Another 516,000 Canadians have applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

New data from the Canada Revenue Agency and Service Canada shows that to date over 8-million Canadians have received at least one CERB payment. Keeping in mind that Canadians must re-apply every month to receive the benefit that covers a four-week period.

The federal government estimates it has paid out over $40-billion in about 14-million separate CERB payments to Canadians.

Meanwhile, today the Business Resilience Service was launched by the federal government offering tailored financial advice to vulnerable, Canadian small businesses with pressing financial needs.

Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade said the government is partnering with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to provide the free hotline. Mary Ng says the hotline will be operated by 125 business advisors from the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

She says the service will provide Canadian business owners as well as charities and non-profits with customized financial guidance that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.Ng says the services offered will vary from navigating tax regulations and government supports to planning a path to recovery.

To access the service, you can call; 1 866 989 1080 seven days a week for the next four weeks.