Contents:

• Welcome
• What's New
• GrandMaster Update

August 2010 - 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:

Payroll Deductions Formulas for Computer Programs- The new Payroll Deductions Formulas for Computer Programs effective July 1, 2009 is now available on the CRA Web site. This publication contains the formulas you need to determine federal, provincial (except Quebec), and territorial income taxes, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, and Employment Insurance (EI) premium deductions. The formulas also allow you to calculate payroll deductions for special cases such as commission, pension income, bonuses, and retroactive pay increases. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - CRA Provides new tool for gifts and awards- The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has created a new tool to assist in determining if a gift, award or long-service award is a taxable benefit to the employee. Cash and near cash gifts or awards are always a taxable benefit to the employee. Non cash gifts or non cash awards, on the other hand, may not be considered a taxable benefit under certain circumstances. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - Government of Canada Releases Revised Income Tax Technical Proposals - The Department of Finance today released draft legislative proposals to implement outstanding income tax technical measures. The proposals include; technical amendments that are important to the integrity of the tax system; amendments to ensure that both the common law and civil law are properly referred to and reflected in the Income Tax Act. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - Investing to improve foreign credential recognition across Canada - The Government of Canada is funding a project that will help integrate foreign-trained newcomers into the Canadian labour market. The Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) will receive $941,655 in funding over two years for its project entitled Pan-Canadian Quality Standards in International Credential Evaluation: Phase II. (Full Story)

Alberta:

August 20, 2010 - North Edmonton Employer Connections job fair links job seekers with local employers - Albertans looking for a job can stop by the North Edmonton Employer Connections job fair on Wednesday, August 25, and meet face-to-face with 15 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 on site. (Full Story)

August 19, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps Calgary youth reach their career goals - Local youth who face significant barriers to employment will gain life and employability skills through return-to-school and return-to-work projects supported by the Government of Canada. Environment Minisiter Jim Prentice said, "In today's environment, it is more important than ever that youth receive the education and support they need to participate and succeed in the job market." (Full Story)

July 30, 2010 - Ten-point plan to achieve greater Occupational Health and Safety accountability and transparency - Changes are in the works for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, including compliance and enforcement, planning and education. Beginning today and through to the end of the year, Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Employment and Immigration, will implement ten initiatives that will ensure Albertans can continue to have confidence in the health and safety of their workplaces, and address recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - Work safe for life - stop, think and act - A construction worker, a welder and an electrical utility worker will be playing it safe on this year's Work Safe for Life Capital EX parade float, promoting workplace safety and raising awareness about common safety hazards. The float is the creation of Work Safe for Life, a partnership of the Alberta government, health and safety associations and industry representatives. (Full Story)

British Columbia:

August 20, 2010 - Government of Canada partners to provide employment for Aboriginal people in British Columbia - MP Jay Hill today announced $9 million in funding for the Pacific Trail Pipeline Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Project. "Canada's Economic Action Plan is making a difference by ensuring that Aboriginal people have the training and skills development they need to fully share in current and future economic opportunities," said Mr. Hill. "This project will help accomplish this by providing training for up to 600 Aboriginal people, leading to hundreds of well-paying, long-term jobs in the natural gas sector." (Full Story)

August 17, 2010 - Prince George youth receive assistance for job preparation - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. Future Cents will receive over $850,000 in federal Skills Link funding to expand its youth employment project, helping 75 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

August 4, 2010 - Proposals Sought For Employment-Readiness Program - A new posting on BC Bid seeks qualified service providers across the province to help British Columbians gain the skills needed to find and keep employment. Successful proponents will deliver the Job Options BC program in communities across the province, providing unemployed British Columbians who are non-Employment Insurance clients with employment-focused activities. (Full Story)

Manitoba:

August 16, 2010 - Government of Canada creates jobs for Aboriginal people in Winnipeg - Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, today announced that the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD) is receiving more than $23.7 million under the federal government's new Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. CAHRD has been successfully delivering labour market programs to Aboriginal people for over 35 years. (Full Story)

August 13, 2010 - Manitoba Youth Job Centres Reach Milestones - More than 300,000 students and youth throughout Manitoba have gained employment skills and experience along with valuable connections to employers during the 35 years the Manitoba Youth Job Centres (MYJC) have been operating. Along with employment referrals, the centres provide students and youth with vital information about employment-related issues such as labour regulations, resume preparation, interview assistance, and workplace safety and health. (Full Story)

August 6, 2010 - Manitoba Employment Holds Steady In July - After four consecutive months of job growth totalling 9,400, Manitoba employment held steady in July, according to the latest Statistics Canada labour force report. From June 2010 to July 2010, the labour force increased by 1,700 people, employment was down 100 jobs, private-sector jobs were up 2,200, public-sector jobs were down 2,300, full-time jobs decreased by 3,400, part-time employment was up 3,300 and the number of unemployed increased by 1,800. (Full Story)

