COVID-19 Rent Relief for Commercial Landlords and Tenants
Charity & NFP Law Bulletin No. 475
Published on June 25, 2020

By Adriel N. Clayton and Luis R. Chacin

To provide rent assistance for commercial landlords and tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, announced the creation of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (“CECRA”) for small businesses on April 24, 2020. Relief under CECRA would be available for charities and NFPs, whether they are commercial landlords or small business tenants, provided that both the landlord and tenant meet the program’s eligibility requirements, discussed below.

In addition to financial assistance through CECRA, the Ontario government also passed Bill 192, Protecting Small Business Act, 2020 (“Bill 192”) on June 18, 2020. Bill 192 amends Ontario’s Commercial Tenancies Act to temporarily protect tenants, including charities and NFPs, from being evicted or locked out, and from having their assets seized by their landlords, even if they have defaulted on their rent payments. This Bulletin outlines the temporary relief provided to charities and NFPs as both landlords and tenants through CECRA and Bill 192.

For the balance of this Bulletin, please see Charity & NFP Law Bulletin No. 475.

Read the June 2020 Charity & NFP Law Update