Canadian Payroll Reporter

7 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 Legislative Roundup PM #40065782 profit-sharing plan or an employ- ee trust if they have one. In addition, employers who are part of an associated corporation or corporate partnership must designate one corporation to file a Schedule for Associated Corpo- rations/Corporate Partnerships. New Brunswick Minimum wage will rise to $11 April 1 The New Brunswick govern- ment will raise the province's minimum wage rate from $10.65 an hour to $11.00 on April 1. The government has been studying proposals for index- ing the minimum wage rate and is expected to make legislative and/or regulatory changes this year to allow for it. Newfoundland and Labrador Minimum wage to jump 25 cents The Newfoundland and Labra- dor government will raise the province's minimum wage rate from $10.50 an hour to $10.75 on April 1. Gerry Byrne, the minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, said the govern- ment will raise the rate again on Oct. 1 to $11.00. He added that the rate hikes will bring the Newfoundland and Labra- dor minimum wage rate in line with the rates in other Atlantic provinces. In February, the provincial government held consultations on how to index future minimum wage changes. A background paper on the consultations set out a number of options for in- dexation, including using the consumer price index, average weekly earnings, low income cut off, and market basket measures to set the minimum wage rate. Nova Scotia Minimum wage to hit $10.85 Minimum wage rates in Nova Scotia are going up on April 1. The province adjusts its mini- mum wage rates every year based on the previous year's na- tional consumer price index. The rate for experienced work- ers (those with at least three months' experience) will increase from $10.70 an hour to $10.85. The rate for inexperienced workers (those with less than three months' experience) will rise from $10.20 to $10.35. Ontario Annual EHT report due by March 15 Employers who are required to pay the Employer Health Tax (EHT) must file their Annual Return with Ontario's finance ministry no later than March 15. The ministry uses the form to calculate the employer's total EHT owing for the previous year. For employers who remit the tax in monthly instalments, the ministry uses the form to com- pare the instalments already paid for the year with the total tax due to determine if there is a refund owing or a balance due. Employers who are members of an associated group must also submit an Associated Employers Exemption Allocation form. Only one employer in the group is re- quired to complete and submit it. Reconciliation form due by March 31 Employers who pay monthly pre- miums to Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for workers' compensa- tion coverage must file an annual Reconciliation Form with the WSIB by the end of the month. The WSIB uses the form to compare the employer's actual earnings for the previous year with the amounts the employer reported monthly throughout the year. Quebec Minimum wage rates rising in May The Quebec government will raise minimum wage rates over the next four years, beginning with a rate hike on May 1, La- bour Minister Dominique Vien recently announced. The government will in- crease the general minimum wage rate from $10.75 an hour to $11.25. The rate will also apply for employees in certain sectors of the clothing industry. Vien also said the govern- ment plans to raise the general minimum wage rate to $11.75 in 2018, $12.10 in 2019 and $12.45 in 2020. She said the rate for em- ployees who receive tips will increase from $9.20 an hour to $9.45 on May 1. The rate will rise to $9.65 in 2018, $9.80 in 2019 and $9.95 in 2020. The minimum wage rates for workers who pick berries will also go up on May 1. The rate for raspberry pick- ers will increase from $3.18 per kilogram to $3.33, while the rate for workers who pick straw- berries will rise from 85 cents a kilogram to 89 cents. Vien did not specify future wage hikes for berry pickers. Saskatchewan Regulatory amendments clarify leave rules The province's labour ministry has amended regulations under The Saskatchewan Employment Act so that they provide more in- formation on how to determine if employees have fully used their leave for compassionate care or for a critically ill child. The revised regulations, which took effect Dec. 15, specify that employees who return to work from time to time while on one of these leaves have not ended their leave just because they are at work if, in between each time they return to work, they take at least one week off to provide care or support to the gravely ill family member or critically ill child and the total amount of time off does not exceed the maximum allowed (28 weeks for compassionate care leave and 37 weeks for leave for a critically ill child). When determining if an em- ployee has taken the maximum amount of leave, employers must count only periods when an employee is on leave and ex- clude those when the employee periodically returned to work. When determining whether an employee on leave is still providing care or support, the regulations now stipulate that this means directly providing care, participating in providing care, providing psychological or emotional support, or arrang- ing for another person to pro- vide the care. from ANNUAL on page 1 CPR | March 2017 from page 2 the report include: • Service Canada should adopt a "citizen-centric approach" to EI including seeking feed- back from Canadians and revising service standards based on their priorities and expectations. • Service Canada should ensure that its employees and manag- ers have the proper training, tools, and expertise to provide service excellence. • Service Canada should adopt a volume-based funding model for the EI program so that it can better handle fluctuations in the volume of claims it receives. • Service Canada should ex- amine its EI appeals process to determine why a large number of initial decisions are overturned. In addition, the government should review the efficiency, fairness, and trans- parency of its Social Security Tribunal. • Service Canada should re- place its outdated technology systems with modern process- ing technology and updated systems at its call centres. While not commenting on specific recommendations, Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said he has asked ESDC to "produce an action plan for a revised strategy that reflects new initiatives and ac- tions" in response to the report.

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