The federal government is for the second time extending its program to subsidize wages in companies hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time until at least December. But the government is being warned it may have to move the end date into 2021. The program is the heart of the Liberals’ promise to help […]
More than eight million Canadians have received the $2,000 monthly Canada Emergency Response Benefit over the course of the pandemic. But labour experts say its very existence, while a triumph of policy-making on the fly, proves the need for significant reform to Canada’s employment insurance system. The pandemic quickly exposed long-standing issues with the EI […]
New draft regulations from the federal government would allow registered pension plans to borrow money and extend the deadline to retroactively credit pensionable service under a defined benefit plan in a bid to help plan sponsors maintain their pensions through the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the government’s coronavirus economic response plan, the regulations would apply to employers […]
The Supreme Court of Canada has cleared the way for Uber drivers to take the next step in their fight to be recognized as employees. In a ruling Friday, the high court upheld an Ontario Court of Appeal decision that opened the door to a possible class-action suit aimed at securing a minimum wage, vacation […]
Canada is providing federally regulated employers with more time to recall employees who were laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under employment legislation, employers could temporarily lay off staff for up to three months if no notice with a recall date was provided or for up to six months or if they provided a notice with an expected […]
The federal government is introducing new regulations to protect employees from harassment and violence in the workplace. The regulations, which take effect on Jan. 1, 2021, outline the necessary elements of a workplace harassment and violence prevention policy and the procedures employers are required to have in place to respond to any incidents. They apply to federally regulated […]
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of global employees said they feel their employers have been taking care of their well-being during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by human resources organization Randstad. Among Canadian survey respondents, this figure increased to 77 per cent. Around the same percentage (76 per cent) of global workers said […]
The federal government is extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for an additional eight weeks to support Canadians who haven’t been able to find employment as provinces start to reopen their economies. “The reality is that even as we start to reopen, a lot of people still need this support to pay their bills while they look for […]
Employers with registered supplemental unemployment benefit plans aren’t able to use them to top up laid-off employees who are receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. In an online question and answer session on the CERB, the federal government confirmed that due to the “simplified design” of the benefit, the provisions existing under the employment insurance […]
The federal government is expanding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to include workers whose monthly income has been reduced to $1,000 or less, in response to concerns from gig economy workers who didn’t qualify for the original version of the benefit. The benefit will also now apply to seasonal workers who won’t have work because […]