On April 25, 2014, the Ontario government announced a number of proposed amendments to Regulation 909 made under the Pension Benefits Act (“PBA”), further to its ongoing pension reform initiatives. The government is inviting comments from stakeholders on the following proposals: Proposed Amendment to Regulation 909 under the Pension Benefits Act: Disclosure of Environmental, Social…
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Federal Government Consults Public on Proposed Target Benefit Plans Framework
On April 24, 2014, the federal government announced the launch of consultations on a potential federal framework for Target Benefit Plans (“TBP”). TBPs, if introduced through subsequent legislative reforms, would create a new pension design option available to federally regulated private sector and Crown corporation plan sponsors under the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 (“PBSA”)….
Alberta Introduces Additional Pension Reforms
On April 16, 2014, the Alberta government introduced Bill 10, Employment Pension (Private Sector) Plans Amendment Act, 2014. Bill 10, if passed, will further amend the new Employment Pension Plans Act (“EPPA”). These proposed reforms are in addition to the amendments set out in Bill 10, Employment Pension Plans Act, which received Royal Assent on December…
Federal Government Introduces 2014 Budget Bill
On March 28, 2014, the federal government introduced Bill C-31, the Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, omnibus legislation intended to implement a number of initiatives first announced in the 2014 federal Budget, Economic Action Plan 2014. Bill C-31 contains a number of measures we previously reported in our February 13, 2014 FTR Now,…
Federal Government Implements Transitional Pension Funding Relief Regulations (Canada Post)
On March 12, 2014, the federal government published final pension funding relief regulations temporarily relieving Canada Post Corporation from the requirement to make special payments to its defined benefit employee pension plan, as ordinarily required under the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 (“PBSA”). Under the Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan Funding Regulations (“Regulations”), the Corporation will only…
Canada Labour Code Amendments (Bill C-45) Come into Force April 1, 2014
On March 12, 2014, the federal government published an order fixing April 1, 2014 as the date on which key amendments to Part III of the Canada Labour Code (“Code”) outlined in Bill C-45, the Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, come into force. In part, the Bill C-45 amendments will implement a statutory complaints framework…
Proposed Amendment to CPP Regulations Defining “Substantially Gainful” Occupation
On February 15, 2014, the federal government published proposed Regulations Amending the Canada Pension Plan Regulations. If adopted, the proposed Regulations would prescribe the meaning of “‘substantially gainful’, in respect of an occupation” in subsections 42(1) and 89(1) of the Canada Pension Plan (“CPP”), one of the factors relevant to determining when a person is…
Federal Budget 2014 Introduced
Today, the federal government tabled its Budget 2014, The Road to Balance: Creating Jobs and Opportunities (Economic Action Plan 2014), a brief summary of which is outlined in a Department of Finance news release. Hicks Morley is in the process of reviewing the Budget. An FTR Now outlining the Budget’s highlights for employers and pension plan…
Federal Government Amends Temporary Foreign Worker Regulations
Further to the federal government’s Budget 2013 commitment, regulatory amendments under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act were published on January 1, 2014. The Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (“Regulations”) implement a new compliance verification and enforcement regime, including enhanced Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) and Employment and Social Development Canada (“ESDC,”…
HRSDC Renamed Department of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (commonly known as “HRSDC”) has been rebranded as the Department of Employment and Social Development Canada (“ESDC”). As previously reported, this change was implemented by the coming into force of Bill C-4, the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2.