Airmiles Armchair Chatter

[Debbie]

I went last week to get hubby's tea bags after I got an email from them explaining how they're still open. You go in and you get a "personal shopper " who will go around and get the items you want while you stand at the end of the aisle. No reusable containers right now and they are maintaining strict social distancing between themselves. I had to put on gloves even though I wouldn't be touching anything myself. (Those ridiculous things that are like baggies!) I was really impressed. In and out quickly and I'll go back if I need anything they carry

Wow! Thanks for the information! I had no idea that Bulk Barn was still open!

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Ah that would make sense if you are going in and out for regular stocked things and you know how much you need. I tend to browse and shop around the store with 1 item on my list and another 16 in my bag LOL
Too bad Amazon has pulled back on the AM

 

[Disney Addicted]

@Disney Addicted look into the new Gov't programs they have announced this past week. You may qualify for one of those. Also the gov't is trying to get employers to keep people on the payroll with a 75% subsidy of payroll. This may be a game changer for people.

@Disney Addicted apply for the CERB when it goes live on April 6th. Make sure you have a My Account. It will give you $2k a month (taxable). It should help.

Unfortunately it's taking 10+ days to get a "My Account" set up. You have to wait for confirmation to come in the mail to finalize the whole thing. DS applied Mar 12 and he's still waiting for the mail to finish it up.

As long as you made at least $5,000 since you started working in September, you will qualify for the Emergency Response Benefit. Applications should be up and running sometime early April.

Yes, thank you! I have been reading about the CERB and it looks like I can apply for it. Luckily I had set up my CRA account just last month and received the code by mail last week to finish registration. I was telling my husband we need to get him set up with a CRA account. Not necessarily for the CERB (as he is still working as essential) but just in general.

Also I discovered I made "just" over the $5,000 since September. I'm still trying to find out if I will need a ROE. I think I may to prove my income was over $5,000 in the past 12 months, because it certainly was not for the 2019 tax year.

while this is completely off topic for this thread I really feel a special connection with everyone here so I'm going to share info regarding the new wage subsidy as soon as we have complete information available. Hubby has his own company and while he only has a few employees at any given time (hires co op students) when he does, wages can be his largest expense. There's still a bunch of unknown about this but don't for one minute think the government is going to be giving us 75% of what we pay his employees! I'll gladly eat these words if I'm proven wrong once the concrete details are online.

sorry if this comes across as rude and harsh but I'm getting tired of seeing the tired drawn face of my poor hubby as he worries about either keeping his students and paying them or letting them go and then still needing to do the work. He's lost all of the training income which is about 65% of the company's revenue. The people he's doing the programming for still want the work done and there aren't enough hours in the day.

Edited to delete some of my rather harsh words, sorry gang!

Sending big HUGS your way!!! I hope things work out.

We gave our kids (when they were kids) amnesty. The rule was you tell us right away, you aren’t in trouble....I might be mad or disappointed though. When those are the rules they tell you everything. Their friends would tell us stuff too.

That is a great rule!

 

[hdrolfe]

Yes, thank you! I have been reading about the CERB and it looks like I can apply for it. Luckily I had set up my CRA account just last month and received the code by mail last week to finish registration. I was telling my husband we need to get him set up with a CRA account. Not necessarily for the CERB (as he is still working as essential) but just in general.

Also I discovered I made "just" over the $5,000 since September. I'm still trying to find out if I will need a ROE. I think I may to prove my income was over $5,000 in the past 12 months, because it certainly was not for the 2019 tax year.

No ROE required. You will have to confirm every 4 weeks that you are still not working, and keep in mind the payment will be taxable (so you have to put it on your tax return next year). But it's pretty easy to apply for, just answer questions and you'll be good. The $5K is the past year or 12 months. They are making it super simple to apply for though.

 

[marchingstar]

No ROE required. You will have to confirm every 4 weeks that you are still not working, and keep in mind the payment will be taxable (so you have to put it on your tax return next year). But it's pretty easy to apply for, just answer questions and you'll be good. The $5K is the past year or 12 months. They are making it super simple to apply for though.

Since it sounds like you're knowledgeable about the new program, can I ask if you know whether student status affects eligibility? Like, if someone met the 5,000 minimum, does it matter if they’re currently enrolled in post secondary?

 

[hdrolfe]

Since it sounds like you're knowledgeable about the new program, can I ask if you know whether student status affects eligibility? Like, if someone met the 5,000 minimum, does it matter if they’re currently enrolled in post secondary?

I can give you more details once I get on my work computer, but basically you have to be 15 or older, have earned $5k in the past year and be getting no income (so not working or already collecting EI). Being a student won't matter. I can confirm once I "get to work" but that's what i remember.

