Canadian Payroll Reporter

CPR_JUNE_2013v7.qxp:Canadian Employer.qxd 13-05-27 11:50 AM Page 7 CANADIAN PAYROLL REPORTER L E G I S L AT I V E RO U N D U P C H A N G E S I N PAY RO L L L AW S A N D R E G U L AT I O N S F RO M AC RO S S C A N A D A ■ ALBERTA ■ QUEBEC ■ YUKON TERRITORY Alberta introduces PRPP legislation Quebec introduces bill for VRSPs The government of Alberta has introduced pooled registered pension plan (PRPP) legislation that will give residents access to a "viable, low-cost private pension option," according to Minister of State (Finance) Ted Menzies. Bill 18, the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act, will allow employers, employees and the self-employed to access PRPPs. These large, defined contribution plans will be managed by plan providers, such as banks and insurance companies, and be open to any employer or individuals. Pooled pension plans have low fees, meaning members will pay less for the management of their plan and, as a result, save more for their retirement, said the Alberta government. And portability of the pension plans will allow members' accumulated benefits to move with them from job to job. Quebec has introduced a bill to establish voluntary retirement savings plans (VRSPs) in the province. The plans would be accessible to all individuals, including selfemployed workers and workers at employers that do not subscribe to such a plan. Any individual may contribute to a VRSP, as may any employer on behalf of the employees. However, as of January 2014, employers must automatically enroll employees in the plan if they have five eligible employees or more who have one year of uninterrupted service, and if they do not have a registered retirement savings plan or tax-free savings account for which payroll deductions could be made, or a registered pension plan. These employees, however, can opt out of the plan, according to Bill 39. Yukon amendments help parents of murdered, missing or critically ill children ONLINE EXTRAS Parents who need to take time off work to care for a critically ill child or deal with the trauma of a murdered or missing child will be protected from job loss with the passing of amendments to Yukon's Employment Standards Act. The amendments provide job protection provisions and enable parents to take leaves of absence without pay to access federal benefit programs created for these circumstances. The federal Employment Insurance Act will allow up to 35 weeks of financial benefits for parents who are away from work to care for a critically ill child. The benefits are expected to take effect this summer, once Canada's Bill C-44 is proclaimed, amending the Employment Insurance Act. Also available on www.payroll-reporter.com Now there's even more Canadian Payroll Reporter available online. Weekly earnings: We've added a section to our website with up-to-date information on average weekly earnings from across the country. Information will be updated monthly. Minimum wage: Stay up to date on the legislated minimum wage in each province from across the country. When a province increases its minimum wage, Canadian Payroll Reporter will let you know. Global news: If something happens elsewhere in the world that Canadian payroll professionals should know about, we'll post it on our website's homepage. Videos: Visit Canadian Payroll Reporter online to see payroll-related videos on everything from complying with Ontario's pay equity legislation to recruiting for payroll by Canadian HR Reporter TV. ■ Go to www.payroll-reporter.com and click on "Multimedia" in the left-hand nav bar to view video. More HR-related videos are also available on our sister site at www.hrreporter.com. Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 7

• Cover