On June 6, 2011, the Minister of Finance, the Honourable James M. Flaherty, reintroduced the Government of Canada’s “Budget 2011, the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan—A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth.” In this FTR Now we provide a brief overview of the Budget highlights. As anticipated, the Budget includes all of the…
Tag: Fire
Federal Budget 2011
The Minister of Finance, the Honourable James M. Flaherty, tabled the Government of Canada’s 2011 Budget “A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth” in the House of Commons on March 22, 2011. In this FTR Now we review the key aspects of the Budget that are of most interest to employers and human resources professionals….
Legislature Expresses Interest in Government Presenting Mandatory Retirement Legislation for Firefighters
On March 10, 2011, a private member’s motion calling upon the Ontario government to introduce legislation allowing for the mandatory retirement of firefighters involved in fire suppression duties at age 60 was passed in the Legislature. While there is no indication at this time as to whether the government will propose such legislation, the motion…
Arbitrator Upholds Right of Fire Department to Alter Service Levels During Statutory Freeze
On November 8, 2010, Arbitrator Chauvin issued a significant award which confirmed a fire department’s right to manage its operations by determining staffing levels. Arbitrator Chauvin also concluded that the statutory freeze imposed by the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (“FPPA“) preserved this right and permitted the City to make changes to service levels…
Firefighters’ Presumptive Legislation Now Applies To Volunteers
Effective November 4, 2009, the Ontario Government has expanded its presumptive occupational disease coverage legislation for firefighters to volunteer and part-time firefighters and to fire inspectors. This coverage will apply on the same terms and for the same diseases, in accordance with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (“WSIA”). This change will have very significant…
Human Rights Tribunal Upholds Mandatory Retirement at Age 60 for Firefighters
In an important decision issued December 18, 2008, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has upheld a provision in a Collective Agreement which requires mandatory retirement at age 60 for firefighters. In the City of London decision, Adjudicator David A. Wright found that while the provision was prima facie discriminatory, it could be reasonably justified…
OMERS Supplemental Benefits: Bargaining Issues & Strategies for the Emergency Services Sector
With the passage of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Act, 2006 (“OMERS Act 2006”), police [1], firefighters [2] and paramedics [3] are now able to bargain additional OMERS pension benefits, called “supplemental benefits”. This ability to bargain supplemental benefits will have a dramatic impact on local labour relations and related costs. The OMERS Act…