July 20, 2010 - New Payday Loans Rates And Rules Proclaimed - New maximum interest rates for payday loans and additional consumer protection measures will take effect Oct. 18. The new maximum rate that can be charged for a payday loan is $17 per $100. The maximum amount of a loan can only be 30 per cent of a person's next net pay. Manitoba's rate is the lowest in the country among provinces that effectively allow payday loans. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - Governments working to better integrate skilled newcomers into the labour market - The governments of Canada and Manitoba are cooperating to help internationally trained professionals participate in the provincial labour market. The federal government will provide the Manitoba Department of Advanced Education and Literacy with over $1.2 million in funding for its project entitled Partnerships for Labour Market-Driven Bridge Programs in Manitoba's Post-Secondary Institutions. (Full Story)

New Brunswick:

August 4, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps youth in New Brunswick prepare for the labour market - Thanks to support from the Government of Canada, Apple Auto Glass will provide job preparation training and work experience to a local youth. The Honourable Greg Thompson, Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. (Full Story)

July 27, 2010 - Worksafenb Releases 2009 Report To Stakeholders - WorkSafeNB's 2009 Report to Stakeholders presents the organization's results as it worked toward meeting its strategic goals of safety, balance, return to work, service and staff satisfaction and engagement. "We are pleased to have met our target for reducing injury frequency, down from 3.40 accidents (per 100 workers) in 2008 to 3.24 in 2009," said Dugas. (Full Story - PDF)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

August 20, 2010 - Job Creation Partnership Projects in District of Grand Bank Support Community Infrastructure - Five community infrastructure projects in the Towns of Lawn, St. Lawrence, Fortune, Garnish, and Frenchman's Cove are nearing completion. The projects were made possible by $74,862 in support from the Provincial Government under the Job Creation Partnership (JCP) program. The five supported projects employed 19 individuals. (Full Story)

August 17, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps Clarenville youth prepare for jobs - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. The Ability Employment Corporation will receive $95,009 in federal Skills Link funding to support its youth employment project, which will help five youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

August 2, 2010 - Six Job Creation Partnership Projects Approved - The Provincial Government supported six projects employing 16 individuals in the St. George's-Stephenville East area through a maximum investment of up to $116,223 under the Job Creation Partnership program. "Job Creation Partnership projects are a strong example of how our government supports non-profit and community-oriented groups to undertake initiatives that focus on supporting local and regional needs," said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment. (Full Story)

July 16, 2010 - New Funding in Lake Melville Enhances Skills, Strengthens Employment and Promotes Community Development - Three Job Creation Partnership programs in the Lake Melville region, made possible by a Provincial Government investment of $72,189, will help participants increase work experience, enhance job skills, and strengthen community infrastructure and development. The total project cost, including contributions from project sponsors, is $118,129. (Full Story)

Nova Scotia:

August 20, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps youth in Amherst prepare for the labour market- Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. The Tantramar Theatre Workshop Society will receive $119,010 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Employability Skills and Work Experience project, which will help 10 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

July 30, 2010 - Province Seeks Partners to Boost Employment - The Department of Labour and Workforce Development is looking for partners to support the Works for You program. Works for You is funded through the Canada-Nova Scotia Labour Market Agreement (LMA) and helps unemployed or low-skilled Nova Scotians prepare for, find, and maintain work. The department issued a request for proposals on Friday, July 30, to registered charities, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions that offer these services. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 7. (Full Story)

July 12, 2010 - Feedback Sought on Proposed Employment Board Processes - The Department of Labour and Workforce Development is planning to merge six employment-related boards and tribunals into one board this year, and wants feedback on how the board will operate. A discussion paper released today, July 12, outlines proposed options that would be part of legislation needed for the merger. If approved, the changes could mean faster decisions, lower dispute resolution costs and more consistent processes. (Full Story)

July 9, 2010 - Advisory: Occupational Health and Safety Sales Calls - The Department of Labour and Workforce Development is receiving calls from concerned business owners who were contacted by a company selling occupational health and safety training. The vendor suggested that people must be retrained about the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) because the province's laws and regulations had changed. This is false information. No changes have been made to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations that would require employers to retrain their staff. (Full Story)

Ontario:

August 18, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps Toronto youth prepare for jobs - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. Dixon Hall will receive $213,337 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Calico project, which will help 20 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

August 3, 2010 - McGuinty Government Investing In The Future Success Of Ontarians - Changes to Employment Ontario mean that help getting the skills to succeed is just one visit away. All Employment Ontario offices now offer access to: Skills training programs, a wide range of services, including job preparation, rapid re-employment and training, literacy and basic skills upgrading and job creation partnerships and help with finding employment. This new, one-stop system means faster and more efficient access to career training. (Full Story)

