise agreement, both in terms of paying royalties and contributing to the advertising fund. In the short term, this will cause you to lose a source of income. However, it will ease the financial pressure on franchisees and allow them to get through this crisis and eventually return to normal operations. If your franchisees are lessees (whether they have a storefront or shopping centre lease), join them in their negotiations with the landlord to try to obtain temporary flexibility in the terms of their leases, such as a suspension of rent payments, a reduction of payable rent or a deferral of payments that will be spread out over several months once the effects of the COVID-19 crisis have subsided, since rental costs are generally a major expense for franchisees. On the other hand, if as a franchisor you are subletting premises to your franchisee, accept the risk of negotiating payment arrangements or taking on a portion of the rent to temporarily relieve the franchisee’s financial burden. Work in collaboration with franchisees to modify their services (take-out food, virtual workout program for gym clients, delivery, increase in online offerings, etc.) while respecting your standards and requirements in order to maintain consistency between the franchises. Allow your franchisees to temporarily cease operations or reduce business hours to minimize certain expenses such as payroll and supply (in this regard, we invite you to read The Coronavirus Guide for Employers: Everyday Measures for the Workplace). Revise some of your standards and policies and provide updates to be adopted by your franchisees (particularly for hygiene and sanitation). Take advantage of these turbulent times to develop new virtual training courses, encourage franchisees to participate in continuing training activities during this period by offering free webinars, or set up virtual brainstorming sessions to innovate and plan for after the COVID-19 pandemic. Temporarily share a portion of supplier rebates with your franchisees, if your franchise concept allows you to collect rebates directly with no obligation to remit them to the franchisees. Develop a marketing strategy for current services or a new temporary offering during the crisis in order to maintain brand visibility. For the benefit of your franchisees, renegotiate certain agreements with suppliers to get better services or rates (e.g. telephone service, internet, inventory, percentage discount on goods useful for operating the business). Facilitate your franchisees’ discussions with their financial institutions, which are currently sensitive to the tense financial situation of Quebec entrepreneurs and willing to find solutions. If you have an online sales platform, establish a policy that allows franchisees to benefit from it, at least temporarily, either by sharing a certain portion of revenues or, for example, delivering to the franchisee closest to the consumer. For franchisees that, tragically, will not have the financial capacity to overcome the crisis, support them through the end of their operations and transition, in order to minimize their losses. If necessary, offer your franchisees phone or virtual assistance and provide them with contacts who can answer their questions and support them. Provide the public with a general message on the status of your network’s products and services offering, and showcase your support to your franchisees in order to convey a clear and consistent message that will sustain your brand and approach. Most of these proposals involve a greater financial commitment on the part of the franchisor. However, it is important to remember that a franchisor has an obligation to collaborate and partner with its franchisees. Of course, no one is bound to achieve the impossible. A franchisor’s capacity to adequately support its franchisees during this difficult period will serve its interests and those of the network in the longer term. Assistance provided by the franchisor will allow more franchisees to survive and resume their activities when the situation improves. The franchisor’s support and, particularly, flexibility with respect to financial obligations arising from the franchise agreement will send a clear message to franchisees that they are not left to fend for themselves during this period of uncertainty, and a greater climate of trust will be established in your franchisor-franchisee relationship.  Moreover, all sectors of Quebec’s economy are affected by the pandemic and a solidarity movement is being established among institutions, financial partners and businesses to implement solutions and strategies to promote trade and the resumption of economic activities. We are following developments on a daily basis. Our franchising and distribution team and all our professionals are at your disposal and offer you their expertise in advising and supporting you in meeting the challenges that the current COVID-19 situation may create for your network. Please do not hesitate to contact us. It will be our pleasure to collaborate to find a solution that is right for YOU. It’s time to stand together!

 The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has made a further announcement concerning the extension of deadlines, to the effect that deadlines falling within March 16 to April 30, 2020 are extended to May 1, 2020. CIPO is otherwise still open for business and our intellectual property team members have been continuing operations and transacting with CIPO on a regular basis, in a remote and secure manner. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of our IP group should you have any questions. Rest assured that we remain at your service for all your legal needs, including those required to manage this pandemic, and that we will keep you informed as the situation evolves. We would like to offer our thoughts and support during these challenging times.

