This post was originally published May 8, 2020 and was last
updated on September 15, 2020.
On April 24, 2020, the Government of Canada
announced that, in partnership with the provinces and
territories, it will be providing relief to landlords who agree to
reduce eligible commercial tenants' rent obligations by at
least 75% during the months of April, May and June 2020. Under the
program, known as CECRA, the federal and provincial/territorial
governments are partnering to pay 50% of the gross rent in the form
of a forgivable loan to landlords. The program is administered by
the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), with the
assistance of MCAP and First Canadian Title, through an application
portal that opened at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Monday, May 25,
2020. As discussed below, the CECRA program has subsequently been
extended to the end of September 2020.
