Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 CANADIAN HR REPORTER WEEKLY After weeks of speculation, Ontario's Progressive Conser- vative (PC) government announced recently it hopes to repeal much of the previous Liberal administration's Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017. Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, was introduced to "enable more Ontario employers to boost job creation and investment by cutting unnecessary regulations that are inefficient, inflexible and out of date, while maintaining standards to keep Ontarians safe and healthy," said the government. e new reforms would include maintaining the province's minimum wage at $14 per hour until 2020, whereupon increases will once again be tied to inflation, while personal emergency leave (PEL) would be replaced with a framework that allows employees three unpaid days off for personal illness, two for bereavement and three for family responsibilities. Current provisions for domestic and sexual violence would be maintained, while regulatory burdens around scheduling slated to come into effect as of 2019 would be repealed via the Labour Relations Act. "We are lightening the burden on businesses and making sure that hard work is rewarded," said Ontario Labour Minister Laurie Scott. "Businesses should have confidence in reasonable and predictable regulations. And everyone who works should have the confidence of a good job and a safe workplace." e legislation will re-energize small business owners — many of whom are ready to close up shop, said Tony Elenis, president and CEO of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association in Mississauga. "Bill 148 was probably the most onerous regulatory framework that hit our industry for a number of reasons — and all at once," he said. "I'm very optimistic that this sends a loud message for investment, and also for those poor guys that work day and night... just to make ends meet. ere's more and more now that are just saying, 'I've had enough.'" Minimum wage, holiday pay It is important to remember a minimum wage increase was never part of the previous Liberal government's Chang- ing Workplaces review, said Elenis, noting the truncated timeline for an increased base rate forced many hospitality employers to cut part-time staff and increase menu prices. "Business needs to operate on a plan," he said. "It's too much, too soon, and it's not about going up with the minimum wage. ere's nothing wrong with going up with it, but it's just the speed." "ere were businesses that had more benefits before than they have now. You don't hear that all over the news, but they had to claw back to make sure their bottom line was sustainable." Via Bill 47, the averaging public holiday pay formula prescribed by Bill 148 would return to the previous pro- rated formula for good. Bill 148's public holiday provisions were an "administrative nightmare," according to Rachel de Grâce, director of advocacy and legislative content at the Canadian Payroll Association in Toronto. "We tried to stop the public holiday train, but it had already left the station," she said. "We certainly weren't the only people to ask for either a total or partial repeal of (Bill) 148." "What (Bill) 47 changes are things that needed to be changed from an employer administration side," said de Grâce. "Although it just creates an additional step right now to review policies… to turn the clock back Ontario employment standards to undergo another revamp PC government moves to freeze minimum wage, alter personal emergency leave rules BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Sign up for the Canadian HR Newswire today for free and enjoy great content from the publishers of Canadian HR Reporter. HR News at Your Fingertips THE LATEST NEWS THE BEST COMMENTARY DELIVERED WEEKLY FOR READING ON ANY DEVICE Visit www.hrreporter.com/ canadian-hr-newswire

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