Sask. premier thankful for extension of EI benefits to southeast oil patch
Oil workers who have lost their jobs in southern Saskatchewan will now qualify for extended employment insurance (EI) benefits.
The southeast oil patch was one of the regions left out when the federal government offered extended EI benefits to areas hit the hardest by the downturn in oil prices. At the time of the federal budget in March, Edmonton, southern Saskatchewan and parts of southern interior B.C. did not qualify for the extra weeks of EI or shorter waiting periods according to a federal government formula.
After touring Fort McMurray on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all three oil-producing western regions that were left out earlier now qualify for extra help.
“We’re doing this because we’ve heard from the people in these regions,” Trudeau said. “We understand their concerns. We’ve looked at the numbers. They show that additional help is merited.”