Contents:

• Welcome
• What's New
• GrandMaster Update

Welcome!

November 2007 - Welcome to the latest edition of The Payroll News. As always, please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and associates who are interested in keeping up with the latest changes in the Payroll industry. Or better yet, subscribe them for free using the Tell Others About Us link.

Listed here are recent changes in legislation on Federal and Provincial levels that may impact your payroll calculations. Please view the following list for changes that affect your region.

FEDERAL:

November 2, 2007 - CPP pensionable earnings ceiling for 2008 up to $44,900 - The Canada Revenue Agency announced today that the maximum pensionable earnings under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) for 2008 will be $44,900 - up from $43,700 in 2007. The new ceiling was calculated according to a CPP legislated formula that takes into account the growth in average weekly wages and salaries in Canada. (Full Story)

November 1, 2007 - Canada Employment Insurance Commission Reduces Premium Rates for 2008 - The premium rate for employees will fall to $1.73 from its current level of $1.80 per $100 of insurable earnings, effective January 1, 2008. The rate paid by employers will be reduced as well, to $2.42 from $2.52 per $100 of insurable earnings. The Report of the Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) Chief Actuary has projected that these rates should generate just enough premium revenue in 2008 to cover EI benefit payments for that year, as prescribed by the Employment Insurance Act. (Full Story)

November 2007 - Revised Payroll Deductions Online Calculator - The January 1, 2008 editions of the Payroll Deductions Online Calculator (PDOC) and Payroll Deductions tables will reflect the changes to tax deductions for 2008, as proposed in Budget 2007 and the 2007 Economic Statement. Updates will be posted in December. The retroactive tax amendments for 2007 will not be adjusted for payroll purposes but can be claimed on the individual's 2007 personal tax return. (Full Story)

November 2007 - Note About Tables on Diskette (TOD) - The CRA has reduced the number of Tables on Diskette (TOD) CDs they produce annually, but have not discontinued the product. It will still be available as an alternative to the Payroll Deductions Online Calculator or printed tables. Clients who prefer or can only use TOD will still be able to download the installation files from the CRA web page for 2008 and subsequent years. The CD version of TOD will also be available for January 2008. (Full Story)

October 29, 2007 - Canada Employment Insurance Commission sets Employment Insurance premium rate for 2008 - As of January 1, 2008, the employee rate per $100 of insurable earnings will be adjusted to $1.73, a reduction of 7 cents from its current level of $1.80. The corresponding employer rate will be adjusted to $2.42, a reduction of 10 cents from its current level of $2.52. The 2008 EI rate represents a 3.9 per cent decline from the 2007 rate and the fourteenth consecutive rate reduction since 1994, when the employee rate was $3.07. (Full Story)

October 23, 2007 - New Online Service Additions to the CRA's My Business Account - The Minister of National Revenue has announced the addition of several new features to the CRA's My Business Account suite of electronic services for businesses. The additions include: Authorizing or managing representatives, Viewing Account Balance and Transactions, Nova Scotia Partnership and a Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge. (Full Story)

Alberta:

November 14, 2007 - Alberta lowers average premium rate to $1.32 while increasing penalties for poor performance - The new average premium rate, reduced by nearly eight per cent for 2008, reflects stable lost-time claim volumes, slightly lower disabling injury rates, and lower claim costs. Overall, 85 per cent of Alberta employers will see a drop in their industry premium rate. "Great performance reflects great effort," says Guy Kerr, president and CEO of WCB-Alberta. "Busy Alberta workplaces require our unwavering focus on safety. Working together, we are making a difference." (Full Story)

October 31, 2007 - New construction workforce strategy helps address worker shortages - Alberta construction associations and labour groups have a new set of tools to address workforce challenges. A Workforce Strategy for Alberta's Construction Industry, developed in collaboration with the Alberta government, identifies ways to address labour and skills shortages over the next decade. The collaborative effort brought together more than 15 contributing industry and labour organizations, resulting in the development of actions to ensure an adequate and skilled workforce to meet the growth in Alberta's construction industry. (Full Story)

October 23, 2007 - Government launches public consultation on aging workforce - A new online consultation is giving Albertans a chance to share their feedback on the issues and opportunities related to Alberta's aging workforce. The consultation runs until December 14 and results will be compiled into a summary report to support the development of future policies. The consultation follows Mature Workers in Alberta and British Columbia: Understanding the Issues and Opportunities, a discussion document including information from 14 large employer and labour groups plus small and medium-sized businesses in Alberta and B.C. (Full Story)

