Contents:

• Welcome
• What's New
• GrandMaster Update

October 2009 - 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:

October 2, 2009 - Individuals and businesses can now pay their taxes online - The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture and Agri-Food), announced the launch of a new online service at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). "Taxpayers and businesses can now send payments to the Canada Revenue Agency instantly from their accounts at participating financial institutions using the new My Payment service," said Minister Blackburn. (Full Story)

September 14, 2009 - Minister Blackburn thanks the members of the Canadian Payroll Association - The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture and Agri-Food), and Patrick Culhane, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA), are acknowledging their longstanding cooperation and ongoing support for the Canadian employers and payroll professionals as part of the National Payroll Week. (Full Story)

September 14, 2009 - Government of Canada intends to table legislation to extend Employment Insurance benefits for long-tenured workers - HRSDC Diane Finley and the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture), announced that the Government of Canada has given notice that it intends to introduce legislation that would temporarily provide additional Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits to unemployed long-tenured workers. (Full Story)

September 11, 2009 - Federal, Provincial Governments Invest In Older Workers - The federal and provincial governments are helping older workers remain active in the workforce by investing more than $10 million and extending the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers until March 2012. This support will help up to 1,000 older workers in New Brunswick acquire new skills and find jobs. Minister of Supply and Services Ed Doherty and Fundy Royal MP Rob Moore today announced a new project funded through the federal/provincial partnership. (Full Story)

September 10, 2009 - Interest rates for the fourth calendar quarter - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) today announced the prescribed annual interest rates that will apply to any amounts owed to the CRA and to any amounts the CRA owes to individuals and corporations. These rates are calculated quarterly in accordance with applicable legislation and will be in effect from October 1 to December 31, 2009. (Full Story)

September 4, 2009 - The Government of Canada announces the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy - The Government of Canada announced its newest commitment to Aboriginal people through the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS). HRSDC Minister Diane Finley made the announcement: "The Government of Canada supports Aboriginal people taking full advantage of economic opportunities; The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy will increase participation in the Canadian economy, ensuring that First Nations, Métis and Inuit people are engaged in sustainable, meaningful employment." (Full Story)

September, 2009 - Tuition Fees, Scholarships, and Bursaries - The CRA website states that you may provide an employee, or former employee, with a scholarship or bursary on the condition that the employee returns to employment with you upon completion of the course. In this situation, the amount of the scholarship or bursary is considered to be employment income to the employee or former employee. (Full Story)

Alberta:

October 2, 2009 - Partnership builds homes and careers on the Piikani First Nation - The future is looking a little brighter for members of the Piikani First Nation thanks to a skills-training partnership between the nation and the federal and provincial governments. "The Piikani training project is just one of the ways we are helping Alberta’s First Nations people gain valuable job skills and find rewarding careers," said Hector Goudreau, Minister of Employment and Immigration. (Full Story)

September 21, 2009 - Alberta recognizes companies with best safety records
- Almost 700 Alberta employers have been recognized by the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Council for having superior health and safety records. "It is encouraging in today's current economic state to see such a large number of Alberta employers placing emphasis on integrating safety into their operations to achieve such a success," said Tim Bennett, Occupational Health and Safety Council Chair. (Full Story)

September 18, 2009 - Edmonton's largest-ever Employer Connections event links job seekers with local employers - Edmontonians on the hunt for a new job are invited to stop by the city’s largest-ever Employer Connections event September 24 and meet face-to-face with a dozen local employers looking to fill more than 100 job vacancies. Job seekers should bring copies of their resumés and come dressed to impress, because some employers will be conducting interviews right on site. (Full Story)

August 31, 2009 - Alberta co-hosts world education discussion on job-skill trends - Educational leaders from 16 countries are meeting with their Canadian counterparts in Calgary August 31 to discuss innovative developments in vocational education and training and explore the trends and skill requirements for the ‘next generation’ economy within a global context. (Full Story)

British Columbia:

October 5, 2009 - Program Continues To Help Skilled Immigrants Find Jobs - The B.C. and federal governments are investing $12 million for the continued delivery of the BC Skills Connect program, which has successfully helped more than 5,500 immigrants connect with jobs that use their foreign qualifications and work experience, announced Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. (Full Story)

September 16, 2009 - Local government meets to increase health and safety to workers - Almost 300 delegates from municipalities, school boards and other public sector organizations across B.C. And Canada are meeting in Whistler to "Share the Knowledge" about how to better protect their workers from injury, death or disease while on-the-job. The bi-annual BC Municipal Occupational Health and Safety Conference is co-sponsored by CUPE BC, Metro Vancouver and WorkSafeBC. (Full Story)

