Ontario has launched a new four-year plan, called Safe at Work Ontario, which builds on the province’s success in reducing workplace injury rate by 20 per cent, according to a recent press release from the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Employers who run defined-benefit pension plans can expect greater costs through the Ontario government’s first substantive changes to the province’s pension rules in more than two decades, say lawyers in the field.

To read the full article from Canadian Lawyer, click here.

October 29, 2009 – It's now the law: the use of hand-held cell phones and other wireless devices while driving is prohibited in Ontario. With the new law in force, Ontario now joins more than 50 countries worldwide and a growing number of North American jurisdictions that have similar distracted driving legislation including Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, California and New York.

Violence and harassment have no place in the workplace. That’s the message Ontario is sending by introducing legislative amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act that would, if passed, help protect workers from workplace violence and harassment.

The proposed legislation (bill 168) would, if passed:

• Require employers to develop a framework that would include policies and programs to help prevent workplace violence and harassment
• Require employers to take reasonable precautions to protect an employee from domestic violence in the workplace
• Allow workers to remove themselves from harmful situations if they have reason to believe that they are at risk of imminent danger due to workplace violence

“If passed, this legislation would help create a climate in workplaces across the province that says that workplace violence is completely unacceptable,” says Peter Fonseca, Minister of Labour.

Ontario is also launching specific measures to tackle workplace violence in the health sector. Two newly appointed Healthy Work Environments Champions will work to build a culture of workplace safety in health care settings across the province. The champions are:

• Rob Devitt, president and CEO of Toronto East General Hospital,
• Dr. Heather Laschinger, distinguished university professor and associate director nursing research at The University of Western Ontario, School of Nursing.

 “Our champions will help us implement the ministry’s ongoing strategy to make healthcare settings safe for nurses, physicians, and all who work in the healthcare sector in Ontario,” says  David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long Term Care.

The proposed legislative amendments would enhance the province’s existing Safe At Work Ontario Strategy.
To view bill 168, click here.  

Ontario is helping its manufacturing and industrial sectors use fewer toxic substances and move to greener, healthier alternatives. As part of the province's Toxics Reduction Strategy, the Ontario government introduced legislation on April 7, 2009 that, if passed, would require regulated facilities to:

•     Track and evaluate their current use and release of toxics
•     Develop a plan to reduce the use and release of toxics, and
•     Make a summary of the plan available to the public.

Should Bill 167, the proposed Toxics Reduction Act, 2009, be passed, the province would be investing $24 million to help support Ontario's industries transform their processes, find green chemistry alternatives and reduce the use of toxics in their operations.

The Toxics Reduction Strategy aims to find a balance between protecting human health and the environment, and supporting the transformation of businesses to the green economy. The strategy also includes providing financial and technical support to industry, focusing on smaller businesses, and informing Ontarians about toxics.

Opportunities for collaboration on research into the health implications of environmental toxics in specific regions of the province are being explored by the ministries of Environment, Health and Long-Term Care, and Cancer Care Ontario.

The strategy is built upon the recommendations of the Toxics Reduction Scientific Expert Panel and consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including Cancer Care Ontario and the Ontario Medical Association.  The strategy augments the traditional "end of pipe" approach to managing chemical releases by placing a new focus on reducing the use of these substances at the front end of industrial processes.

The legislation sets out a framework for toxics reduction action by facilities.  It would require facilities to track and quantify the toxics they use and create, to develop plans to reduce toxics, and to report to the government.  This information would be available to the public, while respecting business confidentiality.  

Toxics reduction planning is a proven approach to reducing toxics use while allowing businesses to identify operational efficiencies, costs savings and opportunities to improve their competitive advantage in markets which are increasingly demanding greener products.

The bill would allow the Ontario government to collect information from facilities on substances of concern, which are substances potentially harmful to human health and the environment for which little data is currently available.

It also includes regulation-making authority to prohibit or regulate the manufacture, sale or distribution of a toxic substance or consumer products that contain the substance and to require the manufacturer, seller or distributor to provide notice to the public.

As the first course of action, Ontario would continue to work with the federal government to promote the use of existing federal powers to deal with toxics in consumer products. These new authorities would position the ministry to take action to protect Ontarians, if necessary.  Consultation with stakeholders and the public would take place prior to the development of any regulation under these new authorities.

Details would be spelled out in regulations, including the list of toxic substances, the substances of concern and facilities to be covered, as well as timelines for planning and reporting.  Development of regulations would involve consultations with stakeholders and the public.

The bill is available on the Environmental Registry at www.ebr.gov.on.ca (registry # 010-6224) for public comment until May 7, 2009. 

The Ontario government announced its new budget on March 26, with promises “to help families affected by the global economic crisis and position Ontario to become more competitive for a more prosperous future.”

While most agree there’s still much to do, many are pleased with the new budget.

Ian Howcroft, Vice President Ontario Division, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters noted, “Overall we're very pleased with today's budget, it addresses many of our long standing issues and priorities. I think that it shows that the government was listening. We're particularly pleased with regards to the harmonization of the GST and PST, we've been advocating that for a long, long time. We're also very pleased with the announced reduction in the corporate tax from 12 per cent down to 10 per cent so I think that is a very positive step for Ontario manufacturers, which ultimately will help the whole economy and all Ontario residents.”

Hugh MacKenzie, economist and research associate, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said, “Ontario's 2009-10 budget establishes the right direction for the next few years. It provides substantial economic stimulus. It is consistent with the new orthodoxy that relies heavily on governments to help rebuild damaged economies. It imposes some coherence on an incoherent federal plan. It increases support for low-income families and individuals. It modernizes Ontario's consumption tax.”

