| Loss of Employment Due to COVID-19 |
If you stopped working because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support. The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.
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| Home Owners and Renters |
| City of Lloydminster Property Taxes |
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Lloydminster residential and commercial property owners will have until November 10, 2020, to pay their current property taxes. Tax notices will be issued in May; however, penalties for failure to pay current property taxes will not be applied until November 2020.
Taxpayers enrolled in the pre-authorized debit plan may cancel their ongoing payments and obtain a full refund of their contributions toward their current property taxes. Cancellations must occur before May 8, 2020.
Penalties are still applicable to any taxes in arrears, and all payments made must be applied to taxes in arrears first.
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| Banks/Mortgages |
| ATB Financial, Bank of Montreal, CIBC, TD Bank, Bank of Canada, Royal Bank and Scotiabank have announced they will be allowing the deferral of mortgage payments. Contact your financial institution for additional information. |
| Alberta Rent Payment Plans |
| Landlords are required to work with tenants who are having difficulty paying their rent to establish a payment plan to help them remain in their homes. Tenants are encouraged to use their income to pay their rent as fully and consistently as possible. Evictions are suspended until April 30, 2020. |
| Saskatchewan Suspension of Evictions |
| As of March 26, 2020, the Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) is no longer accepting applications for evictions related to missed or late rent, or for other non-urgent claims. The ORT encourages landlords and tenants to communicate with each other about their situations, so they can come to mutually agreeable solutions in this challenging time. Tenants unable to pay their rent during the state of emergency will be expected to pay their rent in full upon the conclusion of the state of emergency. |
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| Utilities |
| City of Lloydminster Water Utility |
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Lloydminster utility customers, both residential and commercial, have the option to defer their bills for 90 days up until September 30, 2020. Invoices will continue to be issued monthly, and any invoice issued before April 1, 2020, is not available for deferment.
During this time, there will be no water disconnections for nonpayment; however, where applicable, outstanding balances will be transferred to property taxes after 180 days.
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| Alberta 90 Day Utility Deferral |
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Utility 90-day Deferral Program for Electricity and Natural Gas.
To arrange for a deferral and repayment plan, contact your natural gas or electricity provider directly.
You can sign up for the deferral at any time; however, the deferral ends on June 19, 2020. After June 19, 2020, the agreed-upon repayment plan will be implemented.
In situations where rent and utilities are combined, contact your landlord directly to discuss the circumstances.
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| SaskPower |
| Effective immediately, SaskPower won’t be disconnecting residential customers for non-payment. Customers will be responsible for the power they use. If you need more time to pay your SaskPower bill once the COVID-19 threat has passed, please call 1-888-757-6937. |
| SaskEnergy |
| Over the coming six months, late payment charges and interest fees will be waived by SaskEnergy. During this time, customers will not be disconnected for non-payment. Customers are asked to continue to pay their monthly invoice in the usual manner if they are able. If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the ongoing pandemic, please call 1-800-567-8899 or 1-306-777-9200 to discuss payment plan options. |
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| Seniors |
| Seniors Taxi Program |
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Vouchers are available for purchase for $5 each at:
- Servus Credit Union
- 5009 18 Street
- 5012 49 Street (Atrium Centre)
- Synergy Credit Union
- Lloydminster Co-op Marketplace
- Inquire at customer service till
- 3606 50 Avenue
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| Stores with Hours/Services for Seniors |
- Sobeys Lloydminster
- Seniors: 7 to 8 a.m. Seven days a week.
- Delivery and curbside pickup service
- For more information, contact: 780-875-3215 or Sby5077lloydminster@sobeys.com
- Safeway Lloydminster
- Seniors: 7 to 8 a.m. Seven days a week.
- For more information, contact: 780-875-3448
- Lloydminster Superstore
- Seniors: 7 to 8 a.m. Seven days a week.
- Curbside pickup – PC Express
- Grocery delivery service – Insta Cart
- 780-871-8050
- Canadian Tire
- The first hour of the day is reserved for seniors and customers with health risks.
If you are aware of special services/hours for seniors, please forward to fcss@lloydminster.ca
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| Mental Health |
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A lot of things in our lives have changed. It is normal to feel not ok. It’s ok to talk about it. There is a lot of information out there, and it can seem overwhelming. The following is intended to provide some simple steps to help you take care of yourself and connect with local resources.
| Lloydminster Mental Health Navigation Tool |
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For helpful information on local resources, advice on identifying mental health problems, and information on navigating mental health services, use the Lloydminster Mental Health Navigation Tool.
There are things that we can do to build resiliency and positive mental health.
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Connect with friends and family
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Reach out to friends and family through phone calls, video chats, and letter writing. Connection with other people is essential. It reduces feelings of isolation, provides opportunities to share gratitude and positive stories, as well as discuss concerns and identify ways to help each other. If you aren’t familiar with social media or video chatting, this might be a great time to learn. If you are, then you could reach out to family members who aren’t and assist them.
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| Healthy Eating |
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Eat a variety of healthy foods every day, including plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and protein foods. Healthy eating encourages positive mental health and helps support the immune system. View tips on healthy eating from Alberta Health Services.
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Physical Activity
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Physical activity and exercise support a healthy body and mind. Being active doesn’t just mean going to the gym. While fitness centres and recreation facilities are closed, there are many things you can still do to be active while social distancing.
- Home workouts: If you don’t have a home gym, there are a variety of aerobics, dance, and yoga classes offered online or YouTube. Check out Servus Sports Centre Facebook page for home workouts.
- ParticipAction has free resources and a free app that offers At Home Activity content.
- BOKS: Building our Kids Success - follow this link to receive access to home workouts and fun interactive games.
- Walk/jog around the block. Remember to respect social distancing requirements.
- Physical chores: This might be the time to finally scrub those baseboards or clean out the attic.
- Gardening and lawn care
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| Finding Your Way |
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If you are having trouble coping with stress, start with discussing your concerns with friends or family. Some indicators may be:
- nervousness
- irritability
- sadness
- trouble sleeping
- tired/low energy
- procrastination
- decreased social activity
- increased use of substances
If you are experiencing distress in your thoughts or emotions and not sure what to do, health professionals, including counsellors, are there 24/7 to give advice/assistance.
Call 811 or the Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642.
| Mental Health and Addiction Services Lloydminster |
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To reach Mental Health and Addiction Services Lloydminster, call 306-820-6250.
Some indicators may be:
- anxiety, anger, pervasive sadness, hopelessness
- restless or disturbed sleep
- fatigue, aches and pains
- decreased performance, presenteeism
- social avoidance or withdrawal
- increased trouble/impact due to substance use
If you are in crisis, call 911 or visit the Hospital’s emergency department:
Some indicators may be:
- if you have plans to harm yourself or someone else.
- if you have attempted suicide, hurt yourself or someone else.
- if you are feeling desperate and hopeless.
Alberta Health Services has resources and services available to help you or someone you know. Remember, if you are struggling, you are not alone. There are supports in place to help you. Support is available from Alberta Health Service Addiction and Mental Health, although how the services are provided may have changed.
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| Support for Families During COVID-19 |
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| Federal Provincial Support Plans |
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