Our Advisors

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
TEAM

John D. Harkins
Employee Benefits & Pensions
Partner

Gordon R. Hart
Employee Benefits & Pensions
Partner

J. Wayne Koch
Employee Benefits & Pensions
Partner

Kevin L. Routley
Employee Benefits & Pensions
Partner

Leanne Bayley
Employee Benefits Consultant

Carson J. Oudman
Employee Benefits Consultant

About Us

The Results Are In!
That's right, the Selectpath survey results are in and the results have been tabulated. In an effort to understand your needs and know how Selectpath is performing, we feel our client survey provided us with great insight as to what is important to you.

The specific question responses are provided and once again we have shown to be meeting your needs and providing the service you have come to expect from Selectpath.

To view the 2008 Client Satisfaction Survey results click here

iPod Winners
The following 6 winners of the Client Satisfaction Survey received an iPod. We would like to congratulate them and also thank all participants for providing us with valuable feedback, which has helped us achieve such outstanding results.

What's Hot and Not in Workforce Perks
As companies scramble to attract and retain skilled workers in a market characterized by an aging workforce and increasing labour shortages, they are becoming very creative in designing new employee perks in order to compete.

What are the most popular benefits? A new study, released today in advance of National Payroll Week next week (September 8 - 12) and the first of its kind in Canada, ranks all 39 categories of taxable employee benefits in terms of the percentage of organizations offering them.

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OCA Nixes Unilateral Changes to Comp and Benefits
A new decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal in Wronko v. Western Inventory Service Ltd. makes it clear that providing reasonable notice to an employee of a fundamental change to his/her terms of employment such as compensation, pensions, benefits or termination provisions may no longer be sufficient.

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To Attract Gen Y Workers,
Think Like Them
Any angler worth their salt will tell you that to catch a fish, you must think like a fish. To increase your chances of reeling in a big one, you need to understand the preferences and patterns of the species you're hoping to attract.

Likewise, companies are coming around to the notion that they need to re-examine their hiring strategy to lure a most desirable demographic: Generation Y, the fastest-growing employee segment in the workforce.

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Providing Employee Benefits After Age 65
The end of mandatory retirement has come and gone, but that hasn't put an end to the issues relating to employment after retirement age.

Although the Ontario Government has amended the Human Rights Code to eliminate mandatory retirement, the Code continues to permit age-based distinctions in employee benefits plans, provided that the plans comply with the Employment Standards Act and its regulations. Since the ESA regulations continue to define age as “18 years or more and less than 65 years,” the protections of the ESA, and hence the Code, cease to apply at age 65.

This appears to preserve the status quo, meaning employers are not legally required to provide benefits to employees age 65 or older. But despite the provisions of the Human Rights Code, employers with collective agreements have experienced a number of challenges relating to these benefits.

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Protect Yourself with Financial Advice
One of the most important aspects of setting up and operating a small business is ensuring you are getting good financial advice. Financial advisers are an integral part of any small business owner's team, quarterbacking your relationship with other key professionals such as lawyers and accountants.

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Once You Sign, That's It
When an employer terminates an employee who is not in a union, some termination pay is almost always due. Assuming there was not just cause for the termination, the employer can pay out the Employment Standards Act minimum payments and hope the employee is re-employed quickly enough that they cannot claim for more pay in lieu of notice. Or they can offer something more than just the Employment Standards Act minimums in exchange for the employee signing a full and final release.

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No communication, article, information or advice on this web site constitutes or implies in any way a solicitation of business. Please remember that while strategies outlined within this newsletter may be appropriate for some employers, you should always consult a benefits specialist to determine if they are appropriate for your company.