Supreme Court Affirms Arbitrators’ Flexibility in Applying Legal Principles

In early December 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada once again confirmed that decisions of arbitrators should be given a high level of deference. The Court’s decision in Nor-Man Regional Health Authority Inc. v. Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals involved an arbitrator’s decision of a grievance disputing the interpretation of an article in the […]

Accessibility Standards post-January 1st, 2012 – Are you Compliant?

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 was enacted with the objective of making Ontario completely accessible to people with disabilities by the year 2025. In order to work towards this goal, various Accessibility Standards have been developed. The Customer Service Accessibility Standard The Customer Service Accessibility Standard requires businesses to ensure that the […]

Federal Court of Appeal Finds Tribunal Orders Hold Same Weight as Court Orders

While the Supreme Court of Canada determined in Mowat that the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT, the “Tribunal”) does not have the authority to award costs, a recent decision of the Federal Court of Appeal has confirmed other powers of the Tribunal, finding that orders issued by the Tribunal carry the same weight as court […]

Supreme Court of Canada Confirms Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

Cannot Award Costs Donna Mowat filed a human rights complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) alleging that she had been discriminated against by the Canadian Forces on the ground of sex, contrary to the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA). The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found the complaint substantiated in part, and awarded damages […]

Important Arbitration Decisions of 2011

The following 2011 arbitral decisions clarified the law with respect to terminations for workplace violence, what medical information an employer is entitled to, and attendance management. Kingston v. CUPE, Local 109: An employee with 28 years of service with the City of Kingston had a history of angry outbursts, and had received many warnings and […]