Screening for eligibility
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Screening for eligibility
Your application will be:
- Screened for eligibility against the 15 mandatory eligibility requirements listed below; and
- Assessed for quality in relation to the program objectives:
- Provide quality work experiences for youth
- Provide opportunities for youth to develop and improve their skills
- Respond to national and local priorities to improve access to the labour market for youth who face unique barriers
Your project will be assessed only if all of the eligibility requirements have been met.
The Department may review results from previous funding agreements with the Department and information in the public domain, including but not limited to materials on your website and media articles, when determining the eligibility of your application. The Department may also review previous applications and all previous correspondence, including responses to requests for missing information or clarification, as part of this review process.
Member of Parliament review
After Service Canada officials have assessed and ranked all eligible applications, Members of Parliament are provided with a list of eligible projects for their constituencies and offered the opportunity to provide feedback based on their local knowledge.
List of 15 eligibility requirements
You must meet the following 15 eligibility requirements for your project to be considered eligible for funding. If the project as outlined in your application does not meet all 15 eligibility requirements, it will not proceed for assessment described in Section 4 - Assessment Criteria.
- Application must be submitted before the deadline.
- Attestation box must be checked.
- Application must be complete.
- Employer must be eligible.
- Project activities must be eligible.
- Job duration: Must be between 6 and 16 consecutive weeks.
- Job hours: Must be full-time (30 to 40 hours per week).
- Other sources of funding: You must declare whether you have applied, will apply, or have received funding from other sources for the job(s) requested.
- Salary: The salary must respect minimum wage requirements in your province or territory.
- Money owing to the Government of Canada: Your organization must declare any money owing to the Government of Canada.
- Health and safety: You must demonstrate that you have implemented adequate measures to ensure youth awareness of health and safety practices in the work environment. Safety measures must relate to the type of work environment and specific job type and activities.
- Hiring practices and work environment: You must demonstrate that you have implemented adequate measures to ensure that hiring practices and the work environment are free of harassment and discrimination.
- Supervision: You must outline the supervision plan for the youth and proposed job activities.
- Mentoring: You must outline the mentoring plan for the youth.
- Past results: The Department will review all files associated with your organization to verify if there is documented evidence from previous agreements with the Department that would render your application ineligible (including but not limited to financial irregularities, health and safety concerns, past project default or other results). The Department may also review previous applications and all previous correspondence, including responses to requests for missing information or clarification, as part of this review process. The Department may also consult with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on past financial irregularities.
If your application is missing mandatory information, or if the information provided on the application is unclear, Service Canada will contact you using the contact information provided in your application to request the necessary information or clarification prior to determining the eligibility of your application. In the event you receive such a letter, you must respond within five business days of the date on which the letter was sent. If you fail to respond within the specified timeframe, the assessment of the eligibility of your application will proceed with the information on file.
Failure to comply with any conditions of a previously funded project will be considered in the evaluation of your new application and could result in a decision of ineligibility of your new application as set out under paragraph 25.1(6) of the Articles of Agreement.
Important:
Review Section 5 – Writing your application for information on the mandatory requirements for each of these items.
Eligibility information
Note:
An organization must be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to receive funding. The organization must have a CRA payroll deductions program account (RP) prior to hiring youth through the CSJ program.
What employers are eligible?
Not-for-profit employers
Entities under the “not-for-profit” category are established for purposes other than financial gain for their members. This category includes:
- Community, charitable or voluntary organizations, including faith-based organizations (for example, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques)
- Associations of workers or employers as well as professional and industrial organizations
- Indigenous not-for-profit organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Unions
- Sector councils
- Not-for-profit Band Councils
Public sector employers
Public sector employers include public health and public educational institutions, municipal governments, and other organizations under public ownership. Among others, this category includes:
- Public community colleges and vocational schools
- Public health, including public hospitals, nursing homes, senior citizen homes, rehabilitation homes, and public libraries
- Public degree-granting universities and colleges
- Municipal governments and agencies, including regional legislative bodies and departments
- School boards and elementary and secondary institutions
- Territorial governments
Private sector employers
Private sector entities are established in order to generate a profit or to provide an economic advantage to their proprietors, members or shareholders. Private sector employers must have 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada at the time of application to be eligible for Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) funding. Full-time employees are those working 30 hours or more per week.
