With travel to the U.S. becoming anxious, if not risky, for many Canadians, employers are facing the prospect of employees refusing to travel south of the border. But can employers require employees to do so, and do employees have a basis on which to refuse? “My advice to employers is not to assume that employees […]
Economic headwinds, cost pressures and shifting employee expectations are forcing organizations to rethink performance compensation. Traditional pay-for-performance models, built for more predictable business cycles, are showing signs of strain. Many leaders are now asking a difficult but necessary question: are salary increases and incentive awards still tied to performance, or have they evolved into entitlements? […]
In its 2025 budget, the federal government announced several initiatives to incentivize institutional investors to back domestic infrastructure and business ventures. The budget proposed $1 billion on a cash basis over three years, starting in 2026-27, for the Business Development Bank of Canada to launch a venture and growth capital catalyst initiative, a fund-of-funds that […]
The British Columbia government has proposed changes to the province’s Employment Standards Act to allow up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave each year for people facing a “catastrophic” illness or injury. Premier David Eby told a news conference in Victoria that the change would take effect this fall if the bill is passed by his New Democrat […]
An article on Nova Scotia’s updated workplace harassment legislation was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. What Nova Scotia employers need to know about province’s updated workplace harassment legislation 2. Who are the winners of the […]
Nova Scotia’s government is formally recognizing workplace harassment as a health and safety issue with the introduction of new regulations to its Occupational Health and Safety Act. “All employers in Nova Scotia have an obligation to ensure workers’ health and safety — and that obligation now specifically includes a duty to address workplace harassment and […]
When tracing a woman’s career across her various life stages, the ebbs and flows will impact the support she needs from her employer and the way she embraces the workplace, from building a family to parental leave to balancing child rearing and later, experiencing perimenopause and menopause. As the middle-aged mother of two young children, […]
While the new approach to employment insurance benefits was initially hailed as progressive and flexible, its impact on women in the workplace isn’t yet clear. Nora Spinks, chief executive officer, Work-Life Harmony Enterprises In 2019, the federal government updated employment insurance parental benefits, including a new ‘use it or lose it’ option of five to […]
For Ontario employers, pay equity compliance journey is an ongoing process and not a one-and-done exercise, said Will Lamond, a principal in the compensation practice at Normandin Beaudry, during a webinar on best pay equity practices in the province. Ontario’s Pay Equity Act requires employers with 10 or more employees to maintain equivalent levels of […]
At the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, truth and reconciliation isn’t a side project, it’s a core value, says Alicia Flynn, the organization’s human resources manager. “We know that working with Indigenous Peoples, learning from Indigenous knowledge and applying those learnings to our work are critical to successfully implementing Canada’s plan for the long-term management of […]