Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an $82 billion stimulus package to underpin several new policies aimed at supporting Canadian workers and employers during the coronavirus pandemic. “Public health should never hinge on financial considerations,” said Trudeau at a press conference on Wednesday morning. The support will come through a combination of $27 billion in direct […]
Ontario and Alberta are making changes to provincial employment legislation to protect workers who are affected by the coronavirus. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act that would provide job-protected leave to employees who are in isolation or quarantine, as well as to those […]
Across the country, public pension plans are releasing statements to assure members that their defined benefit pensions are secure and that they’re taking measures to protect the health and safety of their own staff. The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan said it regularly tests operations and will continue to make pension payments. […]
Canadian politicians, public health officials and chief executive officers have all urged Canadians to practice social distancing in a bid to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic. Many global technology companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., Google and Twitter, ramped up work-from-home programs last week. And Ottawa-headquartered Shopify Inc. has emerged as a leader […]
The chief executive officers of several major Canadian pension funds have joined forces with several other CEOs to ask Canadian business leaders to make the slowdown of the spread of the coronavirus their main priority. “International experience demonstrates that social distancing is the only effective method and is in the best interests of our employees, […]
As employers prepare to prevent against the spread of the coronavirus, issues of workplace and public safety will likely take precedent over privacy concerns. Employers have duties under provincial occupational health and safety laws to take all reasonable precautions to protect workers, communicate information about potential hazards and train employees on how to deal with […]
With coronavirus fears escalating, employers are adjusting their leave policies while labour groups are urging governments to reconsider paid leave provisions. This week, Walmart Inc. introduced an emergency leave policy for its U.S. employees. The retailer said hourly staff who work in a store, club, office or distribution centre will receive up to two weeks […]
The federal government is rolling out a $1 billion funding package to help provincial health-care systems cope with the increasing number of new coronavirus cases and to help Canadian workers who are forced to isolate themselves. The Liberals are loosening restrictions on employment insurance payments for people who are off work due to illness by […]
More than half (56 per cent) of Canadians work from home on a regular basis, according to a new survey by Epson Canada Ltd. Among this group, 61 per cent of respondents said they do so on a full-time basis, while 78 per cent said they do it to have a better work-life balance and more flexibility. Almost […]
At Hydro Ottawa Ltd.’s third annual International Women’s Day event, employees were invited to solve 15 large puzzles around the room — and think about their own piece in the larger puzzle of working toward gender equality. International Women’s Day events have been a staple at Hydro Ottawa since 2018, with the company trying to connect […]