Below are the key COVID-19 & legislation topics that touch on the workplace from July 1 to July 21, 2022.
The federal government is taking a step towards making 10 days of paid sick leave for workers a reality. Ottawa has opened consultations for the draft regulations that will support implementation of the policy.
Specifically, the government is looking for input on:
Employers, employer representatives, unions, workers, and other key stakeholders can share their feedback until Aug. 15, 2022.
The draft regulations are available in Part I of the Canada Gazette here.
The Ontario government has announced it is extending the COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit to March 31, 2023.
Set to expire on July 31, 2022, and introduced in April 2021, the benefit requires employers to provide employees with up to three days of paid infectious disease emergency leave because of certain reasons related to COVID‑19.
This entitlement is in addition to employees’ rights to unpaid infectious disease emergency leave (IDEL).
Healthcare workers and new hires at the Alberta Health Services (AHS) are no longer required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for employment.
In a statement, the AHS explained that their mandatory vaccine policy was due to the dominance of the Delta variant in order to prevent its spread among workers, patients, and communities.
Despite the reversal of the mandatory vaccination, however, workers are still required to remain at home when sick, wear personal protective equipment, and practice hand hygiene. AHS adds that evidence will be continuously monitored to assess the need for additional measures.
WorkSafeBC announced on July 14th that the preliminary average base rate for 2023 will remain unchanged at 1.55% of employers’ assessable payroll. This will be the sixth year in a row that the average base rate has remained at this level, consistent with WorkSafeBC’s goal of keeping rates stable.
WorkSafeBC’s strong financial position in recent years has allowed the average base premium rate to be discounted below the average cost of claims, with the difference funded from higher-than-required investment returns. The preliminary average base rate of 1.55% for 2023 will be less than the expected cost rate of 1.80%.
Sarah Visca is the Operations Manager at ConnectsUs HR, a company that provides tools & resources to quickly set up a Human Resources department.
You can contact her here.
