On June 24, 2020, the Minister of Labour announced the new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations that will come into force on January 1, 2021. The regulations will amend the Canada Labour Code, and will replace Part XX of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. The following are some highlights of the legislation: […]
Changes to the Canada Labour Code, R.S.C., 1985 took effect on September 1, 2020 and will be passed through the Standards for Work-Integrated Learning Activities Regulations. These regulations have been passed in order to offer additional protections for interns and student interns working for federally regulated industries or workplaces. An intern does not have to […]
As a result of COVID-19, employers are increasingly offering employees the opportunity to work from home. As many employers have recognized, at-home work is likely a necessity given the realities of COVID-19. Even after the pandemic has passed, it is likely that Canadian workplaces are forever changed as a result. As such, we have outlined […]
There is a line of authority that says an employer cannot lay off an employee without a clear contractual right to do so (express or implied) and that in the absence of that contractual right, the imposition of a layoff (including a temporary layoff as permissible under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000) constitutes constructive […]
On June 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a landmark decision which has opened up the door for an enormous class action lawsuit by Uber drivers for minimum wage. To become an Uber driver, individuals were required accept a standard services agreement which provided that they were independent contractors and that any dispute […]
COVID-19 has resulted in a flurry of changes to legislation throughout Ontario and Canada. In order to stay on top of the changes, we have provided a summary of the changes to Ontario and the Federal legislation below: Ontario Ontario modified the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”), by implementing the Emergency Leave: Declared Emergencies and […]
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that another termination clause in an employment contract is unenforceable. In Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc., the Court was asked to determine the legal impact of an illegal termination for cause provision on an otherwise enforceable termination without cause provision. The Employer admitted that the “with cause” […]
Many businesses have been forced to shut down due to Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, which is an emergency declaration that has been extended until June 2, 2020. These are uncertain times and the fact is that the pandemic may have significant, lasting and permanent impacts on business. In particular, the impact of […]
In the decision Ontario Nurses Association v. Eatonville/Henley Place, 2020 ONSC 2467 released on April 22, 2020, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice considered an urgent application by the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) seeking injunctive relief on behalf of nurses working at various long term care (LTC) homes. ONA claimed that these facilities were engaged […]
A key principle of the workers’ compensation regime in Ontario is that in exchange for insurance coverage in the event of an injury that arises at the workplace, injured workers are not entitled to sue his or her employer. In particular, section 26 of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA) states that entitlement […]