This category includes:
- Bodies, incorporated or unincorporated, including partnerships and sole proprietorships
- Financial Institutions
- Business, incorporated or unincorporated bodies, which include:
- federal Crown corporations operating in a competitive environment and not ordinarily dependent on appropriations for operating purposes as indicated in Schedule III, Part II of the Financial Administration Act
- provincial and territorial Crown corporations recognized as operating in a competitive environment and not ordinarily dependent on appropriations for operating purposes
- private health and educational institutions
- independent owners of franchises (franchise operators are eligible if there are 50 or fewer full-time employees working full-time in the franchise owner’s operations across Canada, regardless of the number of business numbers involved)
- Indian Band corporations
- Private Band Councils
- Private universities or colleges
Ineligible employers
- Members of the House of Commons and the Senate or members of their immediate family;
- Federal Government Departments and Agencies;
- Provincial Departments and Agencies;
- Organizations that engage in partisan political activities; and,
- Organizations that engage in activities that directly or indirectly infringe, undermine, weaken, or restrict the exercise of human rights legally protected in Canada.
What projects are eligible?
Funded projects must meet program eligibility and comply with the terms and conditions of the Articles of Agreement entered into between the Department and the organization. Organizations that fail to do so will not be reimbursed for youth salary. The provision of false and misleading information may affect eligibility and funding may be revoked.
Eligible projects
- Provide full-time work experience in Canada between April 22, 2024 and August 31, 2024 for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 16 weeks; and,
- Provide a work experience in an inclusive non-discriminatory work environment that respects the rights of all Canadians.
Ineligible projects and job activities
- Activities that take place outside of Canada;
- Activities that contribute to the provision of a personal service to the employer;
- Partisan political activities;
- Fundraising activities to cover salary costs for the youth participant;
- Projects or job activities that:
- restrict access to programs, services, or employment, or otherwise discriminate, contrary to applicable laws, on the basis of prohibited grounds, including sex, genetic characteristics, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression;
- advocate intolerance, discrimination and/or prejudice; or
- actively work to undermine or restrict a woman’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Please note the following definitions:
- As per subsection 2.1 of the Canada Summer Jobs Articles of Agreement, “project” means the hiring, administration of, and job activities, and organization’s activities as described in the Application/ Agreement, including any activities which the job supports, directly or indirectly.
- To “advocate” means to promote, foster, or actively support intolerance, discrimination, and/or prejudice.
- To “undermine or restrict” means to weaken or limit a woman’s ability to access sexual and reproductive health services. The Government of Canada defines sexual and reproductive health services as including comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, safe and legal abortion, and post-abortion care.
What youth participants are eligible?
To be eligible, youth must:
- be between 15 and 30 years of age at the beginning of the employment periodFootnote 1
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment Footnote 2, and
- have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations
Other conditions of youth eligibility
As per paragraph 13.1(a) of the Articles of Agreement, youth hired for a CSJ-funded job cannot displace or replace existing employees or volunteers, employees that have been laid-off and are awaiting recall, employees absent due to an industrial dispute, employees on vacation, or employees on maternity or parental leave.
As per subsection 20.1, Nepotism, of the Articles of Agreement, no cost incurred by the Employer in relation to a Participant who is a member of the Immediate Family of the Employer or who is a member of the Immediate Family of an officer or director of the Employer, is eligible for reimbursement under the Agreement. If Canada is satisfied and agrees in writing before the commencement of the Job, that the hiring of the Participant was not the result of favouritism by reason of membership in the Immediate Family of the Employer, officer or director, as the case may be, the costs may be eligible for reimbursement.
CSJ Program funding cannot be used for self-employment, and the employer must establish an employer-employee relationship with the youth participant (in other words, the youth participant is entered into the organization’s records as an employee, wages are paid which include all necessary payroll deductions in accordance with labour regulations in the province or territory where the employment is located, and as per Section 32 in the Articles of Agreement).
Youth hired for a CSJ-funded job should not be already employed full-time by the organization. However, a youth working part-time for an employer, or who has previously worked for an employer as part of a CO-OP placement is eligible for a CSJ-funded job.
As the intention of the CSJ program is to help young Canadians successfully transition into the labour market, a youth participant should be employed in only one CSJ-funded job per project. Employers are to hire the number of youth identified in their agreement.
If you have questions about youth eligibility, contact Service Canada for more information.
What costs are eligible for reimbursement?
Wage contribution
Not-for-profit employers can receive funding for up to 100% of the provincial or territorial adult minimum hourly wage and all associated Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs). Public and private sector employers are eligible to receive funding for up to 50 % of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage. Your CSJ funding request may be for less than the minimum wage as long as provincial or territorial legislation permits you to do so. Public or private sector employers are not eligible for reimbursement of MERCs.
To improve the quality of the work placement, employers are encouraged to pay more than the minimum wage and offer a paid position that is longer than the duration of the Agreement; however, reimbursement will only apply to the applicable provincial or territorial adult minimum hourly wage in effect at the time of employment. For example, if a private sector employer pays a youth $17.00 per hour in a province where the minimum hourly wage is $16.00, the contribution provided will be 50% of the minimum wage of $16.00 ($8.00).
