Payroll Reporter
Can
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Can
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adian adian a
www.payroll-reporter.com
March 2016
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Legislative Roundup
Changes in payroll laws and regulations
from across Canada
News in Brief pg. 4
New Brunswick budget proposes tax
changes| Health, dental plans top
employee benefi ts| Unemployment
rate in January | Average weekly
earnings in November
Ask an expert pg. 5
How employers should
respond to new rules
for compassionate care
leave|Determining if an
auto allowance is taxable
see BUSINESS page 2
Ontario delays but
does not kill ORPP
Postponement gives employers more
time to adjust and government time
to reach an agreement to enhance CPP
BY SHEILA BRAWN
LARGE EMPLOYERS are going to have an extra year to prepare
for Ontario's new pension plan, provincial Finance Minister Charles
Sousa says.
Responding to calls from a number of organizations, including
the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA), to delay the implemen-
tation of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP), Sousa an-
nounced that employers with 500 or more employees that do not
Manitoba
Province to review
workers' compensation law
The provincial government is launching a review of Manitoba's
Workers Compensation Act, Labour and Immigration Minister Erna
Braun recently announced.
A committee of business, labour and general public representa-
tives will reviewe the act to ensure it continues to meet the needs of
employers and workers in a changing workplace, she added.
The act requires that there be a comprehensive review of the leg-
islation at least once every 10 years. The last review took place a
see EMPLOYER on page 6
Credit:
REUTERS/David
W
Cerny
Under the microscope pg. 3
By regularly reviewing company
policies and practices, payroll can help
ensure it's complying with the latest
employment standards
Debate still rages over wages
Labour wants end to minimum wage diff erences, business wants more categories
BY SHEILA BRAWN
WHAT IS FAIR when it comes to mini-
mum wage?
Not surprisingly, labour and business
groups have different perspectives on the is-
sue, as do various provincial governments.
One aspect of minimum wage that clearly
shows the differences is whether all mini-
mum wage workers in a province should be
paid the same rate.
Debate around this issue has intensified
in recent months with the Alberta govern-
ment's announcement it would eliminate a
lower minimum wage rate for liquor servers
on Oct. 1. Liquor servers are paid a lower
rate because they can generally increase
their earnings through tips.
"The liquor server rate will disappear
totally in 2016 and we will have just one
minimum wage moving forward from that
point," Lori Sigurdson, former minister of
jobs, skills, training and labour, said when
she announced the change last year.
The government took the first step
The Alberta government announced it would eliminate the lower minimum wage rate for liquor
servers in the province as of Oct. 1. But given the economy, some groups are pushing for a delay.
