Canadian Payroll Reporter - sample

4 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 Legislative Roundup May 2017 | CPR PM #40065782 Between 2019 and 2023, the federal government will gradu- ally raise the employee and em- ployer CPP contribution rate from 4.95 per cent to 5.95 per cent for earnings up to the yearly maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE). Beginning in 2024, it will im- plement a separate contribution rate of four per cent each for em- ployers and employees for pen- sionable earnings between the YMPE and a new upper earnings limit. In 2024, the upper earn- ings limit will be 107 per cent of the YMPE. In 2025, it will rise to 114 per cent (or approximately $82,700). Alberta Government reviewing workplace laws The Alberta government is re- viewing the province's Employ- ment Standards Code and La- bour Relations Code to "ensure Alberta has fair, modern and family-friendly workplaces that support a growing economy." The employment standards review will focus on issues such as unpaid leaves — including introducing a leave for the care of critically ill children — and improving enforcement and ad- ministration. The government says the la- bour relations review will focus on ways "to make the code fairer, more balanced and effective." It has appointed labour lawyer An- drew Sims to provide advice and support for the review. Working group makes ESC recommendations for farm workers A government-appointed panel studying employment standards protections for farm workers in Alberta recommends full cov- erage for some standards and exemptions and special rules for others. The Employment Standards Technical Working Group re- cently submitted its recommen- dations to the provincial govern- ment. The group is one of six that the government established last year to develop recommen- dations on how workplace laws should apply to employers and employees in the agriculture sector. The group recommended that the Employment Standards Code's provisions covering pay- ing earnings, employee records, unpaid leaves, and terminations continue to apply to paid, non- family farm and ranch workers. It also recommended that agriculture employees who are family members of the em- ployer be exempt from all of the standards. Other recommendations for paid, non-family employees include: • exempting them from hours of work and overtime standards, but giving them four days off work every 28 days • covering them under the code's vacation standards, with vaca- tion pay based on a maximum of 44 hours of pay per week • for holidays, employers should have the choice to pay workers the amount required under the code, straight time for hours worked plus a day off, or 3.6 per cent of their wages, based on a maximum of 44 hours of pay per week • workers over 16 years of age should be paid at least the min- imum wage rate. The rate for those under 16 should be 75 per cent of the minimum wage rate. The group recommended that the government phase-in changes and provide education sessions on them. Manitoba Government tables bill requiring referendum before raising taxes The Manitoba government is proposing legislative changes that would require it to hold a non-binding referendum before tabling legislation that would increase rates for income tax, the Health and Post Secondary Education Tax Levy, or retail sales tax. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen introduced Bill 21, The Fiscal Responsibility and Tax- payer Protection Act, in the pro- vincial legislature March 13. The bill would also require the gov- ernment to table a budget before April 30 every year. In addition, it would restrict the ability of the government to run deficits, including levying financial penalties against min- isters when deficits occur. Government tables bill to reduce regulatory requirements The Manitoba government is proposing changes to the prov- ince's regulatory system that it says will make it "transparent, effective and efficient." Finance Minister Cameron Friesen tabled legislation March 14 that would require the pro- vincial government to eliminate two regulations for every new one it creates until March 31, 2021. The two regulations removed would have to be at least twice the administrative burden of the new one. After that date, the new rules would require the govern- ment to eliminate at least one regulation of equal or greater administrative burden for each new regulation it implements. Bill 22, The Regulatory Ac- countability Act and Amend- ments to the Statutes and Regu- lations Act, would also require the government to annually track and report on the number of regulations and to review reg- ulations three years after intro- ducing them to ensure they are effective and efficient. Ontario Minimum wage rates going up The general minimum wage rate in Ontario will rise from $11.40 an hour to $11.60 on Oct. 1, the provincial government recently announced. The rate for liquor servers will rise from $9.90 an hour to $10.10, while the rate for students under age 18 who work fewer than 28 hours a week (or more during school vacation) will increase from $10.70 to $10.90. Employment standards inspection blitz finds violations A recent Ontario Ministry of Labour inspection of employ- ers with previous employment standards violations found that only about 26 per cent were fully complying with the rules. From Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 last year, employment standards of- ficers inspected 104 workplaces in the province as part of an in- spection blitz focusing on repeat violators. They concentrated primarily on sectors that the ministry said have a high rate of precarious employment, such as professional services, building services, amusement and rec- reation industries, and personal care services. The ministry said repeat vio- lations can be an indicator that an employer is intentionally or willfully violating the Employ- ment Standards Act, 2000. The most common monetary violations were for standards covering public holidays, over- time and vacation with pay. The most common non-monetary violations were for standards covering hours of work, record- keeping and written agreements for vacation pay. Quebec Reminder: Minimum wage rates increased May 1 The general minimum wage rate in Quebec increased from $10.75 an hour to $11.25 on May 1. The rate increase also applies to employees in certain sectors of the clothing industry. The minimum wage rate for employees who receive tips rose from $9.20 an hour to $9.45 on May 1. The government also in- creased the minimum wage rates paid to workers who pick berries. The rate for raspberry pickers rose from $3.18 per kilo- gram to $3.33, while the rate for workers who pick strawberries went from 85 cents a kilogram to 89 cents. from CPP on page 1

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