On April 23, 2015, the Ontario government tabled the 2015 provincial Budget, “Building Ontario Up” (“Budget”) and Bill 91, Building Ontario Up Act (Budget Measures), 2015 (“Bill 91”), supporting omnibus legislation designed to implement some of the proposals contained in the Budget. We are in the process of reviewing the Budget and Bill 91, and…
Industry: Transportation & Warehousing
Federal Budget 2015
On April 21, 2015, the Minister of Finance tabled the 2015 Federal Budget, “Strong Leadership: A Balanced-Budget, Low-Tax Plan for Jobs, Growth and Security.” This FTR Now focuses on some of the key proposals that are of particular interest to employers, human resources professionals and pension plan administrators. These include: changes to registered retirement income…
WSIB Rate Framework Reform: Stakeholder Input Invited
On March 31, 2015, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) released a number of discussion papers which propose a preliminary Rate Framework which, if adopted, would fundamentally change the way the WSIB classifies Schedule 1 employers and sets its premium rates. Under the proposal, the Secondary Injury and Enhancement Fund (“SIEF”) and existing experience…
HRTO Clarifies the Scope of Employer and Service Provider Code Obligations
Two recent decisions from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”) provide helpful guidance on the scope of employer and service provider obligations under the Human Rights Code (“Code”), including the proper scope of the duty to accommodate and the question of who may bring a Code application. In this FTR Now, we review these…
FSCO Updates Form 1 (Pension Plan Registration), Asset Transfer FAQs
On April 7, 2015, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (“FSCO”) published a revised Application for Registration of a Pension Plan, Form 1 and added new frequently asked questions for plan administrators (“FAQs”) with respect to Multi-Jurisdictional Pension Plan Asset Transfers, among other things. The Form 1 has been updated to provide FSCO with additional…
Ontario Minimum Wage Increasing to $11.25 on October 1, 2015
On March 19, 2015, the Ontario government announced that the general minimum wage will increase from $11 to $11.25 per hour, effective October 1, 2015. A list of the new minimum wage rates for students, liquor servers, hunting and fishing guides and homeworkers is available on the Ministry of Labour’s website. Background information on the…
New Holiday Pay Provisions Now in Effect
As we reported in our January 2015 FTR Now, significant reforms to the general holiday pay provisions of Part III of the Canada Labour Code come into force effective March 16, 2015. Federally regulated employers are reminded that the amendments include the introduction of a new “holiday pay” formula and the elimination of certain qualifying requirements….
Committee To Hold Public Hearings on ORPP Bill
The Standing Committee on Social Policy will hold public hearings in Toronto on Bill 56, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015 (“ORPP Bill”) commencing March 23, 2015. Hearing dates will continue on March 24, March 30 and March 31, 2015. Interested persons who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation on Bill…
New BPS Compensation Restraint Law to Come Into Force March 16
The Ontario government’s new compensation restraint legislation – the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014 (or "BPSECA") – will come into force on Monday, March 16, 2015. While the proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor has not yet been published in The Ontario Gazette, it is listed in the government’s online listing of proclamations and…
Ontario Releases Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment
On March 6, 2015, the Ontario government published It’s Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment, a targeted action plan (“Plan”) to address sexual violence and harassment in Ontario, in part through significant legislative reforms and sector-specific training initiatives. Among other things, the Plan will target sexual violence and harassment in…