OTTAWA — Last year’s federal budget unveiled a program to help eligible workers in 12 regions of the country hard hit by a downturn in commodity prices. Three regions were added in May.
Here is a breakdown, by region, of the number of claims and how much they have cost as of July 9, the day after eligibility closed.
Claims for an extra five weeks of EI
Newfoundland and Labrador: 48,950
Sudbury, Ont.: 3,774
Northern Ontario: 21,222
Northern Manitoba: 5,958
Saskatoon: 5,649
Southern Saskatchewan: 6,148
Northern Saskatchewan: 8,870
Calgary: 27,068
Edmonton: 30,261
Northern Alberta: 9,707
Southern Alberta: 21,602
Southern Interior B.C.: 21,161
Northern B.C.: 13,579
Whitehorse: 774
Nunavut: 526
Total: 225,249
Claims by long-tenured workers
Newfoundland and Labrador: 6,078
Sudbury, Ont.: 1,322
Northern Ontario: 4,864
Northern Manitoba: 897
Saskatoon: 2,914
Southern Saskatchewan: 3,028
Northern Saskatchewan: 2,655
Calgary: 19,120
Edmonton: 19,424
Northern Alberta: 4,825
Southern Alberta: 15,222
Southern Interior B.C.: 7,095
Northern B.C.: 4,202
Whitehorse: 244
Nunavut: 122
Total: 92,012
Extra Benefits Paid
Newfoundland and Labrador: $194.5 million
Sudbury, Ont.: $18.2 million
Northern Ontario: $93.1 million
Northern Manitoba: $22.8 million
Saskatoon: $34.4 million
Southern Saskatchewan: $38.2 million
Northern Saskatchewan: $48.5 million
Calgary: $224.9 million
Edmonton: $230.3 million
Northern Alberta: $62.1 million
Southern Alberta: $169 million
Southern Interior B.C.: $101.1 million
Northern B.C.: $63.4 million
Whitehorse: $3.6 million
Nunavut: $2.4 million
Total: $1.306 billion
(Source: Employment and Social Development Canada)
– The Canadian Press