Canadian HR Reporter

August 2018 CAN

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

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PM40065782 RO9496 THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT August 2018 www.hrreporter.com NATIONAL PHARMACARE 'NO MAGIC BULLET' page 17 Concerned about cannabis HR has major role to play before Oct. 17, say experts page 3 Decades of harassment Single mother in Ontario awarded $200,000 for abuse page 5 Tackling trust issues The challenges of knowledge hiding and cynicism page 10 Should HR start preparing for change? BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Credit: Chris Wattie (Reuters) A national pharmacare program would replace public drug plans and employment-based private plans in some fashion. B.C. Premier John Horgan's NDP government has overhauled the province's workplace leave of absence framework. Credit: Nick Didlick (Reuters) 5 roadblocks to recognition Old-school programs, short-term xes and bureaucracy can weaken process A s the discussion of a national pharmacare pro- gram heats up once again across Canada, em- ployers may want to begin bracing for impact, according to experts. ose who believe national pharmacare is a chance to offl oad major health costs are gravely mistaken, said Brett Skinner, CEO of the Canadian Health Policy Institute in Toronto. In reality, private employers will be saddled with an alternative tax burden equal to previous fees for private sponsor plans, he said. " is seems like the chance of a lifetime to get rid of their drug benefi t costs. (But) they're going to tax businesses or employers one way or another to get this out of them. e other proposal, of course, is to tax employees themselves for receiving private benefi ts." Building a plan On June 20, the federal government fl eshed out its six- member Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, chaired by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins. e council's mandate includes a fi scal, economic and social assessment of pharmacare models in Can- ada and across the world, with a fi nal report expected to recommend the implementation of a national UPHEAVAL > pg. 16 Leave alterations present challenges for B.C. employers New options could raise logistical, fi nancial issues, say experts BY SARAH DOBSON NEW or extended leaves recent- ly unveiled in British Columbia might not be unexpected but could still pose challenges for em- ployers, according to experts. " e issues for employers aren't necessarily new ones — employers have been dealing with leave issues and the impact on the workplace for a long time — but it does pro- duce some new considerations, both fi nancial and administrative ones," said Marino Sveinson, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright in Vancouver. "In terms of preparation, though, any diligent employer can prepare for the changes without much issue." e B.C. government has made changes around maternity, paren- tal and compassionate care leaves, along with introducing two new leaves around children. PROVINCES > pg. 8 Decades of harassment Single mother in Ontario awarded $200,000 for abuse Tackling trust issues The challenges of knowledge hiding and cynicism 5 roadblocks to recognition Old-school programs, short-term xes and bureaucracy can weaken process Leave alterations Leave alterations present challenges present challenges for B.C. employers for B.C. employers © 2018 Venngo Inc. All rights reserved. learn more at www.venngo.com 2 0 1 8 READERS' DISCOUNT PROGRAM PROVIDERS CHOICE HR Reporter - Page Footer Ad_003.indd 1 2018-07-16 4:14 PM

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