NB bulletins

On December 20, the Ontario government announced that it will shift from biologics to biosimilars for everyone covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program. By expanding the use of biosimilar drugs, Ontario is following in the footsteps of British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and the Northwest Territories.

The Ministry of Finance of Ontario recently published a consultation document on proposed regulations for implementing a permanent target benefit framework in Ontario. Since 2007, over 50 Multi-Employer Pension Plans (MEPPs) that can reduce accrued benefits have been eligible for a temporary exemption from solvency funding requirements until 2024. These plans are also known as Specified Ontario MEPPs (SOMEPPs). The new proposed regulations will be implemented with the objective of continuing this exemption for SOMEPPs, while ensuring proper governance and funding of these plans and increasing member transparency and equity.

The federal budget released on March 28, 2023, contains some measures that could have a direct or indirect impact on an organization’s total rewards offering. Our experts have put together a watch list in light of the available information.

In tabling its budget on March 21 (Budget 2023-2024), the Quebec government took the opportunity to also announce its planned changes to the Québec Pension Plan (QPP). These changes come on the heels of the recent public consultation that took place in February. Our experts have analyzed the announced changes based on the available information.

In recent months, organizations have been under mounting pressure to raise employee pay. In an already complex environment marked by the current labour shortage, another much-talked-about economic issue has influenced salary increase decisions: inflation.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec have set out that an employer may pay for or reimburse up to $500 for the purchase of computer or office equipment for the purposes of working from home without it being a taxable benefit for the employee. However, this amount must not exceed $500 for purchases made between March 15, 2020 and December 31, 2022.

In addition to a robust total rewards strategy with a clear and strong positioning, Normandin Beaudry proposes four pillars of total rewards to help organizations shine and attract and retain talent.

A look back at the highlights of a challenging year. Here is the eighth edition of our top prescription drug developments of the past year.

As of April 1, 2023, the federal government will introduce the Tax-Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA) to help Canadian residents age 18 to 71 save a downpayment for their first home. To be eligible, they must be Canadian residents who have not owned homes and haven’t lived with a spouse or common-law partner who owns a home during the part of the year before the FHSA is opened or in the preceding four years.

The Government of Canada recently adopted Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Temporary Foreign Workers). The new provisions came into force on September 26, 2022 and are aimed at reinforcing the protection of foreign workers through various new regulations, including those related to health.

As it does every six years, the Quebec government is currently holding a public consultation on the Québec Pension Plan (QPP). This consultation aims to explore various solutions to address the challenges facing the Quebec pension system. Read on to learn more about this process.

Today we are launching the Normandin Beaudry Pension Plan Financial Position Index. Our specialists closely monitor the financial position of our clients’ defined benefit pension plans and will present this index to you on a quarterly basis.