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…
Industry: Social Services
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 Moves Forward with BPS Executive Compensation Restraint
On September 6, 2016, the Ontario government published Ontario Regulation 304/16 “Executive Compensation Framework” (Regulation) under the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014 (BPSECA), which provides the compensation framework in accordance with which compensation programs for “designated executives” under the BPSECA must be developed, including a detailed process and specific one-year timeline for their development…
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…
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…
Review of Ontario’s Solvency Funding Framework for Defined Benefit Pension Plans Sets Out Potential Options For Change
As described in our FTR Now of July 26, 2016, Marshall Consultation Paper on Ontario Pension Solvency Funding Framework Released, the Ontario government is undertaking a review of the current solvency funding framework (the Marshall Review) under the Ontario Pension Benefits Act (PBA)…
Employer Workplace Harassment Obligations Coming Into Force September 8, 2016
On September 8, 2016, changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act are coming into force which place additional duties on employers with respect to the prevention of workplace harassment. As previously reported, these changes have been brought about by Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence…