Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced that, while employer enrolments will begin in January 2017, deductions from paycheques for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) will not start until 2018, a year later than had been announced last year. “We do listen,” Sousa remarked in reference to the pre-budget consultations held over the last month, in which both the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) participated.

The GNCC, in partnership with the OCC, has been active in passing the concerns of business owners over this program on to the Ontario Government (for example, the OCC’s open letter to Kathleen Wynne last month). At least some of those concerns have apparently been heard. The rapidly-approaching deployment timelines were a major concern to many employers, especially given the uncertainty over eligibility and verification currently prevailing.

At the GNCC, we are pleased that the Government of Ontario has been willing to hear the voices of business on this important matter, and we are hopeful that this is an indication of the potential for serious thought on the significant impacts to Ontario businesses that this plan will have.