News in Brief

Service Canada to discontinue some ROE Web formats

OTTAWA — Service Canada says it will discontinue several ROE Web formats next year in an effort to standardize its ROE Web file versions.

As of Mar. 31, 2016, Service Canada will no longer accept the 27-week flat file, the 53-week flat file, the 53-week XML file version 1.0 and the 27-week online form. It says it will stop accepting the formats as of Dec. 31, but will allow for a three-month grace period, to the end of March.

As of April 1, 2016, Service Canada will only accept and support the 53-week XML payroll extract file version 2.0 and the 53-week online form for the ROE Web.

Service Canada has also announced it will no longer accept 27-week ROE formats as of March 31, 2016, to better align ROE formats with employment insurance changes from 2013 that require it to calculate benefits using an individual’s highest weeks of earnings for a qualifying period (generally 52 weeks). As a result, employers have to provide the equivalent of 53 weeks of pay period information in Block 15C of an ROE.

CRA to send PD7A (TM) form to employers quarterly

OTTAWA — Beginning next month, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will send PD7A(TM) remittance forms to employers on a quarterly basis instead of monthly, the agency has announced.

The CRA sends form PD7A(TM), Statement of Account for Current Source Deductions, to employers that make accelerated remittances to the agency for Canada Pension Plan, employment insurance and income tax deductions. With the change, it will now send the form to employers the month after the end of each quarter.

This July, employers will receive the PD7A(TM) for the period covering April to June. In future, employers can expect to receive the form in April (for January to March remittances), July (covering April to June remittances), October (for July to September remittances) and January of the following year (for October to December remittances).

Ontario government sets up committee to study gender wage gap

TORONTO — The Ontario government has set up a steering committee to help it develop a strategy to address a wage gap that exists between men and women.

"While women participate in all parts of the workforce, a gap in pay between men and women still exists, stunting women’s economic prosperity and the prosperity of the province," Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues Tracy MacCharles said in a news release, announcing the new committee.

The news release states that based on recent Statistics Canada data, the provincial wage gap ranges from 12 per cent to 31.5 per cent. It adds that the wage gap is a complex issue caused by many factors including workplace discrimination, unequal gender representation in the workplace and a higher proportion of caregiver responsibilities falling to women.

While all women across the economic spectrum are affected by the wage gap, the news release says it is more pronounced for women who are minorities, Aboriginal, newcomers or people living with disabilities.

The committee will consult with groups across Ontario on issues such as how the wage gap specifically affects women in the workforce across the economic spectrum and ways in which government, business, labour and other organizations can work together to address the conditions and barriers that contribute to the wage gap.

The committee is expected to present its report and recommendations to the government early next year.

McMaster University to raise pay of female faculty members

HAMILTON — Next month, McMaster University in Ontario will raise the salaries of its female faculty members in response to a two-year study that showed a "systematic bias" in favour of male faculty members at the school when it comes to pay.

In a joint statement, McMaster provost and vice-president (academic) David Wilkinson and Rafael Kleiman, president of the university’s faculty association, said the study found female faculty members earned on average an estimated $3,515 less than their male counterparts in 2012 and 2013, the two years studied.

To address the issue, the university said it will add $3,515 to the base salary of each female faculty member as of July 1.

Going forward, Wilkinson and Kleiman say the university will continue to look out for gender-based pay differences.

"Periodically, faculty pay will be analyzed to ensure that pay differentials due to gender are identified so that any future recurrence of a systematic gender pay gap may be corrected," they said in the statement.

Average weekly earnings up slightly in February: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $951 in February, up slightly from $948 in January, Statistics Canada reported. On a year-over-year basis, weekly earnings increased 2.7 per cent in February.

The increase in weekly earnings during the 12 months to February reflected a number of factors, including wage growth, changes in the composition of employment by industry, occupation and level of job experience, as well as average hours worked per week.

Non-farm payroll employees worked an average of 32.9 hours a week in February, down slightly from an average of 33 hours 12 months earlier.

Year-over-year earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased in all provinces, with the biggest growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. The smallest growth occurred in Nova Scotia.

Unemployment rate remains at 6.8 per cent in April: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Canada’s economy lost 19,700 jobs in April, but the unemployment rate remained at 6.8 per cent, Statistics Canada reported.

The economy gained almost 47,000 full-time jobs in April, but lost close to 67,000 part-time jobs. Industries where employment decreased included construction, retail and wholesale trade, as well as information, culture and recreation. Employment was up in business, building and other support services, as well as in manufacturing.

On a provincial basis, Newfoundland and Labrador continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 12.6 per cent, down from 13.3 per cent in the previous month. Saskatchewan had the lowest unemployment rate at 4.3 per cent, down slightly from 4.4 per cent in March.

Besides Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, the unemployment rate was down in most other provinces, including New Brunswick (to 9.9 per cent), Nova Scotia (to 9.2 per cent), Ontario (to 6.8 per cent), Prince Edward Island (to 10.5 per cent) and Quebec (to 7.4 per cent). It was up in Manitoba (to 5.5 per cent) and British Columbia (to 6.3 per cent). In Alberta, the rate was 5.5 per cent, unchanged from March.

In the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 223,000 jobs in April, lowering the unemployment rate from 5.5 per cent to 5.4 per cent.