Canadian Payroll Reporter - sample

4 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 Legislative Roundup August 2017 | CPR However, ESDC said that with changes to SIN rules a few years ago, responsibility for obtaining a SIN has moved from employ- ers to employees, making the section irrelevant. "Since the requirement to ap- ply for a SIN is the responsibil- ity of the employees, as defined under subsection 89(1) of the Employment Insurance Regu- lations, the onus now falls on them rather than the employer, to ensure they obtain a SIN," it said. The EI regulations require employers to ask new employees for their SIN within three days after they begin work. Employ- ees are obligated to give their SIN to the employer within that period or, if they do not have a SIN, within three days after they receive it. Employers who are not able to obtain a SIN must contact the local office of the Canada Em- ployment and Insurance Com- mission within six days after the employee begins work. Remembrance Day one step closer to statutory status A private member's bill to have Remembrance Day recognized as a legal holiday is a step closer to reality after getting support in the House of Commons in June. Bill C-311, An Act to amend the Holidays Act (Remem- brance Day), passed third read- ing in the house on June 21. The bill, sponsored by Liberal Member of Parliament Colin Fraser, would not make Re- membrance Day a paid holi- day across Canada. Instead, it would give the day the same status of "legal holiday" in the Holidays Act as Victoria Day and Canada Day. "Personally, I believe that it would be appropriate for Re- membrance Day to be a statu- tory holiday in every province and territory in Canada," he told the House of Commons last fall when speaking about the bill. "However, I completely re- spect that it is not within the purview of parliament to enact such a law, and of course, the bill does not do so," said Fraser. "Nevertheless, I believe that if the bill is passed and our parliament reinforces in this way the importance of Nov- ember 11, it can give the prov- inces that do not already do so a good opportunity to revisit whether they want to mark Re- membrance Day as a statutory holiday in their jurisdictions," he said. Most jurisdictions in Canada include Remembrance Day as a statutory holiday under their labour standards law, except for Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. British Columbia Minimum wage expected to rise next month The British Columbia general minimum wage rate is sched- uled to rise from $10.85 an hour to $11.35 on September 15. But the province's new government has yet to confirm the hike. With no political party win- ning a majority of seats in the provincial legislature in the May 9 election, the province's gov- ernment has been uncertain. The B.C. Liberal Party, which won the most seats, but not enough for a majority, tried to form government in June, but was defeated on a non-confi- dence vote. The province's lieutenant- governor has invited the pro- vincial New Democratic Party to govern. The B.C. Green Party caucus has signed an agreement to sup- port the NDP caucus. One of the points in the agree- ment would require the govern- ment to set up an arm's-length fair wage commission. It would study options for raising the minimum wage rate to at least $15-an-hour, oversee regular minimum wage reviews, and recommend ways to address differences between the mini- mum wage and a living wage. The minimum wage is cur- rently adjusted each year based on increases in the province's consumer price index for the previous year. However, with the province's economy doing well, the pre- vious Liberal government an- nounced last year that minimum wage rates would rise beyond indexation in 2016 and 2017. Earlier this year, it proposed to raise the general minimum wage rate to $11.35 as of Sept. 15 and to increase the rate for liquor servers from $9.60 an hour to $10.10. Other minimum wage rates would rise proportionate to the general minimum wage rate. New Brunswick Province making pay equity adjustments The New Brunswick govern- ment has approved pay equity adjustments of $8.4 million over 10 years for employees in three groups represented by the New Brunswick Union (NBU). Employees receiving the adjustments are professional support workers in schools, specialized health-care profes- sionals, and medical science professionals. "Pay equity is crucial to ensur- ing that people are paid for their work in a non-discriminatory way," said Treasury Board Presi- dent Roger Melanson. "Wages should reflect the value of the job, regardless of whether it is a male or a female doing the job." To date, the Treasury Board has completed eight pay equity studies in the public service for female-dominated groups of employees. NBU president Susie Proulx- Daigle said she was pleased with the pay increases so far. "There is still work to be done, however this is a step forward for pay equity in our province," she said. Finance Minister Cathy Rog- ers said the province plans to implement pay equity in other parts of the public sector. "We also encourage all pri- vate sector employers to exam- ine the wage gap within their or- ganizations and assess whether discrimination or pay inequity exists, and we will continue to look for opportunities to work with the private sector in achieving this important goal," she said. Newfoundland and Labrador Report shows support for indexing minimum wage A report on consultations into indexing the minimum wage rate in the province states that most participants favour tying wage changes to the consumer price index, with adjustments occurring annually. The report, which Labour Minister Gerry Byrne released in June, summarizes consulta- tions held over the winter to consider options such as using the consumer price index, av- erage weekly earnings, low in- come cut off, or market basket measures to set the minimum wage rate. The report concludes that although there were differing opinions on the potential im- pact of minimum wage changes, "there was support for a trans- parent and open method for ad- dressing future minimum wage adjustments." It also notes that some partici- pants wanted the rate increased to a living wage before indexing it. Others voiced support for a cap on wage hikes and for the government to halt minimum wage increases during econom- ic downturns. The report also found support for implement- ing wage changes on April 1 like the Maritime provinces do. Byrne said the government would take the report into ac- count in determining its next steps. Saskatchewan Minimum wage rising in October The minimum wage rate in Sas- katchewan will rise from $10.72 an hour to $10.96 on October 1, the Ministry of Labour Rela- tions and Workplace Safety re- cently announced. Under Saskatchewan law, the government uses annual chang- es in the province's consumer price index and average hourly wage to set the minimum wage rate. Annual adjustments take effect October 1. from CPP on page 1

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