Thousands of businesses apply for wage subsidy on first day

The federal government’s wage subsidy program opened this morning and had 10,000 applications in the first few hours.

The program will provide employers with up to $847 a week for each worker, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first payments are expected by May 7

Trudeau also pointed-out workers can only get the wage subsidy OR the Canada Emergency Response benefit, not both.

“Because of the uncertainty and the application process, it’s possible people will have received both the CERB and the wage subsidy. In that case, they will have to, over the course of the coming months, pay one of them back,” said Trudeau.