 

[CanadianKrista]

OMG, I had the share! We're going to be using another airmiles partner soon! We're getting a puppy! We were on the waiting list for a cavapoo (cavalier X poodle) for next year, but our breeder just had pups and a lot of people didn't want to commit right now, so we moved way up the list! Time to check out the Global Pet Foods in our area!

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I can give you more details once I get on my work computer, but basically you have to be 15 or older, have earned $5k in the past year and be getting no income (so not working or already collecting EI). Being a student won't matter. I can confirm once I "get to work" but that's what i remember.

Yes, as long as you're no longer earning an income because of COVID-19 you would qualify. So a student that was working throughout the school year that lost their job would qualify. But...a student that wasn't working and was hoping to be working come May or June, from my understanding, does not qualify. (we'll see if that changes).

 

[dancin Disney style]

Yes, as long as you're no longer earning an income because of COVID-19 you would qualify. So a student that was working throughout the school year that lost their job would qualify. But...a student that wasn't working and was hoping to be working come May or June, from my understanding, does not qualify. (we'll see if that changes).

That's my understanding as well. My DD worked last summer and her income for 2019 was over the minimum but she went on an LOA at the end of September. She would have gone back in May if she hadn't found a better job. We are just hoping that they will be a little more generous with OSAP to help a little for the fall semester. The way things changed last year her grant went from 3500 down to 900....a small part of that was that she lived at home instead of on campus. That assumes there is a fall semester....gosh don't even want t think about that, her courses couldn't happen online.

 

[hdrolfe]

Yes, as long as you're no longer earning an income because of COVID-19 you would qualify. So a student that was working throughout the school year that lost their job would qualify. But...a student that wasn't working and was hoping to be working come May or June, from my understanding, does not qualify. (we'll see if that changes).

Yes, they had to have stopped working due to COVID for minimum 14 days in the period (basically from March 15 to April 11 is the first block). So examples are sick, Quarantined or looking after someone who is sick, no child care so have to stay home with kids, employer asked them to not come in to work (technically still employed but not receiving pay). They can't be receiving employment, self-employment, EI or a provincial plan related to mat/pat leave.

I don't have all the Q&A's yet, boss was supposed to send them but we've been a bit busy getting things set up for this so I guess he forgot.

Applications will be accepted through phone lines or My Account, 21 hours a day, so I'd suggest calling in an off time if you can (they do maintenance nightly from 3 AM to 6 AM EST). For the phones you need your SIN, Year of Birth, if you are getting a cheque (over DD) you need your postal code, the period you are applying for, and verify you are eligible. That's it.

I suspect there would be come verification activities later to ensure people aren't cheating the system. This is for people who need it after all. Any other questions let me know

 

[marchingstar]

Yes, they had to have stopped working due to COVID for minimum 14 days in the period (basically from March 15 to April 11 is the first block). So examples are sick, Quarantined or looking after someone who is sick, no child care so have to stay home with kids, employer asked them to not come in to work (technically still employed but not receiving pay). They can't be receiving employment, self-employment, EI or a provincial plan related to mat/pat leave.

I don't have all the Q&A's yet, boss was supposed to send them but we've been a bit busy getting things set up for this so I guess he forgot.

Applications will be accepted through phone lines or My Account, 21 hours a day, so I'd suggest calling in an off time if you can (they do maintenance nightly from 3 AM to 6 AM EST). For the phones you need your SIN, Year of Birth, if you are getting a cheque (over DD) you need your postal code, the period you are applying for, and verify you are eligible. That's it.

I suspect there would be come verification activities later to ensure people aren't cheating the system. This is for people who need it after all. Any other questions let me know

Thank you so much, and thanks to everyone else too! These things end up feeling so complicated...I hope that’s because they just are, and not because my life specifically is so messy! haha.

I’m currently working. My work is contracted, always for set periods of time. My current contract is up soon. I didn’t have another one lined up yet, but between having to stay home with the kiddo and changes to my industry because of COVID-19, another contract is not an option right now.

I think I’ll end up applying once I’m 14 days past my contract ending and see what happens...thanks again for the help

 

[bgula]

Yes, as long as you're no longer earning an income because of COVID-19 you would qualify. So a student that was working throughout the school year that lost their job would qualify. But...a student that wasn't working and was hoping to be working come May or June, from my understanding, does not qualify. (we'll see if that changes).

Yes, that's my son's predicament right now. He had a job lined up to start in May, but can't now because of COVID-19. I hope they allow this option, but I can understand as well if they don't.