September 15, 2009 - Amendments Will Protect Investors And Comply With TILMA - New legislation to improve investor protection, make financial services sector legislation consistent with the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between British Columbia and Alberta. The agreement will reduce and eliminating barriers to the free movement of workers, goods, services and investments between the two provinces and expand employment opportunities by enhancing labour mobility.(Full Story)

September 11, 2009 - Province Invests $5.2 Million Into Skills Training - The Province is investing $5.2 million in training programs to help nearly 1,000 unemployed British Columbians acquire the skills they need to transition back to the labour force or into further education, announced Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. "The Employment Skills Access Program is another example of how the B.C. And federal governments are working together to provide new options for the unemployed, helping them to find and maintain meaningful employment and further educational opportunities," said Stilwell. (Full Story)

September 4, 2009 - British Columbia Extends Reservist Job Protection - Changes to the Employment Standards Regulation will extend job-protected leave to Canadian Forces reservists called on to support the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In 2008, the Employment Standards Act was amended to provide reservists with job-protected leave from their civilian employment when they are deployed to a Canadian Forces operation outside of Canada, or to assist with an emergency inside Canada. (Full Story)

Manitoba:

September 29, 2009 - Governments Of Manitoba And Canada Help Virden Youth Prepare For Jobs - Local youth facing barriers to employment will receive job preparation training and work experience through a local employment project supported by the governments of Manitoba and Canada. The Honourable Nancy Allan, Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade for Manitoba, and Mr. Merv Tweed, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, made the announcement. (Full Story)

September 28, 2009 - Minimum Wage Increase To $9 Per Hour To Take Effect Oct. 1 - The hourly minimum wage in Manitoba will increase by 25 cents to $9 Oct. 1, Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan announced. "It is important to continue to help lower-income earners by boosting spending power while at the same time minimizing impacts on business with the staggered increase," said Allan. Manitoba's minimum wage increased by 25 cents to $8.75 an hour on May 1 and has increased incrementally from $6 an hour in 1999. (Full Story)

New Brunswick:

Sept. 11, 2009 - Older Workers Helped To Get New Jobs - The federal and provincial governments are investing more than $10 million and extending the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers until March 2012 to help older workers remain active in the workforce. This support will help up to 1,000 older workers in New Brunswick acquire new skills and find jobs. (Full Story)

September 4, 2009 - Employment, participation rate hold steady in August compared to July - The number of New Brunswickers employed in August remained unchanged from last month. Although New Brunswick's unemployment rate increased by 0.9 of a percentage point year-over-year, this was below the national increase of 2.5 percentage points. New Brunswick registered an unemployment rate of 9.3 per cent in August 2009 compared to 8.4 per cent in August 2008. Over the same period, Canada's jobless rate increased to 8.7 per cent from 6.2 per cent. (Full Story)

September 1, 2009 - Increase to minimum wage announced - New Brunswickers earning minimum wage will be receiving a $0.25 per hour increase, effective Sept. 1, 2009. The increase raises the minimum wage to $8.25. It is the second minimum wage increase in the past six months, and the fifth since October 2006, when the minimum wage was $6.70 per hour. Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said that the increase is important, since it helps give individuals and families a better standard of living right here in New Brunswick. (Full Story)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

September 16, 2009 - Minister Applauds Role of Project Sponsors in Helping Older Workers Reenter the Workforce - The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, met with Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) project sponsors yesterday at a workshop held at the Comfort Inn in St. John's. The two-day session, which wraps up today, was designed to bring community-based project sponsors together with government staff to share best practice procedures and approaches, thereby enhancing the experiences of their clients. (Full Story)

September 16, 2009 - Minister Reiterates Commitment to Workers and Legislative Review - Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Susan Sullivan responded to misleading comments by the Leader of the NDP relating to the Provincial Government's commitment to workers throughout the province. Minister Sullivan also took offense to Ms. Michael's statement that the Provincial Government does not care about the workers of this province. (Full Story)

September 16, 2009 - Minister Outlines Increases in Learning Opportunities - Expanded and new program offerings will soon be available at College of the North Atlantic campuses and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland. In total, 17 programs are being made available to help unemployed and under-employed workers gain valuable skills training. The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Education, was at the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) campus today in Burin to provide details. (Full Story)

