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November 22, 2007 - On April 1 2008 Manitoba's minimum wage will be increased by 50 cents to
$8.50 an hour.
October 4, 2007 - The second stage of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower
Protection) Act covering employees reporting wrongdoings in the public service is now in effect.
July 26 2007 - The new Canadian government intends to move two amendments to Bill C-44 that
calls for the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This has prevented First Nations, mainly living
on reserves, from full protection under an Act that has been in force for 30 years.
March 31 2007 - Labour Minister Steve Peters has announced that Ontario's
general minimum wage will increase by 75 cents per hour annually to reach $10.25 on March 31, 2010.
February 28, 2007 - Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will increase by 40 cents an hour March 1, 2007.
June 9 2006 - New Brunswick's minimum wage will increase to
$6.70 per hour from the current $6.50 on July 1.
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March 9 2006 - One of the largest unions in Ontario
has asked for workplace violence to be covered by the province's health and safety
legislation.
January 25 2006 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour has updated and amended the confined space requirements in the existing Industrial, Construction, Health Care and Mining Regulations to develop a separate, stand-alone Confined Spaces Regulation
January 5 2006 - Amendments intended to improve benefits, increase
prevention, and strengthen accountability and governance measures came into effect January 1 2006.
September 15 2005 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Division has
prepared a Health and Safety guideline for computer operators.
August 2 2005 - (Quebec) On June 17, 2005, Bill 112 received Royal Assent and will come into force on May 31, 2006 with exceptions. Employers should start developing an agenda for effective compliance with the new requirements.
July 6 2005 - (Alberta) Additional guidelines regarding hiring of employees
between the ages of 12 to 14 in the Food and Restaurant industry
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) Bill 144 was passed on the last day of the Parliamentary session, and was
the focus of harsh criticism from the labour movement.
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) When enacted, the legislation will reverse workplace policies
and collective agreements that allow businesses and unions to discriminate against older
employees and force them to leave their jobs when they turn 65.
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) The new legislation establishes a
province-wide smoking ban in all enclosed public places in Ontario, including workplaces.
May 31 2005 - Employees and
employers now have a mechanism to ensure first collective greements are settled in a timely
fashion.
May 31 2005 - Employees who report wrongdoing now have even stronger protection following amendments to the Labour Standards Act introduced by the Saskatchewan government on November 19, 2004.
May 30 2005 - The Nova Scotia government announced that the minimum wage
rate will increase by 30 cents on October 1, 2005, to $6.80 per hour.
May 19 2005 - Attendance management is a perennial problem for human resource managers.
The problem is compounded when the employee purports to have a medical condition that is
poorly understood, hard to prove (or disprove) and is intermittently absent. Honda Canada
Inc. made some terrible mistakes in the case of one of its employees, Kevin Keays. A trial
judge awarded the employee two years notice and $500,000 in punitive damages.
May 18 2005 - On May 4, 2005, in a precedent-setting decision, the Ontario Court of
Appeal overturned a provision in the Employment Standards Act that allows employers
to deny severance packages to disabled workers who can no longer continue in their jobs
because of an illness or injury that "frustrates" the employment contract.
May 18 2005 - Nova Scotia has one of the highest workplace injury rates in Canada.
May 18 2005 -
On May 5, 2005, the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity for
Quebec tabled proposed legislation, Bill 102, An Act Respecting the Funding of Certain
Pension Plans, to temporarily relax certain rules relating to the funding of defined
benefit pension plans and defined benefit contribution plans.
May 1 2005 -
There are roughly 10,000 bankruptcies per year, many of which leave behind employees who are
owed back wages, benefits and pension contributions.
April 29 2005 -
Alberta’s minimum wage will increase from $5.90 to $7.00 an hour on September 1, 2005.
April 21 2005 -
Disciplinary probation is a process for addressing employee misconduct.
April 21 2005 -
On March 9, 2005, the Alberta government tabled Bill 15, the Workers' Compensation Amendment Act.
April 21 2005 -
Introduced in the Legislature March 23rd, Bill 35, the Employment Pension Plans Amendment Act, will give private sector pension plan members better access to information such as the financial status of their pension plans to ensure improved transparency and accountability.
April 21 2005 -
On March 3, 2005, in Newmarket, Ontario, Criminal Code charges were withdrawn against the construction supervisor who became the first person in the country charged under the Criminal Code’s new Health and Safety criminal liability of organizations and individuals who direct work, Bill C-45.
