A third term for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau means some significant promises with the potential to impact employers and employees may soon become reality. During its campaign, the Liberal Party pledged to support workplace coronavirus vaccination mandates, a national childcare program, expanded public mental-health offerings and a right-to-disconnect policy. On vaccination mandates, the Liberals promised […]
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 […]
Ontario is extending a temporary paid sick leave program for workers until the end of this year. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced that the coronavirus pandemic program set to expire on Sept. 25 will be extended to Dec. 31, 2021. He said the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant prompted the move to give more […]
Ontario’s temporary paid sick leave program is receiving less uptake than initially expected. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday that, as of July 21, a total of $13.2 million in claims have been made to the program, which is retroactive to April 19 and ends on Sept. 25. When the program was first launched this […]
The 830 locked-out employees at Reliance Home Comfort sites in Ontario are heading back to work after their union ratified a new contract with the company on June 30. The new collective agreement includes two new paid sick days, improvements to the extended health benefits cost-sharing and a one per cent increase to the matching […]
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is giving its staff more paid sick days until the end of the coronavirus pandemic or for the duration of respective collective agreements. The OPSEU is extending its annual paid sick leave from seven to 10 days and will give all of its temporary workers 10 fully paid sick […]
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Canadian employers are balancing the need to reduce benefits costs while focusing on employee well-being, according to a new survey by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Just over half (55 per cent) of respondents said controlling costs is their top benefits-related challenge this year, with many considering measures such as variable cost […]
Canadian employees are seeing significant workplace shifts amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by payroll and benefits company Humi. It found employees took 40 per cent less vacation time in 2020 compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the number of sick day requests was “drastically higher” in the months leading up to the […]
The costs of employer-provided health plans in Canada are expected to rise seven per cent next year, outpacing general inflation by more than five per cent, according to a new report by Aon Canada. Contributing factors include higher drug prices, the impact of non-communicable health risks and the continued introduction of new and expensive therapies. Indeed, […]
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party will support last week’s throne speech on the condition that more Canadians be granted access to paid sick leave as part of draft legislation covering the federal response to the coronavirus epidemic. The proposed legislation, Bill C-2, would see Canadians receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit transition […]