Canadian Payroll Reporter

7 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2016 CPR | May 2016 Legislative Roundup that all workers can benefit from our success." Last year, Bond announced that in 2016 the government would begin indexing the prov- ince's minimum wage rates using increases in the consumer price index (CPI) for British Columbia for the previous year (rounded to the nearest nickel). Wage rate changes would take effect Sept. 15, with the government giving employers six months' notice of the new rates. "The scheduled increase, based on this year's B.C. CPI, does not reflect the economic circumstances of the province," she said in a news release. This year's provincial budget noted that the B.C. economy is expected to grow by 2.7 per cent this year, well ahead of the na- tional average of 1.8 per cent. Bond said she expects to an- nounce minimum wage changes this spring. She added that the new rates would take effect Sept. 15 as planned. The general minimum wage rate in the province is currently $10.45 an hour. The minimum wage rate for liquor servers is $9.20 per hour. New Brunswick Government proposes ESA amendments The provincial government is proposing to make amendments to the province's employment standards law that would affect employee pay statements, pay- roll records and compassionate care leave. Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister, Francine Landry, tabled Bill 30, called An Act to Amend the Em- ployment Standards Act, in the provincial legislature on March 29. At publication time, the bill was still before the legislature. The bill would amend the Employment Standards Act to specify that employers may only provide employees with electronic pay statements if the employees have a way to make a paper copy of them. The proposed amendment would apply in addition to cur- rent provisions in the act that require employers that want to use electronic pay statements to provide employees with con- fidential access to them in the workplace. The bill would also amend record-keeping standards to specify that employers must re- tain records on the date an em- ployee's employment ends. In addition, it would increase the number of weeks that an employee may take for a com- passionate care leave from eight to 28. The bill would also extend the period within which employ- ees may take the leave from 26 weeks to 28 weeks. The amendments affecting pay statements and records would come into force on Jan. 1, 2017. The compassionate care leave changes would take effect once the bill receives royal assent. Newfoundland and Labrador Government to review minimum wage The Newfoundland and Labra- dor government says it plans to review the province's minimum wage rate this year. In its Throne Speech to open the first session of the 48 th Gen- eral Assembly in early March, the government said it would consult with labour organizations and employers to establish a mini- mum wage formula that reflects changes to the cost of living in the province. The current minimum wage rate in Newfoundland and Labra- dor is $10.50 an hour. This is not the first time cost- of-living changes have been proposed in Newfoundland and Labrador. In recent years, a number of provincial governments have revised their minimum wage calculations to include cost-of- living changes. Ontario Private members' bills propose leave changes A private member's bill before the Ontario Legislature would allow employees to take a job- protected leave from work if they or their child experiences domestic or sexual violence. The proposals are part of Bill 177, the Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Leave, Ac- commodation and Training Act, 2016, which NDP MPP Peggy Sattler tabled in the legislature on March 8. Private member's bills are ta- bled by MPPs who are not cabi- net ministers. The bill has passed second reading and has been referred to a legislative committee for fur- ther study. While it is not common for private member's bills to be- come law, sometimes they pass all stages of the legislative pro- cess and are enacted. The bill does not specify how long a leave for domestic or sex- ual violence would last. Instead, it proposes that an employee be allowed to take a leave for "a reasonable time" or for a period that would be set out in regulations under the act. The bill also proposes that the leave only be allowed for certain purposes, such as seeing a doc- tor, going to a victim services' organization or meeting with a lawyer. The bill would require em- ployers to pay employees for up to 10 days of the leave each cal- endar year. The pay would have to equal their regular wages for the days missed. If the employee did not have regular work hours, the em- ployer would have to pay the employee the total amount of regular wages earned and va- cation pay payable in the four weeks before the leave began, divided by 20. The employer would also be required to provide the employ- ee with reasonable accommo- dation for the employee's work hours and work location, unless it caused the employer undue hardship. Another private member's bill proposes to allow employees to take a job-protected leave of absence if their child (under 18 years old) dies. NDP MPP Peter Tabuns tabled Bill 175, Jonathan's Law (Employee Leave of Absence When Child Dies), 2016, in the legislature on Mar. 8. At publication time, it had not progressed beyond first reading. The proposed leave of ab- sence would be unpaid and would last for up to 52 weeks. Employees would have to be employed by their employer for at least six consecutive months to be eligible. Prince Edward Island Reminder: Minimum wage rate going up The Prince Edward Island gov- ernment will increase the prov- ince's minimum wage rate on Jun. 1 from $10.50 per hour to $10.75. The government will raise the rate again on Oct. 1 to $11 an hour. Quebec Reminder: Minimum wage rates increased May 1 Minimum wage rates in the province went up on May 1. The general minimum wage rate increased from $10.55 an hour to $10.75. This rate also applies to em- ployees in certain sectors of the clothing industry. The rate for employees who receive tips rose from $9.05 an hour to $9.20. The minimum wage rate for raspberry pickers increased from $3.12 per kilogram to $3.18. The rate for workers who pick strawberries rose from 83 cents a kilogram to 85 cents. from BRITISH COLUMBIA on page 1

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