On November 20, 2015, amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) which affect Ontario’s temporary help industry and its clients will come into force. The amendments were contained in Bill 18, Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, which we previously discussed in our FTR Now of July 21, 2014, Ontario Reintroduces Legislation…
Publication Type: Article
Federal Election 2015: Employers’ Obligation to Provide Paid Time Off to Vote
A federal election has been called for October 19, 2015. Under the Canada Elections Act (“Act“) all employees who are electors – Canadian citizens who are 18 years of age or older – are entitled to three (3) consecutive hours on election day during voting hours to cast their vote. In this FTR Now, we…
An Update on WSIB Rate Framework Reform
In March 2015, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) released a preliminary Rate Framework (“Proposed Framework”) which, if adopted, would fundamentally change the way the WSIB classifies Schedule 1 employers and sets their premium rates (see our FTR Now of April 17, 2015 “WSIB Rate Framework Reform: Stakeholder Input Invited”). At the same time,…
ORPP: Ontario Government Announces Implementation Details
Editor’s Note: Following publication of this communication, the Ontario government announced that the first wave of ORPP implementation will be delayed by one year to January 1, 2018. Please be sure to read our FTR Now of February 17, 2016 for updated information on this significant development, or contact your regular Hicks Morley lawyer for…
Ontario Government to Amend Workplace Laws
On May 28, 2015, the Ontario government introduced Bill 109, the Employment and Labour Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015, proposed legislation intended to effect a number of changes to workplace laws, including: the labour relations provisions of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 ("FPPA"); the Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, 1997 ("PSLRTA"); and…
Changes to the Federal Pension Investment Rules
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
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…
New ESA Compliance Obligations in Force May 20, 2015
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….
SCC Clarifies Test for Qualifying as an Expert Witness
Expert evidence has been a hot topic in Canadian law recently. Following this trend, in White Burgess Langille Inman v. Abbott and Haliburton Co., the Supreme Court of Canada considered the duty owed by an expert witness to the court to be independent, impartial and unbiased. The Court clarified that where an expert is “unable”…
Ontario Budget 2015
On April 23, 2015, the Ontario Minister of Finance tabled the 2015 provincial Budget, “Building Ontario Up” (“Budget”), and Bill 91, Building Ontario Up Act (Budget Measures), 2015 (“Bill 91”), omnibus legislation designed to implement some of the proposals contained in the Budget. In this FTR Now, we highlight some of the key proposals that…