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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
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