Government of Ontario passes Working for Workers Act
As expected, the Government of Ontario has passed legislation today that will:
- Require employers with 25 or more employees to have a written policy about employees disconnecting from their job at the end of the workday to help employees spend more time with their families. Learn more.
- Ban the use of non-compete agreements that prevent people from exploring other work opportunities in order to make it easier for workers to advance in their careers. Learn more.
- Help remove barriers, such as Canadian experience requirements, for internationally trained individuals to get licenced in a regulated profession and get access to jobs that match their qualifications and skills. Learn more.
- Require recruiters and temporary help agencies to have a licence to operate in the province to help protect vulnerable employees from being exploited. Learn more.
- Require business owners to allow delivery workers to use a company’s washroom if they are delivering or picking up items. This supports the delivery drivers, couriers and truck drivers who have kept our essential supplies and economy going throughout the pandemic. Learn more.
- Allow surpluses in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Insurance Fund to be distributed over certain levels to businesses, helping them cope with the impacts of COVID-19. Learn more.
- Enable the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to work with entities, like the Canada Revenue Agency, to streamline remittances for businesses, enabling a way to give them an efficient one-stop-shop for submitting premiums and payroll deductions. Learn more.
- Allow the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to collect information related to the agri-food workforce to ensure the government can enhance the coordination of services such as vaccination and testing, and respond to issues that may arise.
Click here to read the government’s media release.
Click here to view the legislation.
Economy grows in Q3 2021, driven by consumer spending
Household final consumption of semi-durable goods and services
Real gross domestic product (GDP) rose 1.3% in the third quarter, driven by household spending and exports. As pandemic restrictions were phased out, households and businesses, in Canada and elsewhere resumed normal operations. This raised household spending and created a greater demand for exports.
Driven by higher income and greater demand, household spending on semi-durable goods (+14.0%) and services (+6.3%) sharply increased.
As restrictions eased, increased spending on semi-durable goods and services reflected the increase in activities outside the home. Expenditures on clothing (+26.8%) and footwear (+30.3%) surpassed pre-pandemic spending. Outlays for services rose sharply. Transport services (+40.3%), recreation and culture services (+26.1%), food, beverages and accommodation services (+29.0%), and personal grooming services (+35.8%) all showed significant increases.
Click here for more information.
Government of Canada announces new technology to stop spoofing nuisance calls
Many Canadians are now able to determine which calls can be trusted thanks to a new technology aimed at combating spoofed calls named STIR/SHAKEN. Caller ID spoofing is frequently used in nuisance and fraudulent calls to mask the identity of the caller.
As of today, telecommunications service providers will certify whether a caller’s identity can be trusted by verifying the caller ID information for Internet Protocol-based voice calls. This new technology will help reduce the frequency and impact of caller ID spoofing. As service providers continue to upgrade their IP networks and offer compatible phones to their customers, more and more Canadians will be able to see the effects of STIR/SHAKEN.
The CBC reports that up to one-quarter of all calls on Canadian mobile networks are now nuisance calls or attempts to defraud.
Reading Recommendations
Here’s what vaccine manufacturers have said about the Omicron variant
CTV News
As researchers continue to study the new COVID-19 variant Omicron stoking fears around the globe, vaccine manufacturers are issuing guidance on their shots’ effectiveness.
Here’s a look at what vaccine manufacturers have said so far.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Free rapid COVID-19 testing kits are now available to businesses. Visit gncc.ca/workplace-self-screening-kits to learn more and reserve kits for your organization.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here. The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.
Through the Daily Updates, the GNCC aims to deliver important business news in a timely manner. We disseminate all news and information we feel will be important to businesses. Inclusion in the Daily Update is not an endorsement by the GNCC.
