On October 19, 2016, the federal government introduced Bill C-27, An Act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985, legislation that would, if passed, provide a framework for the establishment, administration and supervision of target benefit plans (TBPs). TBPs provide for fixed or capped contributions, a targeted “defined benefit type” pension formula and flexibility…
Industry: Media & Communications
What Nexus is Required to Establish a Tribunal’s Jurisdiction over Discriminatory Conduct Arising at a Workplace?
The Supreme Court of Canada will be delivering a decision likely to provide further clarity on the scope of the jurisdiction of British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (Tribunal) to hear a complaint alleging discrimination regarding employment involving parties who work for different employers. On October 13, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to…
Canadian Bar Association (CBA): Gender Identity and Gender Expression in the Workplace Webinar
Topics: Overview of concepts and terms relating to gender identity and expression Case law developments in the areas of human rights law and employment law Guidance for developing appropriate workplace policies Agenda In recent years, various jurisdictions across Canada have expressly added “gender identity” and “gender expression” as prohibited grounds of discrimination in their human…
Federal Government Introduces Amending Legislation to Support CPP Enhancement
On October 6, 2016, the federal government introduced Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act and the Income Tax Act, new omnibus legislation to support Canada Pension Plan (CPP) enhancement. If passed, Bill C-26 would, among other things, amend the CPP to: increase the maximum…
Minimum Wage to Increase on October 1, 2016
As previously reported, on October 1, 2016, the general minimum wage in Ontario will increase from $11.25 to $11.40 an hour. This minimum wage applies to most employees…
ESA Blitz This Fall to Target Repeat Violators
The Ministry of Labour has announced that from September 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016, employment standards officers will conduct blitzes targeting employers who have a history of non-compliance with the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). The blitz will primarily target sectors where there is a level of precarious employment, including personal care and professional…
Ontario Consults on (Revised) Proposed Amendments to Advisory Committee Regulations
The Ontario government is consulting on a revised proposal for amending the Pension Benefits Act(PBA) regulations with respect to Pension Advisory Committees (PACs). The consultation is open only until September 12, 2016…
Federal Privacy Commissioner Uses Ashley Madison Incident to Promote Good Information Governance
Organizations subject to Canadian privacy law should be aware that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (together with the Australian Information Commissioner) recently issued a report on the 2015 breach of the Ashley Madison website – a breach that affected nearly 35 million individuals who had used the online dating site for adults…
Changing Workplaces Review – Focus on Temporary Help Agencies and their Clients
For the past month, we have reported extensively on the Interim Report issued on July 27, 2016 by the Special Advisors undertaking the Changing Workplaces Review. Previous issues of the FTR Now have reported on potential changes to Personal Emergency Leave, the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA), and the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA)…
Annuitization of Supplementary Pension Benefits: Less Favourable Tax Treatment Arrives January 1, 2017
On January 1, 2017, changes to Canadian tax rules come into force that will impact how certain annuity payments are taxed. For prescribed annuities purchased after that date, more of each payment will become taxable as a result of these changes…