September 4, 2009 - Williams Government Supports Career Exploration Opportunities for Young Women - Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Susan Sullivan, congratulated the Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) organization today for concluding another successful year of its Student Summer Employment Program (SSEP). "The SSEP program offered by WISE offers an invaluable learning opportunity to young women at a time when they are beginning to plan their futures," said the Minister. (Full Story)

Nova Scotia:

September 30, 2009 - Occupational Health and Safety Penalties to Help Decrease Workplace Accidents - The province is implementing a monetary penalty system for employers and employees who break occupational health and safety laws in a move to improve workplace safety. Beginning in January, the Department of Labour and Workforce Development's occupational health and safety division will have the ability to issue penalties when violations of health and safety laws are found in workplaces. (Full Story)

September 30, 2009 - Process Amended for Discrimination Appeals - The province is amending the appeals process for discriminatory action complaints to improve efficiency. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and employee can file a complaint of discriminatory action against their employer. Discriminatory action adversely affects an employee's terms and conditions of employment, or employment or promotion opportunities. This includes dismissal, layoff, suspension, demotion, job and location transfer, eliminating a job, reducing wages, and changing work hours. (Full Story)

September 21, 2009 - New Dispute-resolution Options Proposed - The province introduced legislation today, Sept. 21, that will provide employers and employees with a way to resolve disputes, that could prove faster and more efficient. The proposed changes to the Trade Union Act would also bar mediators and mediators-arbitrators from being called to testify before a court or tribunal. The first of three amendments would introduce mediation-arbitration for grievances about the interpretation, application or an alleged violation of a collective agreement. (Full Story)

September 17, 2009 - New General Entitlement Program Policy Approved - The WCB Board of Director's approved a new program policy entitled "General Entitlement -- Arising out of and in the Course of Employment". The new program policy establishes the principles that guide decision-making regarding the work-relatedness of an injury. This program policy improves transparency and accountability regarding the WCB's decision-making process by documenting and communicating the general principles and questions the WCB considers when determining if an injury is work-related. (Full Story)

September 3, 2009 - WCB Announces 2010 Employer Rates - The Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) of Nova Scotia announced its 2010 assessment rates to employers this week. Almost half (46 per cent) of the 18,000 employers covered by the WCB will see their rate go down or stay the same next year. Home support, metal tank manufacturing, framing, and hardware and paint stores are among the industries that will see rate decreases. (Full Story)

Ontario:

September 25, 2009 - McGuinty Government Committed To Eliminating Workplace Injuries - Ontario will continue its efforts to reduce workplace injuries by focusing on construction site electrical hazards during an October workplace safety blitz. The blitz is one of many being conducted under the province's proactive Safe At Work Ontario strategy to promote compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Keeping workers safe means increased productivity for Ontario's economy and reduced strain on the health care system. (Full Story)

September 14, 2009 - Innovative Technology Creating Jobs In Toronto - Ontario is helping a manufacturer in Toronto to develop new technology and expanding production of alcohol interlock systems. When installed, these systems prevent a vehicle from starting if the driver's blood alcohol concentration exceeds a pre-determined level. The province is providing a grant of $3.15 million in support of ACS' total investment of nearly $18 million over the next four years towards the project, which will create 105 new jobs at the company. (Full Story)

September 3, 2009 - For the Record: Clarifications about CFIB’s claims - The WSIB wishes to correct inaccuracies distributed in a news release by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business on September 3, 2009. "We are disappointed and seriously concerned the CFIB is once more engaging in a complete distortion of the facts and sabre rattling in order to get media attention and scare their membership unnecessarily. This is a time that they should be working collaboratively with the government, the WSIB and other stakeholders to build confidence and sustainability for the thousands of employers who have been hit hard by the economy." (Full Story)

Prince Edward Island:

September 30, 2009 - Minimum Wage Increases October 1 - In March of 2009, Executive Council approved a recommendation from the Employment Standards Board to implement a 40 cent increase to minimum wage through a two-stage approach. Hon. Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour is pleased to remind Islanders that the final stage of this approach will be effective October 1, 2009, when minimum wage will increase to $8.40. (Full Story)

September 25, 2009 - Governments Of Canada And Prince Edward Island Support Local Employment Projects For Islanders - Local people with disabilities will benefit from the Government of Canada's support for five employment projects. The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Egmont, made the announcement today. (Full Story)

September 11, 2009 - Employment Opportunities To Expand In Bedeque, Prince Edward Island - As many as 50 new jobs could be created at Virtual-Agent Services (VAS), a new contact centre in Central Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, said Premier Robert Ghiz. "The Government of Prince Edward Island continues to create economic activity across the province," said Premier Ghiz. "We are pleased to see Virtual-Agent Services choose Prince Edward Island as a business location." (Full Story)