October 19, 2007 - Alberta and British Columbia to review pension standards - Alberta and British Columbia will collaborate on a comprehensive review of pension standards to ensure pension plans continue to benefit workers, employers and investors. The joint review is the first of its kind since the respective acts came into force 20 years ago in Alberta and more than 15 years ago in British Columbia. The goal is to attract and retain workers, as well as business, and to ensure that Albertans and British Columbians are confident about their pension plans. (Full Story)

October 18, 2007 - New dispute resolution course for employees and employers now online - A new online resource will provide Alberta's employees and employers with the tools and information they need to work out common workplace disagreements around overtime, time off for vacation and termination pay. The free course also includes a number of quizzes to test knowledge as a participant progresses though each of the components as well as a final quiz at the end of the program. (Full Story)

British Columbia:

October 19, 2007 - Alberta, British Columbia To Review Pension Standards - Alberta and British Columbia will collaborate on a comprehensive review of pension standards to ensure pension plans continue to benefit workers, employers and investors. A six-member expert panel has been appointed to conduct a review of Alberta's Employment Pension Plans Act (EPPA) and British Columbia's Pension Benefits Standards Act (PBSA). These acts set minimum standards for benefits, funding, investments and disclosure in private-sector pension plans. (Full Story)

October 15, 2007 - WorkSafeBC announces lower average premium rates for 2008 - WorkSafeBC has announced a 7.5 percent decrease in the average base rate for employers in 2008. The rate next year will be $1.56 per $100 of assessable payroll, compared to $1.69 in 2007. This is the lowest rate that employers have experienced in more than 30 years. (Full Story)

October 17, 2007 - WorkSafeBC Congratulates Safety and Health Award Winners - Companies and individuals in B.C. are being recognized for excellence in the promotion of workplace health and safety at the 2007 Safety Forum and Awards Luncheon in Langley. Awards are being presented to winners of NAOSHWeek (North American Occupational Safety and Health Week) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Achievement Recognition Awards. (Full Story)

Manitoba:

October 24, 2007 - Province Announces New Advisory Council On Workplace Safety And Health - Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan today announced the appointment and reappointment of members and a chair to the Minister's Advisory Council on Workplace Safety and Health. The advisory council is appointed under the authority of the Workplace Safety and Health Act to provide advice to the minister on matters relating to the safety and health of workers in the province. (Full Story)

November 22, 2007 - Manitoba Minimum Wage To Increase April 1, 2008 - Effective April 1, Manitoba's minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $8.50 an hour, to help lower-income earners and help make work a more rewarding experience, Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan announced today. The minimum wage rate has increased from $6 an hour in 1999 with increments of 25 cents an hour every year between 1999 and 2005. There were two more staged increases in 2006 and 2007 of 35 cents and 40 cents respectively which brought the rate to $8 an hour. (Full Story)

October 30, 2007 - Average Assessment Rates Drop in Manitoba - The average assessment rate that Manitoba employers pay for their workers' compensation coverage will drop nearly 5 percent from $1.68 to $1.60 effective January 1, 2008. On average, Manitoba employers will pay $1.60 per $100.00 of their assessable payroll to the WCB for injury insurance coverage, which includes wage loss payments, medical benefits and rehabilitation services. That rate may be higher or lower, depending on the employer's injury experience and the safety and health risk of their industry. (Full Story)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

November 7, 2007 - Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador to Assist Local Unemployed Older Workers - The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, today announced the signing of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Agreement on the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW). (Full Story)

November 7, 2007 - Province Promotes Skilled Trades during Canada Career Week - The importance of skilled trades is being highlighted throughout the country this week as provinces recognize Canada Career Week. The Williams Government, through the Departments of Education, and Human Resources, Labour and Employment, is making a concerted effort at all levels to strengthen skilled trades programming and to respond to labour market needs. (Full Story)

November 7, 2007 - Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador to Assist Local Unemployed Older Workers - The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, today announced the signing of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Agreement on the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW). (Full Story)

New Brunswick:

November 28, 2007 - Province introduces legislation to protect reservists' jobs at home - The Province of New Brunswick introduced legislation today to protect the civilian jobs reservists' leave behind when they are serving their country either at home or overseas. Amendments to the current legislation would allow reservists to be away on unpaid leave for up to 18 months and return to their previous position or to a position at a similar level. In order to meet eligibility requirements, the applicant must have at least six months of employment with their employer and provide them with the notice of the length of their leave. (Full Story)

November 13, 2007 - Largest one-time minimum wage increase, third increase in last 18 months - The largest one-time increase ever of 50 cents to New Brunswick's minimum wage rate is planned for the end of March 2008. It will bring the new level to $7.75 per hour, and is the third rate change since last October, representing almost a 16 per cent increase to the wage level in a year and a half. (Full Story)

