December 2021

December 3: Extension on contribution payments timeline for leaves of absence ending December 31

June 2021

June 7: Update on continued HOOPP benefits for members on unpaid emergency leaves

The Ontario state of emergency order that came into effect on April 7 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ended on June 2, 2021. As a result, we can confirm the full qualifying period to continue HOOPP benefits at no cost for unpaid emergency leaves is from April 7 to June 2, 2021.

Important: Please reach out to your employees whose leaves continue after June 2 to discuss their contribution options and to avoid any interruptions in their contributory service.

Your Employer Specialist will reach out to you in the coming months to provide direction about any additional information that may be required for eligible members.

If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Manager.

April 2021

April 15: Additional eligible period: continued service for members on unpaid emergency leaves, effective April 7, 2021

As Ontario entered a third declared state of emergency effective, April 7, 2021, HOOPP will once again provide continued service for members on unpaid emergency leaves to ensure our members’ pensions are protected. Qualifying members on unpaid emergency leaves, or within the first 15 weeks of unpaid health leaves during the state of emergency period, will receive contributory service at no cost to them, or you as their employer.

This benefit has been provided for each declared Ontario state of emergency for the periods starting March 17 2020, January 12 2021, and now April 7, 2021.

Please continue to report all health and emergency leaves as you normally would through HOOPP Insight. No further action is required at this time. Your Employer Specialist will reach out to you in the coming months to provide direction about any additional information that may be required for eligible members and how to provide it to HOOPP.

If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Manager.

March 2021

March 31: New eligible period: continued benefits for members on unpaid emergency leaves, effective January 12 to February 9, 2021

As this continues to be a very challenging time, we want to ensure our members’ pensions are protected and can continue to grow. For that reason, qualifying members who took an unpaid emergency leave, or were within the first 15 weeks of an unpaid health leave during the Ontario state of emergency from January 12 to February 9, 2021 will receive contributory HOOPP service at no cost to them, or you as their employer.

This benefit was provided to members during the 2020 state of emergency, and it will now be provided for the period of provincial declared emergency in early 2021.

No action is required at this time. Your Employer Specialist will reach out to you in the coming months to provide direction about any additional information that may be required for eligible members.

If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Manager.

July 2020

July 27: Update on continued HOOPP benefits for members on unpaid emergency leaves

The Ontario state of emergency order that came into effect on March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ended July 24, 2020. As a result, we can confirm the full qualifying period to continue HOOPP benefits at no cost for unpaid emergency leaves is from March 17 to July 24, 2020.

Any member on an unpaid COVID-19 related emergency leave, or within the first 15 weeks of an unpaid health leave, will receive contributory service at no cost to the member or employer for the eligible period occurring between March 17 to July 24, 2020.

Important: Please reach out to your employees whose leaves continue after July 24 to discuss their contribution options and to avoid any interruptions in their contributory service.

July 27: Recent update to Employment Standards Act (ESA) guidelines for non-union employees on leave

The Government of Ontario has introduced a new regulation under the ESA. Under this new regulation, a non-unionized employee whose employer has temporarily reduced or eliminated their work hours because of COVID-19 may qualify for a job-protected Infectious Disease Emergency Leave.

Any non-unionized members that you have now placed on an Infectious Disease Emergency Leave may also qualify to receive contributory service at no cost to the member or employer. This benefit applies to eligible periods of unpaid emergency leave, or within the first 15 weeks of an unpaid health leave, that occurred during the declared period of provincial emergency (i.e. from March 17 to July 24, 2020).

Please review the leave information you reported to HOOPP and submit updates as needed. For example, if the original leave was reported to HOOPP as an approved work schedule reduction or approved non-statutory leave (for a temporary layoff), this may now qualify to be reported as an emergency leave and member contributions may need to be refunded.

April 2020

April 30: Temporary pay increase for frontline workers

The Ontario government recently announced a temporary increase to the hourly wage for front-line workers such as those working in long-term care, retirement homes, community care, home care and some hospitals.  Additionally, those working more than 100 hours per month will receive a monthly lump-sum payment for four months.   HOOPP defines pensionable earnings as the regular wages or straight-time pay that are paid as part of base earnings.  Since the pandemic payments are temporary in nature and in addition to regular earnings, they are not pensionable.  Contributions should not be deducted from members on these payments.

April 16: Continued HOOPP benefits for members on new unpaid emergency leaves

During these challenging times we understand members may experience disruptions in their regular work, but we want to ensure their pensions are protected and can continue to grow. For that reason, HOOPP will provide any member that takes a COVID-19 related unpaid emergency leave, or is within the first 15 weeks of an unpaid health leave, with contributory service at no cost to you or them.

We recognize that many members on leave during this crisis will continue to be paid and will have the option to keep growing their pension. Now, with this benefit in place, those on these unpaid leaves will also be able to continue building their pension, based on what they normally would have earned in the Plan. This benefit will apply for the period of emergency declared by the government of Ontario.

Please note, the process for reporting leaves remains unchanged. In the upcoming weeks we will provide more information on how we will support you through this initiative. If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Manager or your Employer Services Specialist.

April 16: Extension for contribution payments for leaves of absence

As part of our continued efforts to support our members, we are extending the timeline for members to make pension contributions following a leave of absence. The current timeline of 6 months from the end of a leave has been extended to 12 months and applies to all leaves of absence.

You can continue to submit all leave information and payments to HOOPP through the normal processes. We will provide you with additional details and resources in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Regional Manager or Employee Services Specialist.

April 3: Extending deadlines for free accrual applications 

To provide members with more flexibility in light of the current environment, we have extended the deadline for disability benefits applications to a maximum of six months. As a result, it may take longer for you to see when a member starts receiving free accrual.

We ask that you please continue to submit leave of absence information on time.

March 2020

March 27: Retired members rejoining their employers

Retired members who rejoin the workforce at a HOOPP employer have two options.

• They can continue to receive their pension along with their employment income and not re-enrol in HOOPP; or 
• they can temporarily suspend their monthly pension payments and re-enrol in HOOPP.

In general, if a retired employee is returning to work for a few months, this will likely result in only a modest change to their pension. As such, they may prefer to continue to receive their HOOPP pension without re-enrolling in HOOPP.

However, if the employee is returning to work for a more extended period of time, it may be beneficial for them to suspend their pension and re-enrol in the Plan. In that case, we encourage employees to contact HOOPP directly and we will provide them with an estimate and assist them in making a more informed decision.

March 27: Employees requiring emergency leaves

The government has announced two new classes of leaves to the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA): 

• Declared Emergencies
• Infectious Disease Emergencies

If you have granted either of these types of leave for a member, please use the category “Emergency Leave” when you submit the leave information to HOOPP.

For more information on these topics and more, please refer to the Employer Administration Manual and Learning Centre. You can also reach out to your Regional Manager who can help you along the way.