July 28, 2010 - McGuinty Government Targets Construction Workplaces In Safety Campaign - Ontario is launching an eight-week campaign with its health and safety partners to urge workers and employers to put safety first on construction sites across the province. The province kicked off the campaign at a construction site in Toronto today, emphasizing the need for everyone on the job to train properly, be aware of dangers and keep everyone safe. (Full Story)

Prince Edward Island:

July 14, 2010 - The Government of Canada helps youth in Prince Edward Island prepare for the labour market - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. Community Inclusions will receive $46,373 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Let's Get Working project, which will help six youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

Saskatchewan:

August 18, 2010 - Another Year Over Year Decrease In The Number Of Saskatchewan Ei Beneficiaries - For the third consecutive month, Saskatchewan has recorded a significant decline year-over-year in the number of people receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. According to the latest report from Statistics Canada, June 2010 saw 13,150 EI beneficiaries receiving regular benefits in Saskatchewan, a decrease of 1,250 or 8.7 per cent from the same month last year. On a per capita basis, Saskatchewan has the second fewest number of people receiving EI benefits in Canada at 2 per cent. Alberta has the lowest at 1.9 per cent. (Full Story)

August 6, 2010 - Saskatchewan Sets July Employment Record - Saskatchewan has set an employment record for the sixth consecutive month and once again enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the country. There were 532,100 people working in Saskatchewan in July 2010 - 5,800 more than the same month last year and the most ever for the month of July. More than 90 per cent of this increase was made up of full-time jobs, which grew by 5,300 over the same time period. (Full Story)

August 5, 2010 - Increase In Saskjobs Postings A Sign Of Opportunity In Saskatchewan - A strong month of July has fueled a 6.5 per cent year-over-year increase in job postings on SaskJobs.ca. A total of 8,875 jobs were posted to SaskJobs in July 2010, up from 8,328 in the same month last year. Vacancies were posted by employers in 244 communities across the province. Since January 1, more than 63,000 vacancies have been posted to the site. Of the 8,875 jobs posted in July, 71 per cent were full-time positions. (Full Story)

July 30, 2010 - Another Strong Earnings Performance For Saskatchewan Workers - Average weekly earnings for Saskatchewan workers went up again in May, with a year over year increase of 5 per cent. Saskatchewan's average weekly earnings of $843.11 were the third highest in Canada, behind only Alberta ($985.17) and Ontario ($874.66). (Full Story)

July 30, 2010 - Government Holds Minimum Wage Rate Steady - The Government of Saskatchewan announced today that it is holding the province's minimum wage steady at $9.25 until the Minimum Wage Board completes its next minimum wage review. The minimum wage has increased 16.3 per cent since January 1, 2008. The decision to maintain the current wage level was based on a recommendation made by the Minimum Wage Board in its report to government following its 2009 review of the province's minimum wage. (Full Story)

July 22, 2010 - Another Decrease In Saskatchewan Ei Beneficiaries Year To Year - Saskatchewan has recorded another significant decline year-over-year in the number of people receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. In May 2010, there were 12,790 EI beneficiaries receiving regular EI benefits in Saskatchewan, a decrease of 1,330 or 9.4 per cent from May 2009. (Full Story)

July 14, 2010 - Government of Canada helps young women in Prince Albert prepare for jobs - Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada's support for an employment project. The YWCA of Prince Albert will receive $47,856 in federal Skills Link funding to support its youth employment program, which will help 16 young women facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. (Full Story)

Yukon:

August 11, 2010 - Funding announced to help persons with disabilities get jobs - Persons with disabilities will be better able to access jobs as a result of new Labour Market Development Agreement funding for the Yukon Council on disABILITY worth $281,726, Education Minister Patrick Rouble announced today. This new three-year funding will be used to support activities such as hosting an international conference to increase community awareness and the development of community and service provider skills, networks and protocols.. (Full Story)

The current release of GrandMaster Suite (6.06) incorporates a number of changes and important adjustments 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:

