…Leon’s didn’t discover a gold mine under its North York head office, but it did identify another treasure, courtesy of the federal government: The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) — which generated a $29.8 million windfall for the furniture company.
The CEWS program provides eligible companies with a 75 per cent subsidy for salaries for both active employees and those laid off and rehired. While firms were encouraged by the government to immediately rehire employees let go when the pandemic hit, this was not a binding condition for receiving funds.
I do hope the Leon’s coke smuggler scion has learned his lesson.