Saskatchewan:

October 1, 2009 - New Immigration Process Boosts Nominations, Investments And Jobs Creation - Saskatchewan's Minister Responsible for Immigration, Rob Norris, today launched a new process for the Entrepreneur Category of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) that will improve processing times, attract investment and foster the creation of more jobs in Saskatchewan. The SINP expects to nominate 250 entrepreneurs and managers by the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year. (Full Story)

October 2, 2009 - Governments Of Canada And Saskatchewan Support Mining - The Saskatchewan Government announced a joint investment to establish the Advanced Microanalysis Centre at the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) in Saskatoon. The successful use of this technology by the mining industry will create jobs and generate more revenue for the province and the mining industry. (Full Story)

September 4, 2009 - Saskatchewan Continues To Enjoy Lowest Unemployment Rate In Canada - Despite some job losses in August, Saskatchewan continues to post the lowest unemployment rate in Canada and is one of only two provinces with more people working than a year ago, according to the latest Labour Force Survey released today by Statistics Canada. There were 521,400 people working in Saskatchewan in August - increase of 1,800 over August 2008. Canada as a whole lost 311,500 jobs during that same 12-month period. (Full Story)

September 25, 2009 - Minimum Wage Board Seeks Public Input On Minimum Wage - The Saskatchewan Minimum Wage Board is reviewing the minimum wage and invites members of the public to participate. Under Section 15 of The Labour Standards Act, the board's mandate includes reviewing Saskatchewan's minimum wage every two years. The current minimum wage is $9.25 an hour. Public involvement is important, and the board invites the public to submit their opinions, concerns and experience with the minimum wage by October 30, 2009. (Full Story)

September 29, 2009 - Physicians to Receive Retroactive Adjustments - The WCB and the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) have signed a new agreement. This agreement includes a fee increase for physicians, retroactive to January 1, 2008. Payments issued to physicians on September 16, 2009 may include both regular payments and a retroactive adjustment payment. (Full Story)

Yukon:

September 17, 2009 - Education Partnership to Improve First Nation Workforce Engagement - Education Minister Patrick Rouble today announced $162,955 in funding for a new education initiative to be delivered in partnership with Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Yukon College. The Education and Employment Training (EET) program is geared to improve the First Nation's workforce engagement and it is the first project to be funded under the Government of Yukon's new Labour Market Agreement (LMA) with the Government of Canada. (Full Story)

September 3, 2009 - Employee Engagement Survey Results Show Stability - The results of the 2009 Employee Engagement Survey of Yukon government employees, conducted April 20 to May 22, show general stability in the overall level of employee satisfaction compared to last year. "The Employee Engagement Survey is a valuable tool that shows our organization's strengths as well as areas for improvement," Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission Patrick Rouble said. (Full Story)

The current release of GrandMaster Suite (5.81) incorporates a number of changes to make it even easier to use the program and perform your payroll tasks. Some of the program changes since our last Payroll News issue include:

