New Ontario mother discovers she doesn't qualify for parental leave benefits
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic hairstylist Kaitlin Ward has had to overcome adversity.
With her work closing due to provincially mandated shutdowns earlier this year, the new mom is now learning she doesn’t qualify for parental leave benefits and will have to return to work much sooner than expected.
“It’s heartbreaking – it just feels super unfortunate that I have no option now and I’m being pressured to go back,” said Ward, who welcomed her first daughter Gordie-Rose in August and is now preparing to return to work in December.
The Keswick, Ont. hairstylist had relied on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and employment benefits programs to supplement her income while the salon she worked at was closed.
She returned to work briefly in the spring, only to find herself out of work again amid another provincial shutdown. Ward did not return in July when personal-care services reopened because it was too close to her due date.
When applying for parental leave, Ward said government officials told her she didn’t qualify for parental leave benefits which are earned with a minimum of 600 hours worked the year prior.
“I feel robbed from something that I’ve contributed to and kind of earned,” said Ward. “It’s crazy to think I’m entitled to only three-and-a half months with my daughter.”
In the wake of the pandemic, the federal government temporarily changed the requirement to 120 insurable hours, providing a credit of 480 insured hours to help new and expecting mothers meet the required 600 insured hours of work.
Ward found out that credit was applied to her first EI claim in December 2020, which she says was never explained to her.
“That credit was given to me in December unneeded – so then now when I go to apply again I will need the full 600 hours, which I will never qualify for this year because I only worked six weeks.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion told CTV News Toronto “to be eligible for EI maternity and parental benefits, a person normally needs at least 600 hours of insurable employment in the 52 weeks prior to the start of their benefits or since their last EI claim, whichever is shorter.”
Government officials also say “to be eligible for additional EI benefits, a claimant must have accumulated the required number of hours to establish a new benefit period.”
Starting on September 26, 2021, the number of hours of insurable employment to qualify for benefits will be 420 hours.
However, Ward will still not qualify under those conditions.
“It’s about finding the balance fighting for what’s right…and enjoying what time I have with my daughter."
Now, she’s trying to make the best of the limited time she has with daughter before returning to work.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.