On March 25, 2010, the Ontario Government tabled Bill 16, Creating the Foundation for Jobs and Growth Act, 2010, omnibus legislation that will amend various statutes to give effect to initiatives outlined in its 2010 Budget – Open Ontario: Ontario’s Plan for Jobs and Growth (the “Budget”). This FTR Now provides a summary of those…
Publication Name: FTR Now
2010 Federal Budget: Highlights for HR Professionals
On March 4, 2010, the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, tabled the Government of Canada’s 2010 Budget (the “Budget”), titled “Leading the Way on Jobs and Growth”. The Budget represents the second and final phase of the Government’s “Economic Action Plan”, which was initiated in the 2009 Budget with a view to lifting…
Federal Government Tables 2010 Budget
On March 4, 2010, the federal Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, tabled the Government of Canada’s 2010 Budget (the “Budget”) in the House of Commons. The Budget represents the second phase of the Government’s “Economic Action Plan”, which was initiated in the 2009 Budget with a view to lifting the Canadian economy out…
Supreme Court of Canada Dismisses Negligence Action in Case Involving Miners Killed During Bitter Strike
In Fullowka v. Pinkerton’s of Canada Ltd., 2010 SCC 5, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an appeal by survivors of miners killed in a 1992 explosion at Giant Mine (NWT) owned by Royal Oaks. They claimed damages against the security company Royal Oaks had hired to protect the miners and against the territorial government…
CPP Deductions on Disability Payments: New Guidance from the Federal Court of Appeal
On January 28, 2010, the Federal Court of Appeal rendered its decision in Toronto Transit Commission v. Minister of National Revenue (“TTC”), which will be of interest to employers who provide long term disability (“LTD”) benefits to their employees through self-funded or administrative services only (“ASO”) arrangements. According to the Court’s decision in TTC, Canada…
New Background Check Policies Squeezing Employers
Late last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) issued a directive to agencies that facilitate national criminal background checks. The directive outlines significant changes to the process governing the dissemination of criminal record information, and the process by which such agencies may conduct name-based criminal record verifications. In this FTR Now, we discuss these…
Extending Access To Information Obligations To Ontario Hospitals: What Would It Mean?
In late October of last year, the Ontario Hospital Association asked the provincial government to extend coverage of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to hospitals as a means of promoting transparency and public accountability. This bulletin outlines the basic features of Ontarios access to information regime and raises questions about…
Municipalities Exposed To Construction Collective Agreements
In a recent decision, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) held that key non-construction employer provisions of the Ontario Labour Relations Act, 1995 (the Act) were unconstitutional. In this FTR Now, we discuss how the decision could have an impact on the ability of municipalities to tender construction work. BACKGROUND The construction industry labour relations…
Ontario Introduces Draft Pension Reform Legislation
INTRODUCTION Following on the heels of the Report of the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (“OECP”), the Ontario Government released draft pension reform legislation on December 9, 2009. Bill 236, Pension Benefits Amendment Act, 2009 (“Bill 236”) marks the beginning of what the Government is calling a multi-stage pension reform process to modernize Ontarios pension…
Ontario Government Passes Workplace Violence Legislation
On December 9, 2009, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 168, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace), 2009. Bill 168 will come into effect on June 15, 2010. Bill 168, which requires employers to develop policies to address workplace violence and harassment and to assess the risk of violence…