November 2, 2007- Nearly 11,000 more working as unemployment rate drops to 7.6 per cent - There were close to 11,000 more New Brunswickers working than last October, and this contributed to a significant drop in the unemployment rate which fell to 7.6 per cent last month. Figures released by Statistics Canada show that the monthly unemployment rate stood at 7.6 per cent last month, which was down from last October when it was 8.1 per cent and also down from last month when it was 8.2 per cent. (Full Story)

Nova Scotia:

November 23, 2007 - Government Introduces Pension Benefits Amendment - Pension plan members from the private sector and municipal governments will be further protected with a proposed amendment to pension benefits legislation. Government introduced today, Nov. 23, an amendment that will ensure all pension plans are fully funded when a company leaves the province or winds down their pension plan. (Full Story)

October 26, 2007 - Fewer injuries, less time off work – but still a long road - The WCB has released the Q2 2007 Community Report. This report focuses on the WCB's performance for the first six months of 2007. These mid-year results provide important perspective on two key measures in particular: Nova Scotia's rate of on-the-job injury, and the length of time injured workers are off work due to a workplace injury. (Full Story - PDF)

Ontario:

November 28, 2007 - Backgrounder - Holiday season has three public holidays under Employment Standards Act, 2000 - Many employees will get three public holidays
off this holiday season with public holiday pay. Three of nine public holidays
under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000 are Christmas Day on December
25, Boxing Day on December 26 and New Year's Day on January 1. (Full Story)

November 14, 2007 - Brampton Joins the WSIB on Road to Zero Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities - Brampton mayor Susan Fennell became the first mayor to sign on to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's (WSIB) Community Workplace Health and Safety Charter this afternoon at Brampton City Hall, committing the city to eliminating workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. (Full Story - PDF)

November 2007 - WSIB Premium Rates for 2008 - For the second year running, measures introduced in recent years to improve the WSIB's financial situation have provided the WSIB Board of Directors with the flexibility to keep the average premium rate unchanged for 2008 at $2.26 per $100 of insurable earnings. (Full Story)

Prince Edward Island:

November 9, 2007 - Improved Occupational Health And Safety Regulations Help Protect Against Hearing Loss - Recently approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Noise and Confined Space regulations are now in place and are designed to help prevent hearing loss due to noisy workplaces.
The Noise amendments include requirements for a hearing protection program in the workplace including noise measurement, education and training, engineered noise control, hearing protection, posting of noise hazard areas, hearing tests and an annual program review. (Full Story)

November 2007 - WCB Policy Insider for November 2007 - The Workers Compensation Board of PEI has released latest Policy Insider -- a quarterly publication dedicated to providing you with information related to policies and other important
facts about the Workers Compensation Board. The main focus of the Policy Insider is to help you get information on policy and increase awareness of policy changes that may affect you. (Full Story - PDF)

Saskatchewan:

November 29, 2007 - November Comp Reporter Available - The 2007 November issue of the WCB's newsletter, Comp Reporter, includes information about several new initiatvies and related publications, a report on the effectiveness of recent Worksafe Saskatchewan ad campaigns, and a list of new and updated Board policy decisions. (Full Story)

November 13, 2007 - Reduction in 2008 WCB Premium Proposal Good News for Saskatchewan Employers - The Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) today announced a proposal to reduce its 2008 average premium rate by 8.2 per cent to $1.69. The 2008 rate proposal continues a trend towards lower premium rates that started in 2005. Since that year, the average premium rate has dropped by 17.6 per cent. (Full Story)

October 3, 2007- Minimum Wage Increase Announced - The Government of Saskatchewan announced increases to the minimum wage today as a step forward to providing a living wage that will assist working families and young people participate in our prosperous economy. The increase will take place in three stages that will see the minimum wage move to $8.25 per hour on January 1, 2008, to $8.60 on May 1, 2008 and to $9.25 per hour on May 1, 2009. The minimum call out pay, which is three times the level of the minimum wage, will also increase accordingly. (Full Story)

The current release of GrandMaster Suite (5.43) incorporates a number of changes to make it even easier to use the program and perform your payroll tasks. Program changes since our last Payroll News issue include:

