As the debate continues over the potential impact of new labour reforms in Ontario, a fast-food operator has come under the spotlight for some of the changes it’s making to its benefits coverage and other workplace practices. At issue are changes at two Tim Hortons outlets in Cobourg, Ont., which are owned by Ron Joyce Jr. and […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans moved into a stronger solvency position by year end 2017, largely due to strong equity markets. The Mercer pension health index, which assesses the health of a hypothetical plan, showed a 106 per cent solvency ratio on Dec. 29, 2017. The ratio was four percentage points higher than at the start of […]
With the new year underway, recipients of Canada Pension Plan and old-age security benefits are getting a modest increase from the federal government. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, CPP payments will increase by 1.5 per cent for those already receiving benefits. For 2018, the maximum CPP retirement benefit for new recipients age 65 will be $1,134.17 per […]
Alberta is implementing it’s first job-protected bereavement leave as of Jan. 1, 2018. In addition to the death of an immediate family member or of a spouse, the three-day unpaid leave is also available for the loss of a person the employee isn’t related to but considers to be like a close relative. Bereavement leave is available for employees across […]
Should Canadians be able to dip into their registered retirement savings plans to help their children buy their first house? The Canadian Real Estate Association certainly thinks so. It recently made a submission to the House of Commons standing committee on finance recommending the idea for the 2018 federal budget, as an extension of the federal government’s […]
As Spain braces for the Catalan parliamentary election on Thursday, 98 per cent of company directors in the region believe the current situation has affected the Catalan economy’s international prospects, according to research published last week by economist Fernando Trias de Bes in collaboration with the ESADE Business School. Indeed, more than 3,000 companies have moved […]
For some investors, tradition isn’t cutting it anymore. Rock-bottom interest rates are squeezing fixed-income returns, and the need to diversify through sturdy, lower-risk assets is apparent. While low volatility in equity markets is comforting, how long will it last? “We don’t know when but we’re pretty sure the equity market will correct, maybe severely,” says […]
Decumulation is a clear and significant concern for the sponsors of capital accumulation plans, the results of Benefits Canada’s 2017 CAP Member Survey show. The annual survey found 61 per cent of plan sponsors would be likely to allow their members to leave their assets within their plans after they retire if regulations allowed. Of […]
Rates of workplace absenteeism reached peak levels in 2016 compared to the last five years in both the public and private sectors, according to Statistics Canada. The public sector lost 13.5 days per employee on average, up from 12.5 in 2012. The private sector had been trending down from 8.3 days in 2012 but returned […]
What should an employer say when asked about a former employee who wasn’t up to scratch? The issue arose in Papp v. Stokes earlier this year, a case in which Adam Papp sued his former employer for wrongful dismissal, defamation and mental suffering. Among other things, when asked by a potential employer whether he’d rehire […]