Industry: Social Services

Reaching Out – Eighth Edition

· 21 min read

Dear Friends, Before everyone becomes distracted by the beautiful weather and blooming flowers, we wanted to provide you with our Spring Edition of Reaching Out. We hope that it will give you some valuable information that you can put to good use during the hazy days of summer. Leanne N. Fisher, an Associate in our…

Alberta Extends Deadline for Filing Amendments Relating to EPPA Reform

· 1 min read

As previously reported, the pension reforms in British Columbia will come into force on September 30, 2015. Amendments to plans registered in British Columbia which reflect the new legislative requirements must be filed by December 31, 2015.  While likely to follow suit, the Ontario pension regulator, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, has not yet…

Employment Standards Enforcement Blitzes Announced for Ontario Workplaces

· 1 min read

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has announced that it will do province-wide enforcement blitzes of workplaces that employ “new, young and vulnerable workers engaged in “precarious employment”” and temporary foreign workers to ensure that employers are complying with their obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. The blitzes will take place from May 1 to…

Changes to the Federal Pension Investment Rules

· 7 min read

In March 2015, the federal government published final regulations amending investment rules under the Pension Benefits Standards Regulations, 1985 (“Regulations”). These reforms apply to federally registered pension plans and to pension plans registered in provincial jurisdictions that have adopted Schedule III of the Regulations, as amended (the “Federal Investment Rules” or “FIR”). As we previously…

Ontario Begins Consultations on Labour and Employment Reform

· 6 min read

On May 14, 2015, the Ontario government formally commenced the "Changing Workplaces" consultations first announced in February. To facilitate this process, the government also published a guide outlining the scope of the consultations, the specific issues on which the government is soliciting feedback and instructions on how to participate. You can view the government’s announcement…

B.C. Pension Reforms Effective September 30, 2015

· 2 min read

Effective September 30, 2015, British Columbia’s new Pension Benefits Standards Act (“PBSA”) and supporting regulation, the Pension Benefits Standards Regulation (the “New Regulation”), will come into force, at last implementing key legislative changes originally passed by the British Columbia government in the spring of 2012. Plans must be administered to reflect the new legislative requirements…

(Yet Another) Ambiguous “ESA-only” Termination Provision Unenforceable

· 2 min read

Another “ESA-only” termination provision in an employment contract has been found unenforceable by the Ontario Superior Court. In Howard v Benson Group, the Court decided that the termination provision providing only Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) minimum entitlements was ambiguous; therefore, the common law applied and the plaintiff was entitled to reasonable notice of termination….

New ESA Compliance Obligations in Force May 20, 2015

· 5 min read

Effective May 20, 2015, amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA“) compliance obligations will come into force. These include new poster requirements and new powers for employment standards officers to order employer “self-audits.” In this FTR Now, we will review the new rules, and the impact that they will have on employers in Ontario….

Claim Against Employer Arising out of Social Event Allowed to Proceed

· 2 min read

The decision of K.L. v. 1163957799 Quebec Inc. raises a caution for employers when planning social events. The employer hosted an unstructured evening social event at a water park where employees had unrestricted access to alcohol. The plaintiff brought an action against the employer and a supervisor as a result of an alleged sexual assault…