In 2014, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA) was amended by Bill 18, the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, to enact a broad regulation-making power with respect to injuries incurred by temporary help agency assignment employees who are injured while working for a client of the agency. Specifically, the injury…
Industry: Social Services
Ontario Re-Introduces Pay Transparency Legislation
On March 20, 2018, the Ontario government reintroduced its pay transparency legislation in the form of Bill 3, Pay Transparency Act, 2018. See our post of March 6, 2018, Ontario Introduces Pay Transparency Legislation, for more information about the Bill. The earlier iteration of this Bill had died on the order paper when the Legislature…
Ontario’s Proposed New Anti-Racism Standards
As we previously reported, the Ontario Anti -Racism Act (ARA) came into force on June 1, 2017. One of the purposes behind the ARA is to allow certain organizations to collect information that will be used to identify and monitor systematic racism and racial disparities for the purpose of eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial…
Ontario Publishes Description of Proposed Variable Benefits Regulations for DC Plans
The Ontario government posted a description of proposed regulations on March 20, 2018 enabling it to implement the variable benefit (VB) provisions applicable to defined contribution (DC) plans under the Ontario Pension Benefits Act (PBA). Background – DC Decumulation Currently, Ontario members of DC plans who have terminated their employment with the plan sponsor and…
Reminder: Equal Pay for Equal Work Provisions in Force April 1, 2018
On April 1, 2018, amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 regarding equal pay for equal work will come into force. Among other things, the provisions prohibit employers from paying different rates of pay to their employees because of a difference in employment status, where the employees perform substantially the same kind of work in…
Ontario Introduces Pay Transparency Legislation
On March 6, 2018, the Ontario government introduced Bill 203, Pay Transparency Act, 2018, which creates certain requirements for employers regarding compensation information and its disclosure to employees and potential employees. If passed, Bill 203 would, among other things: prohibit employers from seeking the compensation history regarding a potential employee, although that person may voluntarily…
Federal Budget 2018
On February 27, 2018 the federal government tabled its 2018 Budget, Equality & Growth: A Strong Middle Class (Budget). The Budget contains several key initiatives, including a new Employment Insurance parental sharing benefit, the permanent extension and expansion of the Employment Insurance Working While on Claim pilot project…
2018 Federal Budget Tabled
On February 27, 2018, the federal government tabled its Budget 2018, Equality + Growth: A Strong Middle Class. We are currently reviewing the Budget and an FTR Now which highlights initiatives of particular interest to employers, human resource professionals and pension plan administrators will be available shortly on our website. (Editor’s Note: Our FTR Now,…
FSCO Launches Targeted Compliance Review of Member Option Statements
In March, 2018, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) will commence a targeted review of pension plan member option statements to verify compliance with key requirements under the Pension Benefits Act (Act) and FSCO policies. In particular, FSCO will focus its targeted review on whether plan administrators are: meeting requirements for statement content and…
Are Service Providers Liable for Harassment Between Customers? The Divisional Court Weighs In
In City of Toronto v. Josephs, the Divisional Court reviewed a recent decision of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal) and specifically addressed the question of a service provider’s liability for harassment issues arising between customers. In so doing, the Court has provided useful guidance for organizations that provide services to the public, and…