Employers must review their action plan on a daily basis to promote prevention, manage possible or proven contagion among their employees and ensure that business operations continue. Two actions are key: Seeking accurate information from public health officials and governments daily; Taking this information into account when deciding how to meet your obligations to employees while maintaining operations. With the stated objective of containing the spread of the coronavirus, each of us is responsible for adapting our behaviours to an evolving set of circumstances, particularly in the workplace. This new reality impacts the responsibilities of employers. New Directives from The Government of Quebec On March 12, 2020, the province declared a state of emergency and the Quebec government announced the following: All persons returning from abroad or having flu- or cold-like symptoms must voluntarily self-isolate for 14 days; Self-isolation is mandatory and paid for all public service employees and all private and public healthcare, education and daycare workers returning from abroad; Organizations must cancel all indoor gatherings of more than 250 people and any unnecessary gatherings for the next 30 days1. At his press conference, the Premier of Quebec invited private sector employers to take the particular situation facing our society into consideration and to be understanding with employees who must take time off work2. With these measures aimed particularly at establishing social distance to slow the spread of the virus, guidelines have been clarified and may serve as a basis for the needs and requirements of both employers and their employees, taking into account the particularities of each workplace. Obligations in the Workplace Employers must take the measures necessary to protect the health, safety and physical well-being of their employees, their clients and the public. Employees are held to the same standards; that is, to preserve their own health as well as that of their colleagues and any third parties they may be in contact with in the course of or in connection with their work. The Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety, the Canada Labour Code and fundamental principles such as those set out in the Civil Code of Québec provide that individuals must not behave in a way that would cause increased harm to others. They must also act in such a way as not to harm their own health, and, by the same token, that of the people in their workplace. These principles are well known to human resource managers and are foundational to establishing workplace policies and guidelines. Policies and Guidelines for Employees In order to encourage employees to contribute to maintaining a healthy work environment free from contamination risks, employers should diligently inform their employees of their intention to follow government guidelines. Internal guidelines could include the following: Cancelling meetings or other non-essential work events that may promote the spread of the virus; Reminding employees of their obligation to report any situation that may require them to self-isolate; Establishing and informing employees of necessary arrangements should isolation become necessary and telework not be possible; Explaining the steps to follow to plan telework and reminding people of the applicable rules under existing policies and employment contracts regarding the confidentiality of business or personal information used in the workplace; Informing employees about of a contingency plan to define, among other things, emergency contact persons and information transmission protocols; and instructing employees on how to access workplace premises or organize their work in the event of a containment situation. Employee Travel and Professional Activities An employer may cancel any professional activity that could reasonably be expected to pose a risk to the health of its employees, clients or the public. In so doing, an organization modifies its expectations as to workplace deliverables. In the current context and further to the government guidelines issued on March 12, 2020, an employer should: Prohibit all business travel both to affected or unaffected areas; Ask its employees to hold essential meetings by videoconference or other technological means; Provide that any other meeting or professional activity in its offices or elsewhere be held in such a way as to reduce the risk of contagion (e.g., videoconferencing, conference calls, observance of hygiene measures and reasonable distances between people). Isolation of Diagnosed Employees or Preventive Isolation Further to the recommendations of public health authorities and on the basis of the government guidelines issued on March 12, 2020, an employer should require that any employee returning from abroad proceed to self-isolate for 14 days. If the employee shows symptoms before the end of the 14-day isolation period, he or she should contact the services set up by the Ministère de la Santé (1-877-644-4545). A nurse may then refer the employee to a designated COVID-19 clinic if necessary. Prior to permitting such an employee to return to work, an employer should be informed of the outcome of these steps and be satisfied that the employee will not pose a risk to colleagues and clients, which may include requesting a medical certificate from the designated COVID-19 clinic if the employee was referred to one. In the case of business travel at an employer’s request prior to the government directives issued on March 12, 2020, any self-isolation period should be paid. If the travel was personal, the payment and form of remuneration during the self-isolation period depends on certain factors, including: At what moment the decision to maintain the departure was made: before or after the government’s instructions were issued or an explicit employer policy was implemented; Positive or negative diagnosis further to a