Some provinces and territories have minimum wage exemptions. If an employer uses an exemption to pay a minimum wage lower than the applicable adult minimum wage, the reimbursement percentage remains the same. For example, as of September 2021, Alberta has an adult minimum wage of $15.00 and a minimum wage exemption for students under 18 years old of $13.00. If a private sector organization uses the lower student wage, the funding contribution will be 50% of the $13.00 minimum wage ($6.50).
The following table provides the adult minimum hourly wage for each province and territory at the time this Applicant Guide was published.
It is the employer’s responsibility to confirm the minimum wage at the time of employment. If the minimum wage increases during employment, each week will be reimbursed based on the applicable minimum wage for that week.
| Province or Territory | Adult Minimum Hourly Wage |
|---|---|
| Alberta | $15.00 (as of June 26, 2019) |
| British Columbia | $16.75 (as of June 1, 2023) |
| Manitoba | $15.30 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| New Brunswick | $14.75 (as of April 1, 2023) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $15.00 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| Northwest Territories | $16.05 (as of September 1, 2023) |
| Nova Scotia | $15.00 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| Nunavut | $19.00 (as of January 1, 2024) |
| Ontario | $16.55 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| Prince Edward Island | $15.00 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| Quebec | $15.25 (as of May 1, 2023) |
| Saskatchewan | $14.00 (as of October 1, 2023) |
| Yukon | $16.77 (as of April 1, 2023) |
Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs)
Employers are required by law to pay:
- Employment Insurance premiums;
- Canada or Quebec Pension Plan contributions;
- Vacation pay;
- Workers’ Compensation premiums or equivalent liability insurance (if applicable);
- Health Services Fund, Quebec parental insurance premiums, and Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail in Quebec;
- Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax in Newfoundland and Labrador;
- Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax Levy in Manitoba, and;
- Employer Health Tax in British Columbia and where applicable.
Payroll deductions tables can be found on the CRA website. Check with the appropriate provincial or territorial authorities to ensure that you have the most up-to-date rate information.
Not-for-profit employers are eligible for up to 100% reimbursement of MERCs in relation to the minimum hourly wage of the province or territory where the activities take place. Public or private sector employers are not eligible for reimbursement of MERCs.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Youth must be covered by Workers’ Compensation or equivalent liability insurance as per Section 29 of the Articles of Agreement. It is your responsibility to verify with your insurer whether your existing equivalent liability insurance (and automobile insurance, if applicable) applies to all the activities to be undertaken by the youth and applies to all the locations where these activities will take place. Not-for-profit employers are eligible to be reimbursed for Workers’ Compensation or Liability Insurance costs as part of their final claim.
Overhead costs - youth with disabilities
Service Canada recognizes that persons with disabilities face additional barriers to entering the workforce. To help them obtain employment, and to encourage employers to hire persons with disabilities, you may be eligible for additional funding to accommodate the youth within the work environment.
Eligible overhead costs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Personal tools, adaptations and professional support services (for example, visual language interpreters) to enable the youth to accomplish tasks covered under the agreement may be considered eligible. If you anticipate having these costs, please contact your Project Officer as soon as possible. Note that Service Canada may request an invoice of the overhead cost. Review Section 24.0 of the Articles of Agreement (Disposition of Assets) for further details, and contact Service Canada for more information.
Please note that the Accessible Canada Act defines disability as “any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment – or a functional limitation – whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society”.
Duration and hours of work
The duration of the CSJ-funded portion of the job must be between 6 and 16 consecutive weeks.
Employment of less than the minimum 6 weeks in duration may be deemed ineligible. In this case, any incurred costs would not be reimbursed.
Jobs must be full-time (30 to a maximum of 40 hours per week). If a youth is provided less than 30 hours of work for any week, their wages may be deemed ineligible for reimbursement unless consent has been granted from Service Canada for exceptional circumstances (for example, to accommodate persons with disabilities). If a youth works over 40 hours per week, incurred costs for hours worked over 40 hours per week are not eligible for reimbursement.
Advances
The conditions for advances are outlined in Section 6 of the CSJ Articles of Agreement. The maximum advance allowable is 75% of the total value of the agreement for projects $100,000 and under, and 50% of the total value of the agreement for projects $100,001 or more, for all types of organizations.
Important:
If your application is approved for funding, you must submit the Employer and Employee Declaration form for each youth before Service Canada can issue an advance payment. This form must be submitted online or returned to Service Canada within seven days of the youth beginning employment.
Service Canada will also validate your CRA business number, postal address, and primary contact information prior to issuing a payment.
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