• New deduction method for garnishee type of deductions - With this release we have added a new deduction calculation method for garnishee type deductions. The new deduction, Code 151, will calculate based on a formula that reduces the employee gross pay by the statutory deductions, then will reduce that result by an exemption and finally multiply the reduction by a percentage rate. This new method is useful in situations where a garnishee allows for an exemption amount to be deducted from the employee net prior to calculating the percent amount of the garnishment.
• Conditional Group option now supports a group based on current pay detail only - We have modified the Payroll Condition group option to allow you to base your conditional group on current pay details form an unclosed pay only. This change is useful when you need to load a group of employees who have current pay amounts filtering out those who do not.
• The Import Pay Adjustments process now allows you to save up to 200 sets of parameters - The Import Pay Adjustments process has been modified to allow you to save your import parameters to forms much like you save settings for reports. This will allow you to have up to 200 different sets of import parameters saved so that you will only need to select the appropriate Import Definition Name from the drop down list provided prior to performing an import. This change allows you to save time by not having to edit import settings.
• The View EI History does not display information from all pay sequences - Prior to this release the View EI History dialog box would list the last 200 pay sequences only. This would not allow you to see an employee's EI history beyond the 200 sequences and in some circumstances users wished to see the earlier history. Therefore, with this release we have made a change to increase the maximum number of sequences displayed from the original 200 to a maximum of 9999.
• YTD earning amounts for earnings doubled on a Reversal Pay Calculation - When you ran a Reversal Pay Calculation earnings that did not have current activity on the sequence reversed but had YTD amounts would actually have those YTD amounts doubled after the reversal. This has been corrected with this release.
• YTD hours amounts are not printing correctly on the Employee Pay Statement - When printing YTD hour's amounts on an Employee Pay Statement, the amount printed in the area designated for the current hours. With this release we have made a change to ensure that the YTD hour's amount did not overwrite the current value.
• The pay calculation hangs when "payout part of accumulator" transactions exist - When you calculate a pay that included "payout part of accumulator" transactions the process would hang. This problem resulted from a program setting that was not correctly set preventing the post of the calculated amount. This in-turn caused the program to continue running since it needed to post the results prior to proceeding. This has been changed with this release.
• Deduction calculation method 13 does not stop at the YTD maximum - If you were using the deduction calculation method to pay amounts to an employee through a negative deduction, the YTD maximum threshold you set would be ignored. This would result in the deduction continuing to be processed beyond the YTD maximum amount that had been set. With this release we have made a change to this calculation method to ensure that when using this deduction to process negative amounts the YTD maximum would still be adhered to.
  

• • •

Visit CanPay's News page and view the latest Release Notes for a complete listing of program changes.

Dynamics of a Three-Sided Coin (Part 2 of 2)
By Barbara Bowes

Take steps to avoid an abrupt end during reference checking

And for the referees, you may want to consider the following:

• Determine to whom all reference inquiries will be directed; be certain this individual has had sufficient contact with the former employee to provide an effective reference.
• During the period of exit from your employment, discuss the issue of references. Either work with the individual to prepare a reference document you both agree will be used as a framework or ask the former employee to sign a document authorizing you to provide a reference.
• Some companies provide a written reference for attachment to resumes, but experience shows potential employers prefer to speak directly to the individual referee.
• Review your reference to ensure that the information is accurate and factual.
• Avoid making any comments that may knowingly mislead the listener or providing your opinion unless it can be substantiated with facts;
  • Document any requests for reference in your personnel files; include the callers name, title, the job in question and date. Don't forget to include a summary of your comments;
  • If you are not prepared to provide your former employee with a reference, be certain to inform that individual.

On the other hand, candidates also have a responsibility in the reference process. After all, failing to manage this crucial stage of selection may well jeopardize overall success. Here are some tips to help:

• Select your references carefully. Be certain they can give up to date and accurate information. Select those that will be balanced in their perspective. Be aware new employers are suspicious of unconditionally positive recommendations;
  • If you volunteer in the community be confident that references from these activities are equally valuable as references from the workplace;
  • Attain permission to use the name of your reference before attaching it to your resume. Be certain all contact information is accurate and current;
  • When you are in the final stages of your job search, forewarn the referees. Be sure to inform them for which position you are being considered. If the recruiter can't contact your references, it might cost you the job!
• Review each job opportunity with your referees, discuss how your skills and abilities match and confirm that they are comfortable providing support going forward;
  • If there is any indication your references are not being helpful in the selection process, hire someone to conduct mock references to double-check just what is being said about you.

Reference checking will continue to be a popular tool to verifying candidate information. It's a time when everyone is on edge, hoping for the best. So, no matter what your task is in the reference process, take steps to avoid an abrupt ending.

Working World with Barbara Bowes are books about workplace issues both from an employer and employee perspective. Topics range from how to conduct performance appraisals to conducting a job search or recognizing and managing bullying in the workplace. Volumn 1 is from an employer pespective, and Volumne 2 is aimed at employees. You can purchase the books online via Bowes HR.