COVID-19: More than 550,000 applications approved for B.C. Recovery Benefit

Of those, 291,863 were individuals, 34,115 were single parents and 228,101 were couples or families.

“Thanks to the public service for getting such a large program up and running so quickly and to British Columbians for their patience,” said Robinson in a Twitter post sharing the latest figures.

The number of approved applications represent nearly 800,000 British Columbians.

The Benefit launched on Dec. 18 and is open for application until June 30, 2021. The benefit allows up to $1,000 for families and single parents, and up to $500 for individuals, based on household net income.

The benefit application portal was slammed on its first day due to high demand, meaning many were unable to apply right at its opening.

The process to apply for the benefit has been criticized, as eligibility is based on an individual or family’s 2019 net income before the pandemic. Others have said the application process has been challenging, due to demands for supporting documents that are either not yet available or hard to submit for those without ready access to the internet and a computer.

Chek Watch Local