In the accompanying announcement, the Government stated the amendments are intended to reduce administrative burdens for employers and provide support to employees. Some of the more notable proposed changes include regulating tips, limiting when employers can request sick leave notes from employees, and allowing employers more flexibility regarding overtime.
Currently, Saskatchewan is one of the few provinces that does not have employment legislation directly addressing the regulation of tips or “gratuities” given to employees. The proposed amendments introduce measures to prevent employers from either withholding or deducting gratuities earned by employees. This includes acknowledging that any withheld or deducted gratuity as a “debt” owing to the employee and that it will be deemed to be wages owing.
Bill 5 also introduces prescribed conditions and requirements that employers must meet in order to establishing tip pooling arrangements. These conditions and requirements would be set out in the regulations to The Saskatchewan Employment Act (the “SEA”), and draft language has not yet been published.
Under the SEA, employers are currently required to provide “group termination notice” to the Minister, impacted employees, and any applicable union, if they are terminating a minimum of 10 or more employees within any four-week period. Bill 5 would increase this minimum number from 10 employees to 25.
How could a YouTuber uncover a multi-billion dollar fraud scandal in a state run by someone who stood months ago as the vetted Democratic nominee for vice president in Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz? Taxp...