Phone line for P.E.I. $25M COVID-19 emergency fund swamped

A phone line set up for P.E.I. businesses affected by COVID-19 received hundreds of calls Tuesday.

The P.E.I. government set up the line for businesses to access a $25 million emergency fund.

Many Islanders reported long waits on hold and difficulty getting through. The lines are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In an email statement to CBC News, a government spokesperson said they had received more than 200 phone calls by noon Tuesday.

"We thank Islanders for their patience, as we know many are trying to get through," the email said. "We currently have six lines open with 20 staff working to collect information."

The phone number, 1-866-222-1751, is only for Island business to call to share the effect COVID-19 has had on their finances. For general questions about COVID-19, Islanders should call 1-800-958-6400.

The province also created a designated web page to help guide employers.

Premier Dennis King told CBC's Island Morning that civil servants are working on creative ways to get the money to people that need it quickly.

"This needs to be hours and days, not weeks," he said.

Criteria for who is eligible has not been released, but businesses are closing across P.E.I. Some are closing by choice and others, such as daycares, by government order. Some of the people affected by the closures are not eligible for employment insurance, which is the first measure to be implemented by the federal government.

The $25 million provincial fund will come from general revenues, and is in addition to a $10 billion fund announced by Ottawa. King said he does not yet have details of how the federal fund will work and how much of it will come to P.E.I.

He said the $25 million fund will be just the start of provincial aid.

Budget implications

Earlier this month the P.E.I. government was finishing up a provincial budget that forecasted a small surplus.

"It's fair to say that those projections are out the door," said King in an interview Tuesday with CBC Radio's Island Morning.

"There's going to be significant impacts on revenue projections from tourism, we're worried about our exports whether it's through fisheries or agriculture or manufacturing. We have to really go back to the drawing board with our provincial budget."

In addition to a likely big drop in revenue projections, there will be additional expenditures such as the already announced emergency fund.

King said revenue will be difficult to forecast, but the priority now is to get Islanders through the crisis.

Looking ahead

With schools closed until at least April 6 and a plan to move classwork online, King acknowledged there could be issues with internet connections for students in rural areas.

"I have sketchy enough internet here in Brookfield and I'm 10 miles from Charlottetown. That will be a challenge for sure but I think we're obligated to look at it and to try to do the best we can for all Islanders," he said.

"What the Department of Education through the minister is really looking at is what are the long-term ramifications here. What if this is 12 weeks and not two weeks, and how can we look at ways to make sure that our students get educated?"

King said he has asked all his ministers to investigate the short-, medium- and long-term ramifications of the pandemic.

Working from home

The premier is in self-isolation because he was in Boston early last week.

King is following the advice of Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison, who has advised travellers returning from outside of Canada to self-isolate for 14 days. He is not experiencing any symptoms.

King said he feels well-connected in his home office.

"It's amazing what technology allows us to do," he said. "I've never felt like I'm not in the middle of it."

King will be in self-isolation for about another week.

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