i) On July 1, 2016, several changes came into effect to the Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the “AODA”). The two regulations under the AODA – Accessibility Standards for Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standards – have become one regulation. There have also been substantive changes including: (a) all members of an organization must be trained on accessible customer service and how to interact with people with different disabilities; (b) documentation with respect to service animals can now be provided by a wide range of regulated health professionals; (c) organizations will only be able to require the presence of a support person if there is no other reasonable way to ensure the health and safety of a person with a disability and, if a support person is required, the organization will have to waive any applicable admission fees or fares for that person; and (d) private sector employers with less than 50 employees in Ontario will no longer be required to document their customer service policy in writing or make it publically available.
ii) The Canadian Finance Minister and the provincial finance ministers in all provinces except for Manitoba and Quebec have reached an agreement in principle to expand the Canadian Pension Plan (“CPP”). Currently, CPP benefits are designed to replace 25% of pre-retirement income. The proposed changes to CPP aim to increase income replacement from 25% to 33.3%. The contribution rate is expected to increase from 4.95% to 5.95% to cover the cost of the increases. These changes would be gradually phased in over a seven (7) year period beginning on January 1, 2019. If these changes go ahead as agreed, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan will not be implemented.i) On July 1, 2016, several changes came into effect to the Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the “AODA”). The two regulations under the AODA – Accessibility Standards for Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standards – have become one regulation. There have also been substantive changes including: (a) all members of an organization must be trained on accessible customer service and how to interact with people with different disabilities; (b) documentation with respect to service animals can now be provided by a wide range of regulated health professionals; (c) organizations will only be able to require the presence of a support person if there is no other reasonable way to ensure the health and safety of a person with a disability and, if a support person is required, the organization will have to waive any applicable admission fees or fares for that person; and (d) private sector employers with less than 50 employees in Ontario will no longer be required to document their customer service policy in writing or make it publically available.
ii) The Canadian Finance Minister and the provincial finance ministers in all provinces except for Manitoba and Quebec have reached an agreement in principle to expand the Canadian Pension Plan (“CPP”). Currently, CPP benefits are designed to replace 25% of pre-retirement income. The proposed changes to CPP aim to increase income replacement from 25% to 33.3%. The contribution rate is expected to increase from 4.95% to 5.95% to cover the cost of the increases. These changes would be gradually phased in over a seven (7) year period beginning on January 1, 2019. If these changes go ahead as agreed, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan will not be implemented.i) On July 1, 2016, several changes came into effect to the Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the “AODA”). The two regulations under the AODA – Accessibility Standards for Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standards – have become one regulation. There have also been substantive changes including: (a) all members of an organization must be trained on accessible customer service and how to interact with people with different disabilities; (b) documentation with respect to service animals can now be provided by a wide range of regulated health professionals; (c) organizations will only be able to require the presence of a support person if there is no other reasonable way to ensure the health and safety of a person with a disability and, if a support person is required, the organization will have to waive any applicable admission fees or fares for that person; and (d) private sector employers with less than 50 employees in Ontario will no longer be required to document their customer service policy in writing or make it publically available.
ii) The Canadian Finance Minister and the provincial finance ministers in all provinces except for Manitoba and Quebec have reached an agreement in principle to expand the Canadian Pension Plan (“CPP”). Currently, CPP benefits are designed to replace 25% of pre-retirement income. The proposed changes to CPP aim to increase income replacement from 25% to 33.3%. The contribution rate is expected to increase from 4.95% to 5.95% to cover the cost of the increases. These changes would be gradually phased in over a seven (7) year period beginning on January 1, 2019. If these changes go ahead as agreed, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan will not be implemented.