There's concern the unexpected axing of a provincial program that supports unemployed Ontarians as they launch their own small businesses will leave a gap in services.
The Ontario Self-Employment Benefit program provides employment insurance to prospective entrepreneurs for 42 weeks while providing training and mentorship for business development.
EI eligibility requires workers to contribute into the program through premiums, leaving many self-employed workers excluded. READ MORE: Gig economy work in Canada is growing, Stats Can says With these trends expected to continue, the study argued that EI would continue to leave too many behind without a modernization push that adapts the. Financial assistance through the Self-Employment program is not intended to cover business start-up costs or for investment in the individual’s business. Individuals participating in the Self-Employment program may be eligible for Income Support to cover living costs while in training. The online Self-Employment Training Program at Microbusiness offers: Individuals in the greater Edmonton Region and northern Alberta an opportunity to take online classroom training through Zoom technology/internet based training. Taking training on your own while on EI As a general rule, to be entitled to Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits or fishing benefits, you must show that you are unemployed, able and willing to work and actively looking for suitable employment. Employment Insurance (EI) has a program designed for self-employed people. If you run your own business or control more than 40% of your corporation’s voting shares, this program can provide you with access to special benefits as early as 12 months after registering.
People eligible for the program include those who have established an EI claim, those who have received EI benefits within the past three years, or those who have received EI maternity or paternity benefits within the past five years.
It's sad for me to see it not being renewed.- Nilufer Erdebil, who completed OSEB program
Nilufer Erdebil, named one of the Ottawa Business Journal's 'Forty Under 40' last year, said she never would have started her business, Spring2 Innovation Consulting, had it not been for the financial support, mentorship and networking opportunities that came with the OSEB program.
She completed the program in 2012 and launched a marketing consulting business.
'The biggest value for me was actually the other participants in the program. Getting to meet other people who were starting their business at the same time and discussing some of the challenges between us and being able to brainstorm how to overcome them,' she said.
'It's sad for me to see it not being renewed.'
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, which is responsible for the program, said funding will be redirected to more successful employment and training supports, including apprenticeship services, the second career program, and programs for job searching, matching, placement and retention. The budget for the OSEB program in 2014-15 was $49.2 million.
'We recognize that there are success stories of people who have been helped by the OSEB,' a ministry spokesperson told CBC News in an email.
'But the reality is just over half of people enrolled in the program actually completed it, and we have a responsibility to allocate taxpayer dollars in a responsible way.'
OSEB a 'holistic' program
The YMCA-YWCA has operated the program in the Ottawa area for 26 years.
'While they're starting their business, it takes a great deal of financial bravery,' Haldane said.
'There are some great programs that provide small loans and that kind of thing but in terms of being supported by the government while they're starting their business, that's going to be a gap as far as what's available.'
About 130 to 150 people finish the program in Ottawa every year, while the ministry target is 180, Haldane said.
'[The program is] basically training on how to start a business from A to Z,' Haldane said. 'Everything from how to register your business, write a business plan, marketing, bookkeeping.'
Self Employment Program Through Ei Login
Those currently in the application process to begin training in June will be the last group to go through the program, while those already enrolled in the program will continue to receive financial support and training for the duration of their 42-week placement.
Self Employment Program Through Ei Reporting
'It came as a shock,' Haldane said. 'It's a shock for the staff that work on the program, it's a shock for our organization who has managed this program for 26 years and, of course, a big shock for the clients.'