199 Results

FTR Now

Key Highlights of Federal Budget 2021

· 26 min read

On April 19, 2021, the federal government tabled its 2021 Budget “A Recovery Plan For Jobs, Growth, And Resilience” (Budget). The Budget sets out a broad range of proposals stemming from the pandemic, such as an extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and an increase to the length of Employment Insurance (EI) sickness…

FTR Now

Proposed New PBGF Disclosure Requirements

· 3 min read

On April 15, 2021, the Ontario government released draft amendments to Ontario Regulation 909 under the Pension Benefits Act (PBA), which provide new details of the Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund (PBGF) reporting requirements that will soon apply to registered pension plan administrators with Ontario members. In this FTR Now, we highlight the key details of…

FTR Now

On April 16, 2021, the Ontario government extended the declared emergency made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) as well as the Stay-at-Home Order until May 5, 2021. Additional restrictions for the Rules for Areas in Stage 1 (Shutdown Zone), made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020,…

Reaching Out

Reaching Out – Fifteenth Edition

· 12 min read

Dear Friends, We are back with another edition of Reaching Out. With 2020 behind us and some light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel, we thought it appropriate to reconnect with our Social Services clients with a Spring edition of Reaching Out. We chose not to publish Reaching Out last year as we…

FTR Now

On April 7, 2021, the Ontario government declared its third emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and issued its second Stay-at-Home Order under that Act, effective April 8 at 12:01 a.m. Stay-at-Home Order (Order) The Order is similar in wording to the Stay-at-Home Order issued in January 2021, with some minor modifications….

FTR Now

Ontario Tables 2021 Budget

· 5 min read

On March 24, 2021, the Ontario government tabled its 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy (Budget), and introduced supporting implementation legislation, Bill 269, Protecting the People of Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2021.   In this FTR Now, we highlight certain aspects of the Budget that are of broad interest to…

Human Resources Legislative Update

On February 10, 2021, the Ontario government published a consultation paper seeking stakeholder input regarding possible changes to the exemptions from the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 (Act). Because the information disclosed as a result of police record checks is often used to assist in determining suitability for employment, employers may wish to offer their…

FTR Now

On January 27, 2021, the Ontario government announced proposed changes to the sexual harassment and violence policies of colleges, universities and private career colleges. These policies are required by legislation. The government states the proposed changes are designed to increase campus safety and to encourage victims to report instances of sexual violence and harassment without…

Human Resources Legislative Update

The Ontario government has updated its COVID-19 tool for screening workers before they go to work each day. The “COVID-19 Screening Tool for Businesses and Organizations (Screening Workers),” issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, contains several changes of note to employers. These include: a reference to the regulatory screening requirement under O. Reg….

Case In Point

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently released two decisions which consider the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) provisions of the Courts of Justice Act. The provisions are aimed at discouraging actions that have the harmful effect of chilling individuals and organizations from speaking out on matters of public interest. The first decision of the…