Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER September 18, 2017 NEWS 3 To order your subscription call 1.800.387.5164 or 416.609.3800 www.payroll-reporter.com/subscribe Canadian Payroll Reporter is designed to keep you up to date on legislation, regulations, court decisions, technology advances and other developments that affect payroll departments. With the help of Canadian Payroll Reporter you will be able to prioritize your needs and invest in options that optimize your resources. Discover the latest policies and initiatives of the CRA, and how to apply them to your workplace. Receive timely information on pension reform, tax changes, parental leave and other requirements that affect the payroll function. PROVEN METHODOLOGY, PROFOUND IMPACT AND SUSTAINABLE RESULTS Access a sample issue now at: bitly.com/CPR-FreePreview-16 Subscribe today for only $99 * Order No. 20186-17-68660 Save $80 Payroll Reporter Can R Can R adian adian a www.payroll-reporter.com September 2016 see BRITISH COLUMBIA page 7 PM #40065782 Legislative Roundup Changes in payroll laws and regulations from across Canada News in Brief pg. 4 Feds still working to fi x Phoenix payroll problems|B.C. Tax Commission to issue report in October|Little change in average weekly earnings in May Ask an expert pg. 5 Reporting fake SINs|Successor employers and vacation entitlement |Maintaining benefi ts while on leave Alberta Reminder: Minimum wage rates going up The general minimum wage rate in Alberta will rise from $11.20 an hour to $12.20 on Oct. 1. The rate will now apply to liquor servers since the government is eliminating a separate minimum wage rate for them on Oct. 1. Other minimum wage rates are also going up at the beginning of October. The rate for certain salespersons specified in provincial regulations will rise from $446.00 per week to $486.00. The rate for domestic employees who live in their employer's residence will in- crease from $2,127 per month to $2,316. Labour Minister Christina Gray says the government will keep an see CONSIDER on page 6 Credit: Adwo/Shutterstock New folio pg. 3 The CRA has retired its Employee Fringe Benefi ts Employer Interpretation Bulletin and replaced it with a new Income Tax Folio chapter. Advocacy leads to changes Canadian Payroll Association works with government to ensure payroll's voice is heard BY SHEILA BRAWN CODES NOW replace footnotes on the T4. There are now higher thresholds for Can- ada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec accelerated remitters. There are now graduated penalties for late remittanc- es. The timeframe for issuing electronic ROEs now better aligns with pay cycles. These are just some of the changes the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) has successfully advocated for governments to make in recent years. From source deduc- tions to year-end reporting to employment standards and workers' compensation, CPA president and CEO Patrick Culhane says the association regularly works with government officials and civil servants to make payroll-related laws more efficient and effective for employers, government, employees and the general public. "Advocacy is important to us," says Culhane. "Our core purpose is payroll compliance through education and see GRADUATED page 2 Payroll technology changes don't have to cause headaches Research, well-defi ned plan and stakeholder inclusion help transition BY KIM GROOME BECAUSE PAYROLL plays such a critical role, it can be easy to jus- tify keeping your existing solution even when it means managing work-arounds, manual processes and maintaining external spread- sheets. In spite of this, to provide the best possible experience for em- ployees and to make a more strategic impact in your organization, The Canada Revenue Agency in Ottawa has worked with the Canadian Payroll Association through the years in making changes to payroll-related laws. Start your subscription and receive: • 12 issues of Canadian Payroll Reporter • Full access to www.payroll-reporter.com (including a searchable archive of articles) • Email alerts to keep subscribers up-to-date on breaking news and notifications of new issues TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER *Available to first-time subscribers only More global workers set sights on Canada Country leapfrogs U.K., Australia to take second spot as employees' preferred destination: Poll BY MARCEL VANDER WIER CANADA has quietly jumped into second place among pre- ferred global destinations for employees considering moving abroad for work. While the United States re- mains firmly in front, Canada has leapfrogged both the United Kingdom and Australia in terms of desirability, according to a poll released by the Canadian Employ- ee Relocation Council (CERC), a not-for-profit organization in Toronto. e 2017 CERC Global Mo- bility Survey garnered respons- es from 10,091 workers in 20 countries. e U.S. dropped by four per- centage points to 30 per cent compared to 2012, while Canada jumped two points to 22 per cent, ahead of the United Kingdom and Australia — both at 19 per cent af- ter incurring small declines. Canada's surge comes as other more typical employee destina- tions experience unrest, said Ste- phen Cryne, president and CEO of CERC. "With what's going on within other regions of the world, Can- ada is seen as being open to mi- gration," he said. "I don't think it tells a defi nitive story, but what it does is give us insight into the thinking and trends that are out here amongst working women and men." "At a time when countries like the U.K., the U.S. and Australia are making it more diffi cult to get people to come, Canada's going in the opposite direction, and I think that's a good thing. We are on the right track when it comes to the development of policy. We're seen as a beacon, frankly, on the immi- gration fi le, in terms of having a good system." Policy a driving factor e fi ndings are a result of Can- ada's progressive immigration programming, some of which has been intentionally created to lure top global talent, said Cryne. "We have the Express Entry system, a new Global Skills Strat- egy," he said. "Canada is seen on a global basis as being very progres- sive in the development of its im- migration programs. It's also seen as very welcoming to immigrants." e research lends support to the country's eff orts at attracting workers, said Cryne. " is gives support for the busi- ness community's eff orts to pro- mote more open mobility with our government," he said. "And I think it gives our government informa- tion that they're on the right track in terms of developing a more pro- gressive migration policy." Canada's rise in desirability concurs with what is happening on the ground, according to Wan- da Cuff -Young, vice-president of operations at Work Global Cana- da in St. John's. "You see what's happening in the United States," she said. "All you have to do is turn on the television. It's causing a lot of disconcert." Canada also has many attrac- tive benefits — especially free health care and friendly immigra- tion policies, said Cuff -Young. SAFE > pg. 16 Recruiting happy workers Not only does Canada sit high on the list of preferred global work destinations, it also ranks fi fth in an international study of employee happiness conducted by global staffi ng fi rm Robert Half. The United States is in top position, followed by Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, according to the report It's Time We All Work Happy which surveyed 23,000 working professionals across Europe, North America and Australia. The top drivers of employee happiness in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. are pride in one's organization, feeling appreciated and being treated with fairness and respect, said Dianne Hunnam-Jones, a district president at Robert Half in Toronto. Those drivers vary by country, she said. "It helps because once you know where people's heads are at, as a hiring manager, you can recruit to that," said Hunnam- Jones. "It's almost given you a road map to recruiting by country. When I look at the top drivers by country, if I was an international recruiter, I would know what to put in my ad, how to position my questions to attract the right person." "We're seen as a beacon, frankly, on the immigration fi le."

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