March 30 2005 -
In Alberta, under the Employment Standards Code, overtime is
treated on a daily and/or weekly status.
March 30 2005 -
The new provisions will enable employers and unions to develop a flexible pension plan.
March 17 2005 -
Several provinces including Alberta and Ontario have developed a
national identity theft kit that can be used by businesses to protect customer data
and comply with federal and provincial privacy legislation.
March 17 2005 -
The federal and Quebec government have signed an
agreement that will as of January 1, 2006, allow Quebec to have its own parental leave
insurance (EI) program.
March 17 2005 -
On February 18, 2005, the Labour Standards Division of the Nova Scotia
Environment and Labour Department tabled their report Averaging Review which
includes three recommendations on the flexibility of managing overtime hours in the
province for consideration.
March 17 2005 -
Based on the recommendations of the Minister of Industry, the Canadian
Governor in Council is proposing to declare the Ontario Personal Health Information
Protection Act, (PHIPA) substantially similar to the federal Personal Information
Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
March 1 2005 -
Fragrance sensitivity and other chemicals can become a workplace concern
when it leads to absences or a decline in worker productivity. For many employees, being
exposed to perfumes and chemicals in the workplace can pose a serious health risk.
February 27 2005 -
As of January 15, 2005, the Ontario Ministry of Labour has included the
new ticketing tool (on-the-spot offence notices) as part of their enforcement strategy to
reduce workplace injuries by 20 percent over four years.
February 21 2005 -
Discrimination against persons with disabilities is a widely acknowledged
reality in Canada.
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December 3 2004 -
How gifts and awards given to employees are dealt with under the federal Income Tax Act.
November 30 2004 -
Recent court cases have broadened the scope of employer
responsibility for monitoring employee behaviour at company-sponsored events where
alcohol is served.
November 30 2004 -
If an employer overpays an employee's wages, the overpayment may be deducted from future wage payments.
October 27 2004 -
In an October 6, 2004 ruling that could set a precedent, a trade union
obtained a landmark decision that collective agreements containing a dormant clause
requiring payment of OHIP Health premiums require employers to fund the new Ontario
Health Premium (OHP) that came into force July 1, 2004.
September 27 2004 -
It was recently reported in the Media that a Longueuil-based aerospace company told several employees they had breached company policy. Some received disciplinary notices, some were suspended and others lost their jobs. The employees were from various departments at Pratt & Whitney. The reports indicated that it was not the first time action was taken for unauthorized use of company electronics equipment.
September 27 2004 -
It was recently reported in the press that a 68-year-old construction
supervisor in Ontario became the first person in the country charged under the new
Health and Safety criminal liability of organization under the Criminal Code (Bill C-45).
September 24 2004 -
Bill C-13 (amends the Criminal Code) that target prohibited insider trading
and deter intimidation of employees reporting unlawful conduct in their workplace are key
features of the legislation that is now in effect.
August 2 2004 -
The first Monday in August, which is often called "Civic Holiday" or "Simcoe Day" is a
municipal holiday generally observed in Ontario.
July 15 2004 -
On June 29, 2004, the Ontario Legislative Assembly gave Royal Assent to
Bill 56, Employment Standards Amendment Act (Family Medical Leave), 2004.
June 7 2004 -
The mandatory retirement issue has recently come into focus in Ontario.
June 7 2004 -
New occupational health and safety duties and criminal liabilities have been added to the Criminal Code that affect both individuals and organizations in Canada.
May 21 2004 -
CRA has indicated that they are going to become more stringent in requiring documentation of personal versus business use of automobiles.
May 21 2004 -
On April 26, 2004, the Ontario government tabled legislation that significantly amends the Employment Standards Act.
April 30 2004 -
Proposed legislation to provide up to eight weeks of job-protected, unpaid time off work for employees who need to care for gravely ill family members who have a significant risk of dying within 26 weeks.
April 30 2004 -
Amendments to the Criminal Code which impose criminal liability for corporate wrongdoing received Royal Assent by the Senate on March 29, 2004. When the new legislation comes into force, it will expose organizations and their employees to criminal liability for insider trading, tipping and whistleblower retaliation.
April 30 2004 -
A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision has stated that the amount of bonus payable when an employee resigns or is terminated during the year should be addressed in the written employment contract.
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