Budget highlights include:

• Allocate $32.5 billion to improve the hospitals, roads, social housing and schools, saying the two-year investment will create and support more than 300,000 jobs.
• Provide new skills training and literacy opportunities, including for those who have been laid off, through $700 million in new support.
• Make Ontario’s Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit more generous and helping 100,000 students get summer jobs this year.
• Support businesses and workers in the agriculture, forest products and mining industries with $130 million over the next three years.
• Help low- and middle-income families by nearly doubling the Ontario Child Benefit from $600 to a maximum of $1,100 per child per year starting this July.
• Double the Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant, as announced in the 2008 Ontario Budget, so that low- and middle-income seniors living in their own homes will get $500 in support for their property taxes, which the government says will help more than 600,000 seniors over the next five years.
• Work with the federal government to invest $1.2 billion over the next two years to construct and retrofit affordable housing units.
• Increase Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program benefits.
• Help low-income tenants avoid eviction by providing more than $5 million annually in stable funding for municipal rent banks.

Support for green economy and innovation
New opportunities will be developed in the green economy by:

• Investing $250 million in a new Emerging Technologies Fund.
• Providing $50 million over five years to encourage the development of a smart electricity grid.
• Developing a new $5 million Green Jobs Skills Strategy so that Ontarians have the skills they need to seize new opportunities in the emerging green energy sector.

Investment in innovation includes:

• Providing $100 million in new support for biomedical research.
• Helping turn ideas into jobs with $50 million for the Innovation Demonstration Fund.
• Building much-needed research infrastructure with $300 million over six years.

The government is also proposing a controversial move to a single, value- added sales tax on July 1, 2010. Perhaps to make the idea more palatable, it has suggested it would exempt books, children’s clothing and footwear, diapers, children’s car seats and car booster seats and feminine hygiene products from the eight per cent provincial portion of the tax. Newly constructed homes under $400,000 would not be subject to an additional tax burden.  Buyers of new homes valued between $400,000 and $500,000 could also claim a proportional rebate.

A$10.6 billion in temporary and permanent tax relief would be available for people over three years to help consumers through the transition, and to provide a permanent personal income tax reduction and enriched ongoing sales tax and property tax relief for low- to middle-income people. Eligible families with an income of $160,000 or less would get three payments totalling $1,000 to help them adjust to the new single sales tax.  Eligible single people with an income of $80,000 or less would get three payments totalling $300. The first benefit payment would arrive in June 2010, the second in December 2010 and the third in June 2011.

The 2009 Budget proposes $4.5 billion in tax cuts for businesses over three years. Starting July 1, 2010, the government would:

• Cut the general Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate from 14 per cent to 12 per cent and reduce the rate to 10 per cent by 2013
• Cut the CIT rate for small businesses from 5.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent
• Cut the CIT rate for manufacturing and processing – helping businesses including farming, fishing, mining and logging – by 16.7 per cent, from 12 per cent to 10 per cent
• Eliminate the CIT small business deduction surtax, making Ontario the only Canadian jurisdiction that would eliminate this barrier to growing small businesses
• Exempt more small and medium-sized businesses from the Corporate Minimum Tax and cut the CMT rate from four per cent to 2.7 per cent

For further details on the budget, visit the Ministry of Finance’s website at www.fin.gov.on.ca. 

Ontario is taking action to ensure that temporary help agency employees are being treated fairly and have better opportunities to move to sustainable employment.

The government has introduced legislation that will, if passed, amend the Employment Standards Act to deliver more fairness for low-income workers by:

• Making sure that they are not unfairly prevented from accessing permanent jobs when employers want to hire them from agencies.
• Prohibiting temporary help agencies from charging fees to workers for things such as resume writing and interview preparation.
• Guaranteeing that employees have the information they need about their assignments including pay schedules and job descriptions.
• Ensuring that employees have access to information about their rights under the Employment Standards Act.

There are more than 700,000 people in Ontario working in temporary jobs, many through some 1,000 temporary help agencies currently operating in Ontario.

The government has already passed a regulation that will ensure that “elect-to-work” employees like temp workers will have the same rights to public holiday entitlements as other workers, effective January 2, 2009. The recently introduced legislation would also, if passed, allow the government to enact regulations so that “elect-to-work” employees also have the same rights to notice of termination and severance pay.
Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy is designed to build a stronger economy by creating more opportunity for all low-income families and children. The strategy sets a goal of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent in 5 years – lifting 90,000 children out of poverty.

The Ontario government has now received A Fine Balance: Safe Pensions, Affordable Plans, Fair Rules, the final report from the Expert Commission on Pensions.

Based on formal submissions, direct engagement with stakeholders, and its research findings, the commission has submitted a 222-page report containing 142 recommendations for reforming and reinvigorating Ontario's pension system.

The province is seeking feedback on the report from Ontarians, with a written comment period ending February 27, 2009, and is committed to introducing legislation.

While current global economic uncertainties are the short-term reality, Ontario is taking immediate action to strengthen and protect the viability of Ontario’s pension system by increasing the capacity of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), the pension regulator, to oversee pension plans.

To help plans manage solvency funding issues arising from recent market uncertainty, while taking into account the need for benefit security, the government is actively considering temporary solvency relief measures.  The government is also working on this issue with its federal and provincial partners, through the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Pensions, announced by the Finance ministers on November 3, 2008.

To learn more or to view the report, visit www.pensionreview.on.ca/english.