Canada seeks to claw back $25M in COVID relief from thousands of fishers 
By Paul Withers CA Source: CBC News 11/14/2021
Paul Withers
The federal government is demanding 4,193 Canadian fishers repay $25.8 million in COVID-19 relief assistance paid out in 2020 under the Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Program, CBC News has learned.

More than half the harvesters issued overpayment letters are in Nova Scotia, where 2,382 have received notices totalling $13.8 million, according to data released to CBC News by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

DFO said many harvesters were ineligible because they were regular wage-earning employees rather than self-employed sharepersons, as required under program rules.
 

"Canada Revenue Agency data appears to indicate that a significant number of applicants have filed incorrect tax information with respect to the nature of their income," DFO spokesperson Barre Campbell told CBC News.

Travis Nickerson of Clarks Harbour, N.S., received an overpayment letter.

"It's a mess," said Nickerson, a lobster boat crewman. "They gave me something when I really needed it, and now they want it back."

Nickerson is paid a share of the catch and saw his income drop in the first half of 2020 when COVID-19 crashed demand for lobster worldwide.

 
Continue...

News Id SourceStampcountry
5401Alberta Cree man successfully challenges illegal fishing ticketCBC News2018-10-03CA
5402Fish fall from sky with rain in northern MexicoAssociated Press2019-05-06MX
5403B.C. salmon fishing guides fear for livelihoods amid fishery closurevancouver sun2019-05-04CA
5404'This is all optical': Sport fishers slam DFO's chinook closuresCBC News 2019-05-01CA
5405Fisheries audit B.C. fish processor after reports of illegal fish barteringnational post2019-05-03CA
5406Russia learning to live with less pollockseafoodsource2019-05-01RU
5407Canada closer to allowing Asian carp as lobster bait, depending on test outcomesCBC News2019-04-29CA
5408They’re biting at this Peterborough fishing derbythe peterborough examiner2019-04-27CA
5409Fishing derbies feel sting of new salmon rulessooke news mirror2019-04-26CA
5410Freshwater fish species richness has increased in Ohio River Basin since '60sPLOS2019-04-24US
5411Small fish, big goalshouston-today2019-04-24CA
5412Comox Valley fishing charters feel pinch of restrictionscomoxvalleyrecord2019-04-22CA
5413Former pulp mill town ground zero in Nova Scotia fish farms debateCBC News 2019-04-17CA
5414Government of Canada takes action to address Fraser River Chinook declineFisheries and Oceans Canada2019-04-16CA
5415New Fisheries Act could mark a turning point for Canada’s depleted fisheriesHill Times2019-04-15CA
5416Estonia warns anglers off thin iceBBC Monitoring2019-03-19ES
5417Kenora based angler Jeff Gustafson joins BassmasterCBC News2019-02-07US
54182019 Lake Erie fishing outlook is great news for anglersOther News2019-04-12US
5419Atlantic mackerel stocks down 86% over past 20 years, says new DFO reportCBC News2019-04-10CA
5420Environment Canada approves genetically-modified salmon raised in P.E.I.THE CANADIAN PRESS2019-04-11CA
5421Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia fund projects to boost innovation and productivity in the fish and seafood sectorFisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region2019-04-10CA
5422Scientists are split on whether a virus is killing B.C.’s salmonStar Vancouver2019-04-06CA
5423Spring fish kill is natural phenomenonThe Associated Press2019-04-08UK
5424Small rebound for N.L.'s northern cod, but stock still in critical zoneThe Canadian Press 2019-04-02CA
5425Alberta guides encounter exceptional fishing, hospitality while filming documentary in OmanCTV Calgary 2019-03-14CA

214 215 216 216 of [217 - pages.]