Victoria Gold Eagle Mine Workers Face Urgent Deadline for Compensation Claims. –UPDATE extension granted!
UPDATE October 3 – PWC: The Receiver has sought and obtained an extension from Service Canada to comply with WEPPA regulations by October 31, 2024. As such all former eligible employees are automatically granted an extension up to December 26, 2024 to submit their applications under WEPPA to Service Canada (the “WEPP Application”).
UPDATE October 3 – ESO Workers can also file a wage complaint with Yukon Employment Standards within 6 months from when the wages were owed, being the day the lay off ended. Example: An employee received a temporary layoff June 24, 2024, then the layoff expired on September 23, 2024, this is the date that wages were owed to the employee. The employee now has until March 23, 2025, to file a Wage Complaint with Employment Standards.
The workers of the Victoria Gold Eagle Mine, who were temporarily laid off following a catastrophic heap failure/landslide on June 24, 2024, are now facing an urgent deadline to file for compensation under the Federal Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP).
As of October 2, 2024, many workers have not yet received the necessary information from the Receiver, PwC, to file for WEPP. The critical 56-day deadline for applications is fast approaching on October 9, 2024. This situation has left the affected workers in a precarious position, as they have been waiting for word of their severance payments owed to them.
Under the WEPPA (Wage Earner Protection Program Act) workers have 56 days from termination or the date of receivership to file for WEPP. In this case, the date of termination is backdated to the first day of temporary layoff, which is before the date of receivership of August 14.
PwC is currently gathering information on each employee to issue Documentation Packages expected in first week of October, which are essential for the WEPP application process.
The Yukon Federation of Labour has been actively seeking answers and support for the workers, as many are out on other remote job sites or heading to job sites and will not be able to make the October 9th deadline. Conflicting information is being received on the steps a worker needs to follow when workers feel that their severance “should just be paid to us without us having to ask or apply for it”.
This affects over 250 workers in the Yukon. President Teresa Acheson says, “This series of events leaves the workers between a rock and a hard place…workers have reached out to our office looking for help as they are being bounced around between territorial and federal agencies simply asking for their severance to be paid.”
The WEPP can provide a one-time payment of up to $8,507.66 for outstanding wages. Workers should still apply through Service Canada for WEPP even if their application will be late after October 9th. They will need to include a reason why they applied late (eg. working at a remote site, did not receive information from the Receiver until…)
For those owed more than this amount, the Yukon Employment Standards Office can be contacted to also file a wage complaint. The deadline for filing such complaints is six months from the date the temporary layoff ended.
The Yukon Federation of Labour stands in solidarity with the affected workers, urging cooperation and proactive support to ensure these workers receive the compensation and support they are entitled to. The YFL office will continue to advocate for answers and action to support these workers.
Contact:
Teresa Acheson
President, Yukon Federation of Labour
For More Information:
- PwC Victoria Gold Information: https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/services/insolvency-assignments/victoriagold.html
- WEPP Information Line: 1-866-683-6516 https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/wage-earner-protection/employee.html
- Yukon Employment Standards Office: 867-667-5944 or 1-800-661-0408, email at eso@yukon.ca
- YFL FAQ for Victoria Gold Workers
