Bird Richard is centrally located in Ottawa and serves clients nationally. Our clients range from large Crown Corporations with national operations to small local construction firms. We also provide services to corporations in Alberta, in the Northwest Territories and in Nunavut.
The termination clause is one of the most important, and yet one of the most vulnerable portions of an employment contract. Such clauses have come under increasing judicial scrutiny in recent years, and will be subject to even greater scrutiny by courts following the Ontario Superior Court’s decision in Stevens v. Sifton Properties Ltd. In […]
As reported in the Summer 2013 issue of EMPlawyer’s Update, the Quebec Court of Appeal recently held that an employer does not have to provide pay during the notice period if it waives an employee’s notice of resignation, pursuant to section 82 of the Act Respecting Labour Standards. Similar reasoning has not yet been applied […]
Sexual harassment in the workplace continues to cause employers several legal and financial challenges. In a recent decision, Justice Sachs of the Divisional Court assuaged a few of these problems by taking a zero tolerance approach to a grievance arising from a case of sexual harassment and assault. It had been alleged that, on June […]
In a recent and ground-breaking case, the Federal Court upheld a federal government agency’s dismissal of an employee without cause. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) dismissed an employee without alleging cause, but with a payment of six months’ severance pay in lieu of notice. The employee protested that the dismissal was unjust. An adjudicator […]
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently determined that an employer’s actions taken to comply with a health and safety inspector’s order will not be considered a mitigating factor in determining the appropriate sentence. Flex-N-Gate is an Ontario employer which produces automobile parts. It produces vehicle bumpers by processing metal sheets which are stored in approximately […]
At age 65, Richard Waterman was terminated without cause by IBM Canada Ltd. after 42 years of service. IBM provided him with two months’ notice of the termination. During his employment, Waterman participated in IBM’s pension plan, which entitled him to a full pension. His entitlement was not affected by the termination, and Waterman began […]
As we reported in the Winter 2012 edition of EMPlawyers’ Update, Sandra McDonald, a long service employee of the Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa, brought a claim of wrongful dismissal against her employer, in which she alleged that she had been terminated without cause while on long term disability leave. Despite […]
As previously reported, the new Health and Safety Awareness and Training regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act will come into effect on July 1st, 2014. What does this mean for Ontario employers? You must ensure that all workers and supervisors have completed basic occupational health and safety awareness training by July 1st. New […]
A production worker, 59 years old, suffered an elbow injury that resulted in the permanent impairment of both of his arms. He claimed workers’ compensation benefits under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA), and was granted a Non-Economic Loss award. Shortly after he returned to the accident employer on modified duties, he was […]
On October 22, 2013, the Minister of Finance introduced Bill C-4, A second act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 21, 2013 and other measures, also known as the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2. On December 12, 2013, the Bill received Royal Assent. Among other amendments, Bill […]
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Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5G4
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