Strike or Lockout

Effective:   January 1, 2020

Hardship assistance is provided on a temporary basis, for only one month.  Eligibility for hardship must be re-established each month.

Hardship assistance may be issued under Strike or Lockout to eligible applicants who are on strike or locked out if the union is unable to meet their needs. Before hardship assistance is issued, confirmation is required from the union that it is unable to meet its members’ needs for food, shelter, and other essentials.

[For an overview of eligibility for hardship or the hierarchy of hardship codes, see Related Links – Eligibility for Hardship Assistance.]

Hardship assistance issued under this category is repayable except when provided for special care facility user charges and comforts [see Related Links – Recoveries].

Note: An applicant or adult dependant who is a member of a union not on strike or locked out, but who is honouring a picket line or otherwise unable to go to work because of a labour dispute, may be eligible for income assistance or disability assistance provided that all other eligibility criteria are met.

Once the hardship reason no longer exists, cases must be re-assessed to determine if the family unit meets the eligibility criteria for income assistance or disability assistance.

Effective: December 1, 2003

For information on how to determine hardship assistance rates, see Related Links – Eligibility for Hardship Assistance – Policy – Amount of Hardship Assistance.

Effective: December 1, 2003

A Promise to Pay (HR2664) is to be completed each time hardship assistance is issued.

Effective: December 1, 2003

A Repayment Agreement (HR2663A) [see Forms and Letters] is to be completed when clients start receiving income assistance or disability assistance instead of hardship assistance, or when they stop receiving assistance [For more information, see Related Links – Recoveries.]

Answer   Yes, hardship assistance may be considered if the strike pay:

• is not enough to meet the basic needs of the family unit
• is below the maximum hardship support and shelter rate for the family unit once all other income and eligibility criteria have been considered (strike pay is to be treated as income)

Answer   Once the hardship reason no longer exists, cases must be re-assessed to determine if the family unit meets the eligibility criteria for income assistance or disability assistance.