Canadian Payroll Reporter

February 2018

Focuses on issues of importance to payroll professionals across Canada. It contains news, case studies, profiles and tracks payroll-related legislation to help employers comply with all the rules and regulations governing their organizations.

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Payroll Reporter Can R Can R adian adian a www.payroll-reporter.com February 2018 New employee leaves now in eff ect Legislative changes in Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan BY SHEILA BRAWN LEAVE for domestic violence. Personal/family re- sponsibility leave. Critical illness leave. Leave for tra- ditional aboriginal practices. Citizenship ceremony leave. These are just some of the new leaves with which payroll professionals in several Canadian ju- risdictions must now familiarize themselves. Over the last couple of months, governments in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan have imple- mented new leaves under their employment stan- dards laws. The federal government has also recently passed amendments to the Canada Labour Code (CLC) that, once in force, will allow federally regu- lated employees to take new leaves of absence. Like other leaves permitted under employment standards, employers must allow eligible employees to take time off for the new leaves. They are also pro- hibited from dismissing, suspending or otherwise punishing employees for taking them. see ROUNDUP page 7 PM #40065782 Legislative Roundup Changes in payroll laws and regulations from across Canada see MORNEAU page 6 Credit: Jukka Jantunen (Shutterstock) Federal budget guessing game MPs, business groups, labour unions make suggestions for 2018 fi scal year BY SHEILA BRAWN BETWEEN now and the end of spring, the federal government and most provinces/territories will release their revenue and spending plans for the fiscal year. Depending on what happens, payroll professionals may have to implement income tax rate changes, new taxable benefit rules, mini- mum wage adjustments or other payroll-related tax changes. Of all the budgets, the federal document often has the most pay- roll-related changes since Ottawa is responsible for the federal In- come Tax Act, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), employment insur- ance (EI), and source deduction remittances and reporting. Canada Changes coming to labour code Recently passed amendments to the Canada Labour Code will bring a variety of changes for federally regulated employers and employees once the federal government implements them. The changes were included in Bill C-63, the Budget Implementa- tion Act, 2017, No. 2, which received royal assent on Dec. 14. The government has not said when it will bring the amendments into effect. Among the changes: • Employees will be allowed to take time off in lieu of overtime pay if they request it. Employees will earn at least 1.5 hours of time for each overtime hour. see CHANGES page 2 News in Brief pg. 4 Most workers not taking full vacation time | Government releases social security review | Auto rates announced | CRA announces ceilings for housing benefi ts In pursuit of fairness pg. 10 Quebec report takes aim at pension, group insurance plans Federally regulated Aboriginal employees will soon be allowed to take time off work, without pay, each year to take part in traditional practices such as hunting, fi shing, and harvesting. Ask an Expert pg. 5 Upcoming minimum wage changes | Distributing T4s through email | Fuel cards may be a taxable benefi t

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