Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 11, 2017 NEWS 7 fair if nobody's going to hire me. And while trying to help myself, it turns out I was helping my com- munity in return as well… I knew if (these issues) were happening to me, and I'm smart and educated and I'm talented, then they're hap- pening to everybody." e obstacles are usually re- lated to transphobia and a lack of education or understanding, said Beauttah — "just society's igno- rance when it comes to how they deal with people who are trans, because we seem to be relegated to the very bottom, the most mar- ginalized in this society." But the response from employ- ers has been encouraging, she said. "We're not at a crossroads but we're almost at the cusp of a new wave of thinking for humanity." And the trans community should benefit from the increased visibility and positive media cov- erage of the job fair, she said. "It obviously boosts awareness and… for lack of a better word, normalizes us in society. And change takes times, but it's hap- pening as we speak." Employers get onboard The Durham District School Board (DDSB) in Whitby, Ont., is always looking to diversify its workforce, so participating in the job fair made sense, according to Barry Bedford, education officer at the board. "We do a lot with the trans population out with our board, we have different kinds of staff net- works, student networks, things like that, so we're always looking to truly practise what we preach in the sense that the more diverse the board is, the better the mes- sage we give when educating stu- dents. So this was an opportunity to get more people interested in our board — we jumped at it." ere's definitely a need for this kind of event, he said. "We always say we're so for- ward-facing within Canada but I think we all have growth that needs to happen." e DDSB, for example, has been doing anti-oppression train- ing for all its staff over the last three years, along with updating schools with all-gender wash- rooms. But more could still be done, said Bedford. "We want this community to know that they're certainly sup- ported within our communities. Will some situations occur? We can't stop everything bad from happening to everyone, but are we proactive in trying to get ahead of the ball? Absolutely." For correctional services, it's important to ensure diversity and inclusion are part of the recruit- ment strategy, according to Ryan Sandberg, regional recruiter for the central region at the Ministry of Community Safety and Correc- tional Services in Toronto. "One of the big things that we are trying to do is build a work- force that is representative of the communities that we serve, so part of that is having representa- tion from the trans community in our institutions," he said. "A big part of this is to show we are an inclusive, diverse organiza- tion and we are supportive of all staff, all communities, so it's very important we are here to show our support for the community, and encourage members of the community to come work for us as well." Meanwhile, Parks Canada participates in a lot of job fairs because the usual methods of at- tracting people don't always work, according to Greg Bryant, HR manager in Peterborough, Ont. "Going online, using the federal government's website is great, but we see, especially in some com- munities, we don't get necessarily a representative sampling, people don't think of us as an employer. So, we do outreach like this; this is a great example of a diverse community that maybe we're not meeting, so it's a chance to get more good folks to work for Parks (Canada)," he said. e agency has had an LGBTQ working group for about 20 years now, and "it's pretty darn active," said Bryant, citing as an example its participation in conferences across North America. "We're not all the way there yet, and I think that's another compo- nent of being here today is to lis- ten and learn a bit." For the Canadian Forces, the Trans Workforce job fair is an- other opportunity to be out in the community, according to Peter Antonew, lieutenant-commander at the Canadian Forces recruiting centre for southern Ontario in Toronto. "We have different channels we communicate with the public with, whether it's online through forces.ca, but we also know that attending career fairs is another great opportunity to pass our message on about the jobs that are available for people," he said. e trans community is not a particular area of focus for the Ca- nadian Forces, said Antonew, as its employment equity is focused on women, visible minorities and indigenous people. "But there are Canadian citi- zens here who are looking for jobs, whether it's an event like this or a Pride event, Caribana, it's an op- portunity with people, and it's the first one (directed at trans people) so obviously we would like to par- ticipate in it and spread our mes- sage about the job opportunities we have." Indigo was excited to be at the job fair considering the company's inclusive environment, according to Agatha De Santis, vice-presi- dent of talent in Toronto. "We ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly, regardless of their race, age, gender identity or sexual orientation. We are always looking to refine our processes from our supply chain to market- ing to hiring. Transgender people work in both our stores as well as our home office, and we're look- ing forward to speaking with pro- spective talent who are interested in working at Indigo." We want 'to practise what we preach' JOB FAIR < pg. 1 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. 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