Hellobee Boards

Are you, by chance, in Toronto? I just looked it up for you and you're eligible if you're pregnant or a new mother. Here:http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml#what

While the reference 12 months, it is my understanding that when they actually calculate it, they use the previous 6 months. That is, at least, what I was told last year when I was considering a 2 month unpaid leave prior to my mat leave

You eligibility is based on a minimum of 600 hours worked over the previous 12 months. However, they do calculate your mat leave pay based on the previous 6 months income, so you should qualify based on having 600 hours in the past year, but they will average your past 6 months income and multiply by .55 to determine how much you will receive(to a maximum of $485 per week). So if you are unemployed for a long time you wouldn't get much as far as your payments go. Regardless, you will get the $100 per month in UCCB.

@caffeinated: Thanks, this comes up a lot at work, because a lot of nurses work casual, so they are woking like crazy for the last 6 months prior to leave to increase their EI.