Invest Ontario

Highlights from the amendment to the scope agreement

Term

• A three-year term, April 1, 2022–March 31, 2025

Compensation increase of 9.5% over three years

• Under the amendment to the scope agreement, AMAPCEO-represented employees at Invest Ontario will receive following retroactive compensation increases:  
  • 3% on April 1, 2022 
  • 3.5% on April 1, 2023
  • 3% on April 1, 2024 
• Annual merit pay provisions will continue.
• All retroactive salary increases—including increases to merit pay—will be paid no later than the last pay in 2024 (December 19, 2024). The Employer will confirm payment dates in an individual letter to each employee.

Major improvements to health benefits

A new Health Care Spending Account

• Under the extension of the scope agreement, the Employer will establish a one-time Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) for each permanent employee (whether full-time or part-time) enrolled in the Supplementary Health and Hospital and/or Dental plans.
• The HCSA is not an insured benefit. It is over and above the current insured plans.
• HCSAs can be used for either, or both of:
  • eligible medical expenses as defined in the Income Tax Act. These include many items not covered by insured plans, such certain types of medical equipment and some paramedical providers (e.g., in-vitro fertility treatments); and/or
  • out of pocket expenses under the insured plans where the expense is eligible under the Act (e.g., if an employee spends $90 on a registered massage therapist, and is reimbursed $35 under the insured plan, the employee can choose to apply $55 from the HCSA to the expense to achieve full reimbursement).
• HCSAs will be funded for a total of $1,050 for 2025
• This total represents funding for 2022, 2023, and 2024, but must be used for expenses incurred between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025
• Any balance not used by December 31, 2025 will be forfeit.
• Coverage would begin for new hires after they have completed two months’ continuous service. Coverage ends on the last day of the month in which employment terminates.

Improved access to and coverage for psychological services

• Under the extension of the scope agreement, psychotherapists and social workers will be included in your benefits plan as eligible practitioners for psychological services. The plan currently only covers psychologists.
• Psychotherapists and social workers are easier to find and their rates tend to be lower, so this improvement will make accessing mental health services much easier.

• Effective January 1, 2025 coverage for psychological services will increase from $40 per half hour to $80 per half hour, and annual coverage from $1,400 to $1,600 per calendar year.

Changes to Pregnancy and Parental Leave to reflect revised legislation

• Pregnancy and Parental Leave Articles have been amended to reflect several changes to the Employment Standards Act and the Employment Insurance Act–including an additional week of leave at 93% of your salary after your EI benefits have ended but before you return to the workplace.
  • For the Employment Standards Act, most of the changes took effect immediately following the implementation of the legislation and the changes in the agreement are housekeeping to update the agreement to reflect the legislation.
  • For the Employment Insurance Act, the changes are to the top-up program and will take effect 90 business days after ratification.
• A full, detailed explanation of the pregnancy and parental leave you are entitled to can be found on the Pregnancy and Parental Leave fact sheet.

Other changes

Changes in administration of prescription drug coverage starting January 1, 2025

• The insurer will begin reimbursing based on the lowest-cost eligible generic drug product price, even if no substitution is prescribed by a physician. If a patient cannot tolerate the generic drug, or if it is therapeutically ineffective, medical evidence can be submitted to support a brand-drug prescription.
• Dispensing fees will be capped at $11.99 per prescription.
• The insurer will implement an annual dispensing fee frequency cap of five times per calendar year for eligible prescribed maintenance drugs that can be reasonably dispensed over a longer term.
• The insurer will implement a standard prior authorization program for certain prescription drugs on a prior authorization list covered under the drug plan. The doctor will have to communicate a rationale to the insurer before the drug coverage for the prior authorization drugs are approved. Those currently taking drugs on the prior authorization list will be grand-parented, and the drugs they are currently receiving will not be affected by this change.
• The insurer will implement health case management for a list of certain drugs under the plan. Case managers who are registered nurses will work directly with AMAPCEO-represented employees (and their eligible dependents) and their physicians to identify the appropriate initial treatment, ensure the prescribed drug is working for the patient, and schedule follow-ups to ensure the condition is being managed. Health case management applies to only some of the drugs in the plan.
• The insurer will implement a SMART (Sustainable, Managed and Reasonable Treatment) Drug Plan—a Canada Life assessment to ensure that only appropriate drugs are added to the plan. The insurer will assess new drugs that come to market to ensure only those which have enhanced treatment outcomes, safety, and cost-effectiveness are added to the program.  Where an employee is taking a drug prior to the implementation of the SMART Drug Plan, they will be grand parented and the implementation of the plan will not impact their drug coverage.
• If at any time you are denied access to a certain drug which has been prescribed, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Workplace Advisor, Adriana Ben-Moodie, at ben-moodie@amapceo.on.ca.

View the full amendment to the scope agreement here »