Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER January 23, 2017 16 FEATURES the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was the year that was in Credit: Courtesy RCMP Alberta/Handout via REUTERS Protecting trans people e federal government put forward legislation meant to protect transgender people in Canada. e bill would add "gender identity" and "gender expression" to the prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and also amend the criminal code to include gender identity and expression under hate crimes provisions. Saskatchewan workers' psychological injuries presumed work-related Saskatchewan lawmakers ruled that all forms of psychological injuries — for all workers — are now presumed work-related in the province. While the alteration should benefi t more people fi ling workers' compensation claims, critics expressed concerns about the fi nancial impact on employers, specifi cally in terms of mischievous claims. Credit: Chris Wattie (Reuters) Amazon tries out 30-hour workweek, with managers included Once again making waves, Amazon revealed it was experimenting with a 30-hour workweek for a select group of employees in the United States. e program saw technical teams made up entirely of part-time workers who were salaried and received the same benefi ts as traditional 40-hour workers but were given 75 per cent of full-time pay. Fighting fi re Already facing a very tough economy, Alberta suff ered major setbacks in May when a massive wildfi re swarmed the city of Fort McMurray. Tens of thousands of residents and employees were forced to fl ee, and employers had to quickly put crisis management plans into action. Phoenix woes for federal workers highlight challenges for payroll Glitches with a new Phoenix payroll system made for pay woes for thousands of federal civil servants who were either paid too much, too little or nothing at all. e challenges served as a warning for employers making payroll-related changes, such as the implementation of a new in-house system, outsourcing payroll, switching providers or moving to a diff erent pay period. Managing marijuana With more relaxed rules around medical marijuana, along with federal legislation looking to legalize marijuana in Canada in 2017, employers were wondering if the drug could become more of an issue when it came to pre-employment or on-the-job drug testing. "Once marijuana becomes legal, how do we test for impairment by marijuana in the same way we do for driving under the infl uence of alcohol? What are the legal limits? We're heading into new territory," said Georg Reuter, a partner at Richards Buell Sutton in Vancouver. Credit: Boltenkoff (Shutterstock) Credit: ValeStock (Shutterstock) Drug testing at Toronto transit More than four years into arbitration over its "Fitness for Duty" policy, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was keen to move forward with random drug and alcohol testing of employees. It had technically been part of the policy since 2011 but funding for the program wasn't approved. Before the company could move forward with the policy, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 had taken the issue to arbitration. Managing marijuana With more relaxed rules around medical marijuana, along with federal legislation looking to legalize marijuana in Canada in 2017, employers were wondering if the drug could become more of an issue when it came to pre-employment or on-the-job drug testing. "Once marijuana becomes legal, how do we test for impairment by marijuana in the same way we do for driving under the infl uence of alcohol? What are the legal limits? We're heading into new territory," said Georg Reuter, a partner at Richards Buell Sutton in Vancouver. about the fi nancial impact on employers, specifi cally in terms of mischievous claims. Credit: ValeStock (Shutterstock) Drug testing at Toronto transit More than four years into arbitration over its "Fitness for Duty" policy, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was keen to move forward with random drug and alcohol testing of employees. It had technically been part of the policy since 2011 but funding for the program wasn't approved. Before the company could move forward with the policy, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 had taken CHRP becomes CPHR – outside of Ontario e Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations and the eight provincial associations that make up the national body aligned under the name and designation CPHR — Chartered Professionals in Human Resources — or CPHR Canada. e national association's member bodies include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec. e change came after Ontario's HR association decided in 2014 to launch a three-tiered designation, consisting of the Certifi ed Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Certifi ed Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and Certifi ed Human Resources Executive (CHRE).

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