Human Resources Legislative Update
EI Regulations Amended, Implementing Reduced One-Week Waiting Period
Date: January 4, 2017
As expected, key amendments to the federal Employment Insurance Act reducing the Employment Insurance (EI) waiting period from two weeks to one week were proclaimed in force effective January 1, 2017.
To permit full implementation of this reform, the Employment Insurance (EI) Regulations were also amended. Draft amendments to the EI Regulations were published for a 30-day stakeholder consultation period in October, 2016. The draft amendments have now been adopted without any changes. As we reported in our recent FTR Now, The Reduced EI Waiting Period: What Employers Need to Know, the Regulations:
- provide greater clarity on how the shorter EI waiting period will impact supplemental unemployment benefit (SUB) plans and maternity/parental leave top-up plans
- address how the shorter waiting period will impact sick leave or short-term disability (STD) plans that qualify for the EI premium reduction program
- create a four-year transition period to allow time for SUB plans, top-up plans, sickness and STD plans to become aligned with the new rules.
For detailed information on how these reforms and the reduction of the EI waiting period may impact your organization, please consult our prior publication.
