Month in Review – Prince Edward Island

LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Minimum Wage

Apr 1: Prince Edward Island increased its general minimum wage rate by 50 cents to $17.00 per hour to account for inflation. Two more increases have been scheduled. On October 1, the minimum wage will rise to $17.30 and then go up another 30 cents to $17.60 on April 1, 2027.

Action Point: Find out how to avoid common payroll errors when implementing minimum wage increases.

Payroll

Apr 1: The maximum amount a PEI employer may deduct from the wages of an employee receiving board or lodging is now: i. $61.60 per week, for board and lodging; ii. $49.50 per week, for board only; iii. $27.50 per week, for lodging only; and iv. $4.25 per meal, for single meals.

Action Point: Find out about the 8 important new payroll changes that will affect your current year T4 filings and 2026 source deductions.

Leaves of Absence

Apr 8: If and when newly tabled Bill 106 passes, a PEI employer will no longer be allowed to require employees to provide a certificate signed by a medical practitioner certifying that they are or were unable to work due to illness or injury for purposes of verifying their eligibility for sick leave under the Employment Standards Act.

Action Point: Find out about the rules determining whether you can ask sick employees for a doctor’s note and what you can do to verify health-related absences, in both PEI and all other Canadian jurisdictions.

New Laws

Apr 14: The new PEI budget allocates $26 million for a new Island Essentials Benefit to help low- and middle-income residents offset the cost of essential household expenses. It also provides for $3.2 million in personal income tax reductions through increases to the basic personal exemption.

New Laws

Mar 30: PEI became the first province to lower the colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45. Residents age 45 to 74 at average risk will now be eligible for a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every two years. Reducing the screen age will promote early detection and potentially save lives.

Workplace Violence

Apr 8: Bill 104, the Disclosure to Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence Act, has been reported out of Committee. The Act enables people who are at potential risk of domestic violence to obtain personal information about their intimate partner to protect their own safety, such as whether the partner has a history of domestic violence.

Action Point: Domestic and sexual violence becomes an OHS issue and liability risk for employers when it happens at the victim’s workplace. Find out how to protect your employees from the risk of workplace domestic violence.

Workers’ Compensation

May 3 is the deadline to comment on the WCB’s new policy on Allowance and Reimbursement Rate Schedule (POL-NEW) and proposed changes to its policy for Workplace Inspections (POL-53).