• Option the print employee pay statements when arrears exist added - With this release we have added an option that will allow you to print employee pay statements for employees who are in arrears but have gross earnings. This change allows you to exclude all other employees who are in arrears from the pay statement print process and is only available when the exclude arrears option is enabled.
• The HR Profile Report now includes the alternate phone numbers as an option - This release includes options to allow you to print or export the alternate phone numbers for an employee or employee's contacts when printing or exporting the HR Profile Report. Prior to this release you could only assign one field for the phone number and you could not have the phone numbers print or export separately.
• New deduction calculation method for union deductions added - This release also includes a new deduction calculation method (162), which allows you to have a fixed deduction amount with up to three thresholds to determine the amount of the fixed deduction. Additionally, this calculation allows you to cap the deduction to a maximum YTD amount.
• Option to export HR Profile Report with or without column headers added - We have added an option to the HR Profile Report that allows you to choose to export column headers in the first record of your export. The report default setting will be to not export the column headers and the onus would be on you to select this option if you wish to include the column headers in your export file.
• Multilevel sort options added to the Employee Pay Statement report - This release contains a major change to the Employee Pay Statement report to allow you to select up to three levels of sort. Each level of sort will allow you to select from a list of available sort options. However, as you choose an item to sort on it will not be available to the other levels. This change is useful when you wish to print your employee pay statements and have them sorted by more than one sort option or by a sort within a sort.
• A Data Condition group option has been added to the HR module - With this release we have added a new group option that allows you to enable dynamic groups based on data outside of payroll. This new group option has been identified as a Data Condition Group and is available to the HR module only and is based upon HR related data.
• The HR Employee Profile Report modified to exclude unselected items and headings - With this release we have made changes to the HR Employee Profile Report to suppress data and headings for items when the employee does not have related data. This change makes the report easy to read and can significantly reduce the number of pages printed depending on the amount of data you have selected to be included in your report.
• You may now include individual Notes fields in your HR Employee Profile Report - The HR Employee Profile Report has been modified to allow you to select individual Notes fields to be included in your report. Prior to this release the report would report all Notes fields without clear separation making an export of this data challenging to work with.
• Option to suppress employee pay rates from the Input Worksheet Report added - The Input Worksheet Report has been modified to provide you with the option to suppress the employees pay rate from being displayed on the report. This option is convenient when you do not want the employee's rates to be seen by those who the report is distributed to.
• Option to change Final Pay status to Terminated on Close Period added - The Close Period process has been modified to include an option allowing you to have any employees who have Final Pay status set to Terminated during the close. This option does not save and you would have to choose this option each time you close a pay sequence if you wish to have this process perform the automatic change in employee status. Since employees who have Final Pay status are essentially Active as long as their end date or termination date is within the current period date range this option could be useful ensuring that employees who should be Terminated, are and not processed on subsequent pays.
• Employee Profile Report export now includes more data export selections - The Employee Profile Report export has been enhanced to provide you with additional export options. This change breaks up data that previously was strung together into one selection into individual selections. The result is the data is more useful when accessed in a spreadsheet and is more easily manipulated after exporting.
  

• • •

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

Link Opportunity! - If you are a CanPay customer wanting more exposure for your Website, please send us a 50-word description along with a copy of your logo. We'll add you to our Customer Links page and create a link directly to your website. It 's a great way to expose your goods and services to the community. Logos should be a maximum of 160 x 70 pixels and provided in the .gif or .jpg format. Send your e-mails to admin@canpay.com.

10 Tips For Dealing With Change In The Workplace (Part 2 of 2)
By Calvin Sun - www.calvinsun.com

#6: Be flexible
Change requires flexibility. The better able you are to adapt to change, the greater your chances of being successful. After you complete your self-assessment, take a look at the requirements of the new situation. Maybe your current job doesn't fit exactly into it. However, what skills, from your old role, can you apply to the new situation? In other words, instead of focusing on differences, focus on similarities.

Suppose you were a football coach at a university. One day the president told you the football program was going away, and you would either have to coach basketball (something you never did before) or leave the university.

How would you react if you wanted to stay? Football and basketball have important differences, in number of players, size of playing area, and shape of ball. However, they also have similarities. In both sports, you want to outscore the opponent. In both, a coach must motivate players to achieve peak performance and must deal when necessary with discipline issues. In both, strategy, planning, and preparation are vital to success. If you wanted to make this change successful, you would look at the similarities and leverage existing knowledge. You'd then recognize shortcomings (e.g., lack of coaching experience in or knowledge of basketball) and make appropriate plans to address them.

Think in the same way about how you can adapt your own skills to the new environment.

#7: Continue to do your work
I've been through reorganizations, and they're no fun. Regardless, resist if you can the temptation to just sit there. It's easy to have that attitude, because you don't know if your work is going to mean anything tomorrow or the next week. Still, you're being paid to work, so try to do so. Furthermore, that attitude could impress a future boss.

#8: Be positive in actions and attitude
I don't want to sound like Pollyanna, but keeping a positive attitude can help you deal with the uncertainties of change. For example, instead of worrying about changes you will have to make, focus instead on how you can leverage your existing skills and experience, as in the example of the football-turned-basketball coach. Looking for opportunities in the new organization, and becoming involved, will hasten your adjustment.

#9: Maintain your network
Your network of contacts, both inside and outside your company, can serve a valuable function. They can share with you their own experiences of change and tell you of job opportunities. More important, they can be a sounding board for your ideas and share with you their emotions about the change.

Build your network by keeping in touch with school and college classmates, former co-workers, bosses, and subordinates and by meeting colleagues at conferences and conventions.

#10: See the big picture
We discussed the example of the football coach who had to become a basketball coach. That person has a better chance of success by looking not at the small picture, i.e., specific differences between the sports, but rather at their similarities as athletic activities.

Change can be frightening, and disruptive. However, with the right attitude and actions, you can find opportunities in that change.