Do you offer your employees group insurance? If so, since January 1, 2007, under the Act respecting prescription drug insurance, you must deduct directly from the remuneration paid to each of your employees his or her portion of the premium applicable to the basic prescription drug insurance coverage stipulated in the group insurance contract.The Act respecting prescription drug insurance (R.S.Q., c. A-29 ...
The BC Privacy Commissioner recently issued two decisions which address “employee personal information”, as well as some other issues of interest under the BC Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) ...
Part III of the Canada Labour Code sets out the employment standards minimums for federally regulated employers. It was enacted in 1965 and had not been systematically reviewed since then. In December 2004, the federal government appointed Professor Harry Arthurs, a former Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, to conduct a comprehensive review of Part III. Professor Arthurs issued his final report (324 pgs) on October 30, 2006 ...
The CAT has confirmed, with the Court of Appeal's blessing, that it will not only srcutinise a regulator's decision but that it will also, in certain cases, substitute the regulator's decision with that of its own without remitting the case back to the regulator for a second bite at the cherry.The CAT's approach offers possibilities for both a complainant and for those companies subject to regulatory investigation ...
The December 2006 SFC Enforcement Reporter provides a timely reminder that carrying out regulated activities without a licence is a highly risky endeavour in Hong Kong. This caps off a year where there were a number of significant enforcement actions for unlicensed dealing activities ...
Under UCITS Regulations, UCITS III funds are permitted to use financial derivative instruments (FDIs) not only for hedging but also as part of their general investment policies. The Irish Financial Regulator requires that the risks involved in using FDI are properly managed, measured and monitored in an ongoing basis through designing and implementing a comprehensive risk management process (RMP) ...
In a speech on 20 November 2006, Mrs Alexa Lam, the SFC's Executive Director of Intermediaries and Investment Products, announced that the SFC will continue its focus on ensuring that financial products are not mis-sold in Hong Kong and that investors are provided with appropriate advice from their investment advisers (IAs) ...
In late 2006, China’s National Social Security Fund Council for the first time granted overseas mandates to 10 global investment managers to manage in total USD 1 billion of the National Social Security Fund (“NSSF”). It is reported that the NSSF, China’s national pension fund of last resort, has total assets worth of around USD30 billion.The 10 managers are AllianceBernstein, Allianz, AXA Rosenberg, BlackRock, JanusINTECH, Invesco, PIMCO, State Street Global Advisors, T ...
The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) recently issued draft rules namely, Regulatory Measures on Offshore Investment of Insurance Assets, governing China's insurance companies' investment in their assets offshore and the appointment of foreign investment managers ...
The role that Asian banks will play in film financing in Asia is a challenging and necessary one as we continue to see the fast paced growth of the Asian film industries. Asia is, so far, an untapped resource of ideas, stories, shooting locations, skilled crew, talent and effective film making techniques ...
In recent years, we have seen a surge in co-productions in Asia, whether in the form of co-productions between parties from different parts of Asia (which would normally involve both financial and production contribution from all parties), or co-productions between Western and Chinese parties ...
When the company was purchased, you will have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement. If you think that there might be potential for a warranty claim, you need to revisit the agreement to establish the basis of your claim and the manner in which it requires to be processed. The warranties in your agreement amount to assurances from the seller with regards to the condition of the business and outstanding liabilities at the time the deal was completed ...
Legislation and jurisdiction1. What is the relevant legislation and who enforces it?Competition is regulated under Competition Law no. 21/1996, as subsequently amended andsupplemented (the Competition Law), and under Competition Council regulations andguidelines. The Romanian competition legislation generally follows the provisions of EuropeanCommunity legislation ...
Section 316 of the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases(1) (the “AIAOD”) makes an employer responsible to the CSST for a contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) unpaid assessments in respect of such contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) employees:“316. The Commission may demand payment of the assessment due by a contractor from the employer who retains his services ...
Foreign companies have always complained about the requirements and criteria associated with tendering for domestic infrastructure projects. The conservative attitude and lack of commercial awareness of bureaucrats and discriminatory qualification requirements have all contributed to warding off reputable international companies. Comments made by both the American and the European Chambers of Commerce in recent years have by and large recommended that international tendering be encouraged ...
Comprehensive regulation of antitrust and unfair competition activities was established in Taiwan when the Fair Trade Act came into effect in 1992 (as amended, the ¡§Fair Trade Act¡¨). The regulatory framework is similar to civil law systems such as those used in Germany and Japan. Over the past 12 years, the Fair Trade Act has been amended three times, the most recent amendments being made after Taiwan¡¦s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2002 and taking effect in 2003 ...
Effective December 12, 2006, mandatory retirement will no longer be generally permissible in Ontario, (as a result of amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code). Employers will, however, still be allowed to enforce mandatory retirement polices if they can show that being younger than 65 (or another designated age) is a bona fide occupational requirement ...
The “Chiasson”(4) appeal is making headlines as it has the potential to force corporations to review and perhaps re-write their drug-testing policies and procedures.Chiasson dealt with pre-employment drug testing. The Complainant had applied for and was offered a job as a receiving inspector at an oil sands project in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The offer of employment was subject to the results of a pre-employment medical and drug screening test ...
Human Resources and Skills Development/Service Canada (“HRSDC”) recently implemented Regional Occupations Lists (the “Lists”). The Lists are meant to “assist employers who are experiencing difficulty filling job vacancies due to labour market shortages ...
Cory Grams died while at work at a Maple Leaf Metal Industries Ltd. (“Maple Leaf”) plant in Edmonton, Alberta. His parents, as beneficiaries and administrators of his estate, claimed damages against Maple Leaf for $92,000 for negligence in failing to provide insurance coverage under an employment contract. A claim against the insurer, Zurich, was settled prior to trial. Mr ...
The new LC is based on a different legal conception than the existing LC. Whereas the still valid LC is a mandatory legal regulation with no exceptions, the new code allows that the rights or obligations in labour-law relations are regulated differently than in the Labour Code, unless the code expressly prohibits or unless it results from the nature of the relevant provisions that it is impossible to deviate from such provisions ...
The right to privacy occupies a prominent place in Quebec law. Both the Charter of human rights and freedoms(1) and the Civil Code of Québec(2) recognize this right. Moreover, it is acknowledged that deliberate interception of a private communication may infringe this right. Does this mean that any form of electronic recording in a work environment is prohibited? Absolutely not ...
The new provisions pertaining to psychological harassment that were added to the Act respecting labour standards(1) (hereinafter referred to as the “ARLS”) on June 1, 2004, have given rise to many arbitration awards and interpretations over the last two years that have expounded on the concept of psychological harassment ...
In our Spring 2005 newsletter we reported on the Keays v. Honda Canada Inc.(1) decision in which the Ontario Superior Court of Justice awarded a dismissed employee $500,000 in punitive damages in addition to 24 months salary in lieu of notice (15 months’ reasonable notice plus nine months’ additional “Wallace” damages for “bad faith” dismissal) ...
The Jebel Ali Free Zone (the "Free Zone") has authorized for the first time the incorporation of a commercial entity in the Free Zone owned by multiple parties. Dubai Implementing Regulation No. 1/99 (the "Implementing Regulation"), permits the incorporation in the Free Zone of "free zone companies" (a "FZCO") to be regulated by a new FZCO Department, which will have the responsibility for the formation, registration and regulation of FZCOs ...
