The federal minimum wage is rising to $17.30 per hour, effective April 1. The increase from $16.65 reflects the increase in the annual average consumer price index for 2023. Roughly 30,000 employees in the federally regulated private sector are expected to benefit from the increase, according to a press release, which also noted employers are […]
A report commissioned by the Alberta government estimates the province would be entitled to more than half the assets of the Canada Pension Plan if it were to exit the national retirement savings program and go it alone. A third-party report compiled by consultant LifeWorks Inc. (now part of Telus Health) calculated that if Alberta gave the […]
Employers are beginning to enforce rules for employees who aren’t vaccinated against the coronavirus. To go to work today, Ontario long-term care staff must have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose. Staff who don’t present proof of a first dose must instead show a medical exemption to be able to enter a long-term care home […]
Ontario is revealing more about its previously announced plans to spend $12.4 million on more mental-health and addictions supports for frontline health-care workers. Following the provincial government’s announcement in its fall economic statement, it said Tuesday it will invest $5.9 million in services offered through hospitals, such as self-referral and intake services, online discussion groups and confidential clinician support. […]
Starbucks Canada is raising wages and benefits amid “critical staffing shortages” and a renewed commitment to the well-being of its workers. Beginning in January 2022, the company says its starting wages will be increased to a dollar above provincial minimums, while workers who’ve been with the company a year will receive a six to 10 per […]
Germany is stopping sick pay for unvaccinated people who have to go into quarantine because of the coronavirus. Previously, Germans could claim for income lost due to having to go into quarantine after returning from abroad or coming into contact with a positive case. Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn says the move was a matter of […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is setting new targets to accompany its plan to tackle climate change and curb greenhouse gas emissions tied to its multi-billion dollar portfolio. The pension fund said it aims to slash the carbon emissions intensity of its investments by 45 per cent by 2025 and by two-thirds by 2030, compared to its […]
For the third time in a row, the federal government is delaying long-awaited changes to Canada’s drug pricing regime for a further six months. In an effort to give pharmaceutical companies more time to prepare for the impending changes, Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced Tuesday the regulations changing how the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board […]
Starbucks Corp. is offering all of its Canadian retail employees three temporary paid sick days from April 19 to Sept. 25. The move comes after Ontario announced a similar three-day sick leave policy that would reimburse employers up to $200 a day for what they pay out. Read: Ontario giving employees three paid sick days, […]
As it becomes increasingly clear that workplaces are a key transmission location in the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, some Canadian employers are offering paid sick leave to their employees in the absence of government action. Paid sick leave benefits, which allow workers to call in sick without fear of losing a day’s pay, […]