• CRA account added as a payroll condition group option - This release includes a change that allows you to define a payroll condition group with the employee's CRA account setting as one of the group conditions. These options are Full Rate, Reduced Rate, and Other. This is useful when you have more than one CRA business number associated with your payroll and you wish to perform functions where the employees are sorted by the CRA account.
• Forced group can now be linked to a fixed group - We have made several changes with this release that allow you to assign a fixed group when assigning a forced group selection when defining a user ID. Additionally, with this change when defining a fixed group from within a payroll the payroll ID number will be assigned to the group. This will enable you to view groups for the current payroll only. Further, the group list provides you with an option to view groups with a zero payroll ID so that you might re-save pre-defined fixed groups with the payroll ID from which they were created.
• The Customized Payroll Report now includes option to print/export employee template - With this release we have added the options to include the employee's base or default template on a printed report or in an export file. This new option is useful where you make use of the employee templates to modify employee information or rates.
• Email Pay Statements now allows you to include Username/Password for mail client - For users who do NOT have their own company mail server and use another mail client to send or receive email the process to email pay statements was not successful because the email client was requiring a User Name and Password in order to send mail through the mail server. Therefore, we have added the option to assign your User Name and Password when generating the pay statements for email to authenticate the user with the mail server.
• Full Time Equivalency Report/Export added - This release contains the new Full Time Equivalency Report/Export. This report option allows you to produce a report or export file that will provide you with employee full time equivalency information based on the settings you choose. This new reporting tool can be helpful when for budgeting purposes.
• New garnishment deduction method added - This release includes a new deduction calculation method specifically for garnishments. This method (code 165) will deduct the stat deductions and selected deductions from the employee's gross pay. It allows you to assign and exemption amount based on single or with dependants. Then the garnishment will be a percentage of the gross pay if it does not exceed the gross less deductions and the employee's exempted amount.
• Federal tax override/calculation method added to Customized Payroll Report options - We have made a change to the Customized Payroll Report to allow you to select the federal tax override or calculation method as a report or export option. This change allows you to produce a report that will show what tax calculation method or override is currently used for an employee when calculating a pay.
• The CRA account is added to the Payroll Condition Group options - With this release we have made a change to the Payroll Condition Group definition options to allow you to choose the CRA account as a condition of the group. This is useful when you have more that one CRA account number in effect and you wish to create groups based on the employee's membership of one of the CRA accounts.
• The Additional pay type now allows you to select which Normal to assign it to - We have made a significant change in the set up of an Additional Pay calculation type. The change, included in this release, works similar to the Reversal Pay type where you will be prompted to select a Normal Pay to associate the Additional with from the list of prior pay sequences. You will not be able to select a pay sequence from a prior year or a pay sequence other than a Normal. This change would allow you to have an Additional pay calculated based on earnings from a prior pay period other than the Normal pay that immediately preceded the Additional. This change results in employee EI information being correctly recorded for employees and there is no longer a need to manually edit employee EI history to remove Nil pay periods.
  

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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.

While it remains gauche to talk up your Bible study or meditation group at work, faith plays an instrumental role in employees' health and can even benefit their workplaces, says a Vancouver psychologist.

"Spirituality is part of mental health," says Carole Kanchier, author of Dare to Change Your Job and Your Life. "When a person is a fully functioning person, he or she is intellectually growing, emotionally at peace . . . . (They have) good relationships and take care of their physical health . . . . They also have spiritual practices."

Kanchier says more and more people are becoming spiritual.

"Certainly different kinds of religion are growing -- one is fundamentalism, but another is spirituality that doesn't involve any religious practice."

She stresses that spirituality needn't involve religious practices, per se. More and more people are spiritual, says Kanchier, but not religious, and may practise their beliefs in a wide range of ways -- simple things like meditation, listening to music or appreciating nature.

A 2006 study by Statistics Canada suggests adult Canadians may not be attending religious events in high numbers, but engage in spiritual practice at home. Fifty-three per cent did this at least once a month, 11 per cent a few times a year, and 32 per cent attended religious services at least monthly.

Those who have a sense of spirituality often have a number of positive personality traits that help them relate to people and succeed at work, Kanchier says. "They respect others' beliefs and their rights to hold them, they expect good things to happen, and they befriend new employees . . . . They're positive, helpful and accepting. That's part of being a spiritual and/or religious person."

Spiritual people are also inclined to help others, and are both trusting and trustworthy. Many are excellent team players, which is crucial for a company's success, she says. "There are lots of work teams, so lots of people are in teams to achieve department and company goals."

However, while people may practise their spirituality at work by helping the team and treating others with respect, there's a limit to what you should say about it, Kanchier says. "They shouldn't blabber about everything."

This can be problematic. For many people, happiness at work requires making friends at work, which requires a certain degree of openness. "Certainly, many people do place associates high in one of their needs for a job," she says.

However, it's important to choose your friends wisely, and to be very careful about what you choose to reveal, and to whom. "Just like there's appropriate (office) dress, there's appropriateness in what you should share or not share."

While you wouldn't necessarily post your Bible group meetings on the bulletin board, if you know someone well enough, and you know they're thinking about spirituality, you might mention them gently.

For many people, their interactions at work are similar to how they conduct themselves in their religious communities. "One gentleman I worked with was very involved in church activities, and of course, he was a very nice man and practised the principles of his religion with his work colleagues and subordinates without flaunting what he did at church," she says.

"And what he did at church was similar to what he did at work, being nice and helpful, and so forth."

Article Courtesy of Canwest News Service