Maternity and Parental Leaves Policy - Summary
Royal Roads University Policy
Employment Insurance (EI):
- 1 week EI waiting period is unpaid by EI
- The basic benefit rates of 55% or 33% of average insured earnings are up to a maximum weekly amount as determined by EI annually
- EI payments are taxable income, meaning federal and provincial taxes will be deducted at source by EI
RRU Benefits:
- Waiting Period (WP) Bridging benefit: 100% regular earnings during the 1 week unpaid EI waiting period as RRU bridging benefit if RRU employee is required to serve waiting period.
- Maternity Top-up benefit (if applicable) of EI benefits for 15 weeks to 95% of regular earnings.
- Parental Top-up benefit of EI benefits for 10 weeks to either 95% or 73% of regular earnings (% amount is based on option selected – Standard or Extended).
- Top-up payments are taxable income, meaning federal and provincial taxes will be deducted at source by RRU.
- No top-up is paid during remaining weeks of EI benefit claim.
- If satisfying the return to work requirement, RRU will offer a Return to Work (RTW) bridging benefit of 100% regular earnings for 1 week following the EI benefit claim period (for example: for week 52 of a maternity + parental combined leave EI claim when parental leave option 1 is selected).
- Health Benefits: MSP and Manulife coverage continue throughout the approved leave period.
- Vacation entitlement: Vacation time continues to accrue during the approved leave period.
- Sick benefit: Sick time continues to accrue during the approved leave period.
- Pension: Top-up payments are pensionable earnings, meaning College or Municipal pension plan members will continue to contribute to their respective plans and RRU will submit employer contributions accordingly. There is a time-limited option to purchase service upon return to work.
- If the employee does not return to work for at least one year of equivalent pre-leave work schedule/FTE following maternity and/or parental leave, the bridging and top-up benefits must be repaid to RRU in full; if the employee returns to work but does not complete the equivalent of one year’s pre-leave service, their repayment of bridging and top-up benefits will be reduced by 1/12th for every month of service completed.
- To apply for maternity and/or Parental leave, the employee should complete the Maternity & Parental Leave Request Form then submit it to their supervisor for signature endorsement and forwarding to Payroll for processing.
- Information relating to EI Maternity and Parental benefits is available online here: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html
- The employee can begin an online EI claim for maternity and parental benefits immediately following their last day of work.
- On or shortly following their last day of work, the employee’s Record of Employment (ROE) will be issued by RRU Payroll and will be submitted directly to Service Canada.
- EI will issue a confirmation statement to the employee once the claim is approved which must be sent in to RRU Payroll so that Payroll can adjust the top-up benefit amount to the appropriate % of earnings.