 

[ottawamom]

Great information, thanks @hdrolfe

 

[bababear_50]

Shell update

[TD]​ ​ OR SHELL GO+ MEMBERS​

[TD]

[/TD]​

[/TD]

Hello Melanie, As a valued customer, we want to let you know that we’ve made a change to April’s Bonus Day. We recognize that your routine has likely changed, so instead of 1 day, you now have the entire month to get up to 100 AIR MILES® Bonus Miles. Visit Shell any time between April 3–30, 2020, after you load the offer to your AIR MILES Card, and get 1 Bonus Mile per litre on any grade of fuel (up to 100 Miles).*​

​

We understand that you may wish to limit interactions at this time and practice safe social distancing. With Shell, you can do so by downloading the Shell app, linking your AIR MILES Card, and paying with Shell EasyPay™. You may also choose to prepay at the pump or use the pay-through window at those locations that have this service. We want to reassure you that we are committed to remaining open in order to continue meeting your needs, and will monitor the situation closely to keep you up to date on how we are supporting you during this time. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again. Hugs Mel ​

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Shell update

thank Mel!!! That will be a few miles. With myself and dh both lucky enough to be still working, we will need to fill up at least once each this month.

 

[marchingstar]

Shell update

[TD]​ ​ OR SHELL GO+ MEMBERS​

[TD]

[/TD]​

[/TD]

Hello Melanie, As a valued customer, we want to let you know that we’ve made a change to April’s Bonus Day. We recognize that your routine has likely changed, so instead of 1 day, you now have the entire month to get up to 100 AIR MILES® Bonus Miles. Visit Shell any time between April 3–30, 2020, after you load the offer to your AIR MILES Card, and get 1 Bonus Mile per litre on any grade of fuel (up to 100 Miles).*​

​

We understand that you may wish to limit interactions at this time and practice safe social distancing. With Shell, you can do so by downloading the Shell app, linking your AIR MILES Card, and paying with Shell EasyPay™. You may also choose to prepay at the pump or use the pay-through window at those locations that have this service. We want to reassure you that we are committed to remaining open in order to continue meeting your needs, and will monitor the situation closely to keep you up to date on how we are supporting you during this time. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again. Hugs Mel​

an air miles offer i could maybe use! wow!

we’re not driving much at all right now. i’ve taken the kid out just to drive around a couple times. might not be the best use of resources, but with the cold it’s the only way he sees outside! but i should still be able to fill up sometime this month, for a few miles anyways.

 

[bababear_50]

Gas and the use of it

So I have a son that lives 10 minutes away,,,
he is alone and I worry about him.
I have set up a *Go Parking Lot date* with him,,he walks to the parking lot with his coffee and folding chair,,I arrive with my homemade coffee and roll down the window and we socially distance share some time together....(I stay in the car).
I am super careful driving as I'd hate to have an accident and pull much needed front line workers/ambulance/fire/police from their important work.
I only do this once a week and feel it's necessary for both our emotional health.

Hugs
Mel

 

[Disney Addicted]

No ROE required. You will have to confirm every 4 weeks that you are still not working, and keep in mind the payment will be taxable (so you have to put it on your tax return next year). But it's pretty easy to apply for, just answer questions and you'll be good. The $5K is the past year or 12 months. They are making it super simple to apply for though.

Thanks! I'll go ahead with the application next week then. I re-read the letter mailed to me from the Municipality and it turns out they will be sending a ROE (electronically) to Service Canada on my (our) behalf on April 15. My final pay (still to arrive) stops as of/includes April 5th. None after the 5th.

Gas and the use of it

So I have a son that lives 10 minutes away,,,
he is alone and I worry about him.
I have set up a *Go Parking Lot date* with him,,he walks to the parking lot with his coffee and folding chair,,I arrive with my homemade coffee and roll down the window and we socially distance share some time together....(I stay in the car).
I am super careful driving as I'd hate to have an accident and pull much needed front line workers/ambulance/fire/police from their important work.
I only do this once a week and feel it's necessary for both our emotional health.

Hugs
Mel

That is a great idea.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I think that going for a short drive is a great idea right now only if you are certain your car is on good condition. But tour your city via a drive: dont park, try not to get gas unless you have to, dont get out of your car, dont meetup with people outside your bubble, etc. Just enjoy the view and the skyline.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I've updated the title of this thread to the page where Mel provided links to the flyers for this week but haven't corrected the links. I think most of us are just shopping for what we truly need and if that happens to earn us some miles that a real bonus.

I want to let you all know how much it has meant to me to see the notifications pop up letting me know that you are all supporting me. I'm never quiet about the fact that I have a mental illness, heck, it's in my signature but I also don't like to dwell on it because as i said, it's only a part of what makes me, ME. I'm blessed to be part of this supportive community and knowing that you all read what i had to say and you didn't shy away from letting me KNOW you heard me, warms my heart.

THANKS for caring ​