As
advised by Cardinal Collins earlier this week, all parish offices are now
closed to the public. This is an
unprecedented situation and we have been looking at ways to minimize the impact
on staff and contractors as much as possible while recognizing financial
realities. His Eminence has approved a cost containment plan – which we believe
is just and workable for parishes – after consultation with the Episcopal Board
and the College of Consultors.
This
is a period that is going to require shared sacrifice and cooperation. Through a combination of remote working
arrangements, temporary leaves, contract suspensions and some voluntary salary
reductions we can move forward in a sustainable way. We are also going to take advantage of
government programs designed to support organizations during this difficult
time.
Our
active clergy – priests, bishops, and archbishop – will be taking a temporary
compensation reduction of 30%. This does not affect our retired priests who
will continue to receive their full Shepherds’ Trust benefits. On a voluntary
basis these clergy may request a larger reduction in compensation or make an
additional donation to their parish.
At
the Chancery, most of our staff will be on temporary leave receiving 75% of
their salary. Our senior staff will continue to work at 75% of their current compensation
and other essential Chancery staff will continue working at 95% of their
current compensation. They too may opt
for a larger reduction in compensation.
We
hope the following recommendations assist Pastors in keeping their parishes
vital during these challenging times:
1. Operationally Essential Roles – continuing
on payroll at 95% of salary
· It is recommended that Pastors designate
1 or 2 employees to work remotely to manage payroll, administration and parish
outreach activities. In this case the
employees will continue to receive 95% of their salary and will agree to a
temporary 5% reduction in salary until no later than August 31, 2020. Employees would have to agree to this
arrangement or option 2 below would apply.
· Pastors should identify and advise these
employees as soon as possible.
· Some Pastors may choose to carry out
these tasks themselves.
· If parishes wish to retain more than 2
employees, and it is economically feasible, the Pastor and his Finance Council
Chair must request approval from the Chancellor of Temporal Affairs.
· While identified as operationally
essential these individuals must continue to work remotely.
· On a strictly voluntary basis these
staff members may choose to agree to a larger salary reduction, or substitute a
donation to the parish for a salary reduction.
2. Full Time and Modified Full Time Employees
- all other Full Time and Modified Full Time roles – on temporary leave at 75%
of salary
· Pay these employees their full salaries
until March 31, 2020.
· Request a Record of Employment (ROE) for
these individuals from Evelyn Vallada in Payroll at the Chancery using this
email address: CAPS@archtoronto.org.
· Advise these employees that they will be
placed on a temporary leave effective April 1, 2020.
· The parish will provide a Supplemental
Unemployment Benefit (SUB) to bring these employees’ salaries to 75% of their
pre-leave salary (in most cases this is equivalent to a 20% top up). The Chancery will be completing the paperwork
with Service Canada to register the SUB plans.
No action is required by the parishes.
· Benefit coverage will be maintained for
these employees during the leave.
· Pension contributions will continue at
the 2% level during the leave.
· The recall date is not known at this
time, but may not exceed 35 weeks as per Ontario legislation.
· During the leave there is no legal
obligation to work, but employees may check email, forward messages and assist
the parish on a goodwill basis.
3. Part Time Employees
· Pay any part time employees with less
than 8 years of service until March 31, 2020 regardless of hours worked – base
payments on typical hours worked.
· Any part time employees with 8 or more
years of service should be paid until April 15, 2020.
· Request a Record of Employment (ROE) for
these individuals from Evelyn Vallada in Payroll at the Chancery using this
email address: CAPS@archtoronto.org.
· These individuals should be directed to
apply for the federal Government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
which is summarized below.
· No benefit or pension entitlement.
· No SUB payment/top up is applicable.
· The recall date is not known at this
time, but may not exceed Ontario legislation.
4. Casual Employees
· These employees are only called into
work on an as needed basis – no action is required for these individuals.
· If you receive any related inquiries
from a casual employee a Record of Employment (ROE) may be generated. Please send the request to
CAPS@archtoronto.org.
5. Temporary Employees
· This would include individuals on a
fixed term contract such as a maternity leave replacement or a person covering
a sick leave.
· All temporary agreements should be
concluded based on the specified notice requirements in the employment
agreement (usually 2 weeks’ notice). None should need to extend beyond April
10, 2020.
· Request a Record of Employment (ROE) for
these individuals from Evelyn Vallada in Payroll at the Chancery using this
email address: CAPS@archtoronto.org.
6. Independent Contractor Musicians
· On March 17, 2020 we recommended paying
all parish Independent Contractors who were scheduled to work, but could not
due to the suspension of public Mass, until March 31, 2020. We think it fair
and equitable that payments be suspended beyond that date until further notice.
If the parish has a contract with the independent musician that will take
precedence. In those cases, we suggest extending the termination date to April
10, 2020 to allow for two weeks of written notice which is the typical notice
period to end these agreements. Advise
that you are suspending the agreement not terminating it.
· These individuals should rely on the
federal government’s Canada Emergency Response
Benefit (CERB) which is summarized below,
· Musicians include organists, cantors,
Music Directors and Choir Directors.
· Contract workers typically receive an
annual T4A, have year-to-year agreements, issue monthly invoices and have no
source deductions.
· We are hopeful that this will be a
temporary measure, but at this time, cannot confirm when Masses will
resume. Please assure your contractors
that the parish will honour the contract termination provisions for any contract
that includes a greater than two week termination clause if the temporary
suspension exceeds a period of 6 months.
· It is imperative that all parishes share
this information with their contract musicians in writing as soon as possible
and maintain a copy of this correspondence. An email with a copy of this memo would be
sufficient.
7. Other Independent Contractors
· Some Independent Contractors may still
be needed to assist with bookkeeping on a reduced basis. These individuals may continue to work
remotely if feasible, but should only bill for hours worked. If this results in a reduction of their
typical hours they may be eligible for some support through the CERB Support
Benefits being offered by the Government of Canada.
· Alternatively they may be treated as IC
Musicians and paid until March 31, 2020 before relying on the CERB.
Federal
Government assistance
Most
of our regular staff will qualify for Employment Insurance Benefits. For those
who do not typically qualify, the federal government has proposed the Canada
Emergency Response Benefit. This is a taxable benefit which would provide
$2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a
result of COVID-19. The CERB is a simpler and more streamlined replacement of
the Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit announced last week.
Who
will qualify for CERB?
· Workers who must stop working due to
COVID-19 and do not have access to paid leave or other income support.
· Workers who are sick, quarantined, or
taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19.
· Working parents who must stay home
without pay to care for children that are sick or need additional care because
of school and daycare closures.
· Workers who still have their employment
but are not being paid because there is currently not sufficient work and their
employer has asked them not to come to work.
· Wage earners and self-employed
individuals, including contract workers, who would not otherwise be eligible
for Employment Insurance.
· Canadians will begin to receive CERB
payments within 10 days of application.
More
detailed information on the application process may be found in the attached
letter templates which should be customized for your staff.
Please
note that we may have to implement further reductions in salary or staffing
levels based on how the pandemic situation unfolds.
We
recognize that this is an extremely stressful time for everyone. We also understand that you likely have
questions. Please send me any questions
that you have so that we can determine a plan that works for your parish. You can reach me at 416-934-3400, ext. 613
(all voicemails are sent to my email) or by email at
snargoz@archtoronto.org. We all need to
work together to get through this difficult time and we look forward to this
disruption being as short as possible.
You will remain in our prayers.
