Home News Canada New for subscribers! Gift this article to friends and family for free. Got it! On June 5, Thunder Bay residents began receiving the first payment of the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, with a one-time top-up. The federal program, introduced in January, aims to increase support to more than 12 million Canadians by directly delivering $14,695,670 in immediate assistance to 30,000 people in Thunder Bay who currently receive the GST credit.