On July 30, 2021, the Ontario government filed a regulation which reveals that when the province exits from Step 3 of its Roadmap to Reopen, most of the existing COVID-19-related restrictions will be lifted. One key exception will be a continuing requirement for indoor masking. The Roadmap to Reopen contemplates a safe exit from Step…
Publication Name: FTR Now
Federal Government Announces Further Extension of and Changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
On July 30, 2021, the federal government proposed to further extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) until October 23, 2021 and to hold the maximum subsidy rate at 40% during the period between August 29, 2021 and September 25, 2021. The federal government also confirmed the end of CEWS support for payments made to…
Arbitrator Upholds College’s Requirement that Employee be in Receipt of Employment Insurance Benefits to Receive SUB Payments
In Re Niagara College v. Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Arbitrator Schmidt held that revisions to pregnancy and parental leave provisions in the 2017 – 2021 academic collective agreement did not extend entitlement to Supplementary Unemployment Benefits (SUB) where an employee’s entitlement to employment insurance (EI) benefits had been exhausted. In the 2017 negotiations, the…
Ontario Moves to Step 3 of Reopening Plan
Effective July 16, 2021, all public health units in Ontario will be permitted to move to Step 3 of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen. This move comes ahead of schedule and is the result of improvements to key health indicators including decreasing COVID-19 case rates and high rates of vaccination. Once this occurs, all public…
Extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and Introduction of the Canada Recovery Hiring Program – A Summer Refresher
On June 29, 2021, Bill C-30, Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1 (Bill C-30) received Royal Assent, giving effect to many of the initiatives found in the federal government’s 2021 Budget (see our FTR Now of April 23, 2021). Bill C-30 sets out the proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act (ITA) supporting the extension…
Ontario Moves to Step 2 of Reopening Plan
Effective June 30, 2021, all public health units in Ontario will be permitted to move to Step 2 of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen. Once this occurs, all public health units in the province will be subject to the conditions established by O. Reg. 263/20, Rules for Areas in Step 2, as amended by O….
Federal Government Designates September 30 as Public Holiday for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On June 3, 2021, Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), received Royal Assent. It officially designates September 30 of each year as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This marks a new public holiday under the Canada Labour Code (Code).
Ontario to Enter Step 1 of Reopening on June 11, 2021
The Ontario government has announced that effective June 11 at 12:01 a.m., all regions of the province will enter Step 1 of its Roadmap to Reopen as the COVID-19 cases slowly begin to drop and the vaccination rates increase.
Ontario Announces Further Extension of Temporary Relief from ESA Termination and Severance Provisions
Effective June 4, 2021, the Ontario government has extended the temporary relief measures from the termination and severance provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) until September 25, 2021. The temporary measures are found in Ontario Regulation 228/20, Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL Regulation), which has been amended to define the “COVID-19 period” as that period beginning on March 1, 2020 and ending on September 25, 2021.
Details about WSIB Reimbursement Process for Paid IDEL Now Available
On April 29, 2021, the Ontario government amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to provide paid infectious disease emergency leave (IDEL) for certain absences related to COVID-19. Employers who provide paid IDEL to eligible employees are entitled to reimbursement through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), up to $200 per employee per day taken….