test; Capacity for telework while in isolation. Should employees be unable to report to work (due to their return from abroad, other reasonable grounds to believe that they may be a carrier, or if they or one of their relatives has tested positive), their employer should consider possible avenues under the employment conditions applicable to each particular employee: Paid leave or other conditions available under the Act respecting labour standards and working conditions or collective agreements in the organization, which must then be agreed upon with the employee in question and with the union’s cooperation, if applicable3; Group disability insurance benefits; Record of Employment for sickness and employment insurance sickness benefits; Quarantine and employment insurance benefits as a result of forced leave from work4; Record of Employment for leave and caregiving benefits; Telework if the employee’s tasks can be performed remotely or adapted to do so. Refusal to work The Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety allows employees to refuse to perform work if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the performance of said work would expose them to danger for their health, safety or physical wellbeing, or would expose another person to similar danger. This Act also provides for the process by which such refusal must be dealt with. However, the prevention and management of work refusal situations could likely be greatly facilitated if employees are aware of the actions taken by the employer to prevent contamination and other health risks to those present in the workplace. For the protection of employees, suppliers and customers, employers must implement the sanitation measures prescribed by government authorities and make any necessary materials available. It must also encourage its employees to follow sanitation instructions and do the following: Provide access to dispensers for alcohol-based antiseptics, tissues and waste bins; Regularly clean common areas (e.g. meeting rooms, cafeteria, etc.); Provide contact information for Info-Santé and the Ministère de la Santé for additional information or screening. According to the government guidelines issued on March 12, 2020, for work premises that can accommodate 250 or more people, the premises must be prepared, or the number of people limited, or those present must be instructed to remain at least two metres away from each other. Work reorganization In order to maintain their activities and provide service to their clientele, some businesses may find it advantageous to alter the way in which their employees work. In addition to resorting to telework, employers may consider alternative working arrangements to maintain adequate staffing while reducing the risk of spreading the virus: Flexible or modified work schedules or staggered working hours (in accordance with the conditions set out in section 53 of the Act respecting labour standards); Rotating schedules to reduce the number of employees in the workplace at the same time; Solicitation of retirees who can fill absences owing to sickness. Immigration Currently, Canadian immigration authorities have put in place emergency measures for foreign nationals in Canada or abroad whose applications for temporary residence have been delayed because of the closure of Canadian visa application centres in mainland China (among other locations). Extensions have been granted to help applicants to obtain now hard-to-get documents. All other applications and all other components of the Canadian program are not affected at this time. No new medical tests for newcomers have been announced and no specific travel restrictions have yet been adopted, with the exception of self-isolation measures for all those arriving from abroad. Health Canada screening officers are present at some Canadian air and land ports of entry, but this measure is still minimally applied at this time. We expect further restrictions at Canadian ports of entry to be implemented in the coming days as the situation progresses. The Key: Keep your Information Up to Date It is important to make sure that the information that you rely on as an employer to make decisions in the current environment is reliable so that your employees can perform their work safely, and for you to continue offering service to your clients. Prudent HR managers should visit the websites of the competent government authorities to confirm the exact terms of the requirements and guidance that these provide. Each workplace operates in its own context, and employers would do well to plan for various possible solutions depending on their circumstances and considering their specific workforce and the needs of their clientele. The events of the last few days have shown that guidelines can change rapidly (even in the course of a day), especially when the spread of the coronavirus suddenly gains speed or following the directives issued by governments to promote “social distancing” as counter the impacts of a possible mass contamination. The diligent implementation of preventive measures and appropriate action as the situation evolves will help ensure, employers are being responsible while, effectively guarding against future civil or criminal claims. The members of our Labour and Employment and Business Immigration teams are available to answer any questions you may have about measures you are considering or the solutions you are seeking given the realities of your organization and its activities.   Press release on March 12, 2020. See the same Government of Quebec press release. Employee and union cooperation may be necessary if working conditions need to be adjusted at the employer’s request, which may wish to offer paid leave to cover part of the isolation period. The federal government recently amended the conditions applicable to quarantine to suspend the one-week waiting period before Employment Insurance benefits are paid..