Publication Type: Article

Preparing for Canada’s New Anti-Spam Legislation

· 12 min read

Canada’s new anti-spam legislation is coming soon. Commonly referred to as “CASL”, the new legislation will impose strict obligations that apply to a range of business emails and other electronic communications that you might not consider to be “spam”. All businesses, even those without formal email marketing programs, should assess their potential exposure to CASL…

When is a Pension Assignment not an Assignment?

· 6 min read

Pension plan administrators are often required to interpret the wording of court orders and separation agreements to determine whether there is a valid and effective assignment of an interest to a member’s former spouse. Until now, the courts have not provided clear guidance on what language is needed in order to create an assignment. On…

The Federal Contractors Program: What Employers Need to Know

· 6 min read

While human rights legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions prohibits discriminatory hiring practices, only the federal government has legislation, the Employment Equity Act, which requires employers to engage in a review of their employment and hiring practices to ensure the diversity of their workforces. The Employment Equity Act, however, only applies to that subset of employers…

Public Sector Pension Fund Pooled Asset Management

· 9 min read

The 2012 Ontario Budget announced the Government’s intention to study the advantages of pooled asset management for Ontario’s approximately 100 public sector and broader public sector pension funds. Mr. William Morneau was appointed to lead the study and his report, Facilitating Pooled Asset Management for Ontario’s Public – Sector Institutions (the “Report”) was released by…

Enjoying a Safe Holiday Office Party

· 4 min read

Once again, the holiday season is upon us and it is that time of year when employers begin to plan for seasonal and holiday celebrations. Whether these celebrations are large or small, it is important that employers take proactive steps to ensure the health and safety of their employees who attend office parties or other…

Pinto Report on Ontario Human Rights Review Released

· 6 min read

On November 8, 2012, the Ontario government released the long-awaited “Report of the Ontario Human Rights Review 2012” (the “Report”), which reviews the changes made to the Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”) in 2008. Andrew Pinto, author of the Report, sets out several recommendations with respect to streamlining the existing system. This FTR Now…

Pension Solvency Funding Relief Is Here…Again

· 7 min read

INTRODUCTION On November 1, 2012, important amendments were made to the Pension Benefits Act Regulation 909 (the “Regulation”). The amendments extend the temporary solvency relief measures for eligible defined benefit pension plans and make housekeeping changes to the sections requiring defined benefit pension plans to file annual, rather than triennial, actuarial valuations. This FTR Now…

Ontario Court of Appeal Decision Rewrites the Pension Pre-Retirement Death Benefit Regime

· 7 min read

On October 31, 2012, a majority of the Ontario Court of Appeal awarded the pre-retirement death benefit payable under an Ontario registered pension plan to a member’s designated beneficiaries rather than to his common law spouse. The majority’s decision in Carrigan v. Carrigan Estate (“Carrigan”) is a departure from the pension industry’s widely held interpretation…