Minimum Wage Increases October 1, 2022
This is a reminder that minimum wages are set to increase again effective October 1, 2022. Here are the new wages:
General Minimum Wage:
- $15.50 per hour
Student Minimum Wage:
- $14.60 per hour
Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides minimum wage:
- $77.60 – Rate for working less than five consecutive hours in a day
- $155.25 – Rate for working five or more hours in a day whether or not the hours are consecutive
Click here for more information.
Public Consultations to be Held Throughout the North in October on Proposed New Federal Electoral Boundaries
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario is proposing changes to the current ridings map based on the latest census data. In their proposed changes, they are considering consolidating the current 10 districts into 9. This would mean the elimination of the Algoma-Kapuskasing-Manitoulin riding, with the communities being redistributed among the redrawn ridings. This also means one less Northern Ontario representative in the House of Commons.
The commission is also recommending that Ontario’s Far North become one electoral district called Kiiwetinnong-Mushkegowuk covering 520,307km, most of which does not have road access, and a population of mostly Indigenous Peoples.
You can read the proposal and view the new proposed electoral ridings by clicking here.
A series of in-person and online public hearings will be conducted this fall to discuss the new ridings.
- Oct. 3 at The Forest Inn & Conference Centre in Sioux Lookout
- Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Douglas Family Art Centre – The Muse in Kenora
- Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at The Senator Hotel in Timmins
- Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. online, a link to be provided to participants at a later date
- Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. online, a link to be provided to participants at a later date
To register for one of the virtual meetings, please click here.
To submit your comments on the proposal, please click here.
Ontario Tourism Recovery Program Report Reminder
Recipients of funding through the 2021 Ontario Tourism Recovery Program (OTRP) are reminded of the October 31, 2022, report deadline.
Businesses that have not completed their report were sent a reminder email from otrp@ontario.ca on September 5, 2022. Reporting includes details on the use of funding and program performance measures. All recipients must complete these reports to maintain their eligibility for future Ontario government funding programs.
The September 5, 2022, email provides a business specific link to the online report form, instructions for completion, and a summary of eligible and ineligible expenses. This email was sent to the primary contact, identified by the recipient in their November 2021 application. Following successful report review by the Ministry, final outstanding payments will be released.
Recipients approved for less than $20,000 have received full payment but are still required to complete the reporting obligations. Businesses approved for amounts greater than $20,000 have received 80% of funding and the final 20% will be released following submission and successful review of their report.
Recipients that received less than $250,000 are required to complete the final report and complete the online summary of invoices detailing the eligible expenses paid with the grant.
Recipients that received $250,000 or more are required to complete the final report and submit an audited and certified statement of OTRP revenue and expenditures, detailing the eligible expenses paid with the grant.
To complete your report, locate the September 5, 2022, email (from otrp@ontario.ca ), follow the business-specific link to the final report (use Google Chrome) and enter the report authorization number listed in the email. Confirmation of your CRA business number may also be required.
Report questions should be sent to otrp@ontario.ca and must identify legal business name and CRA business number in the enquiry.
Do You Have 25+ Employees? Don’t Forget to Create an Electronic Monitoring Policy
If your business had over 25 employees effective January 1, 2022, you have until October 11, 2022 to have a written policy on the electronic monitoring of employees in place.
Beginning in 2023, employers that employ 25 or more employees on January 1 of any year must have a written policy on the electronic monitoring of employees in place before March 1 of that year.
The Employment Standards Act requirements are limited to requiring that employers be transparent about whether they electronically monitor employees. If they do, the employer must be transparent by:
- describing how and in what circumstances that monitoring occurs
- setting out the purposes for which the information obtained through the electronic monitoring may be used
View all the policy requirements and additional information by clicking here.