News & Events
Andrea Bowker of Koskie Minsky LLP to become solicitor at Ontario Labour Relations Board
May 1, 2018
Koskie Minsky LLP is pleased to congratulate Andrea Bowker on her acceptance of the position of Solicitor at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Andrea has been a valued member of the Firm’s Labour Law group since 2012 and will bring 22 years of labour law experience, both in private practice and as in-house counsel, to
Practice Area
Labour Law
David Rosenfeld Quoted in CBC News article about the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Class Action
April 26, 2018
David Rosenfeld was quoted in the April 25, 2018 CBC News article “Canada signed private agreement with Qalipu Mi’kmaq days before contentious changes to application process.” To read the article, please click here. For more information about the class action and updates as they occur, please click here.
Practice Area
Class Actions
Arleen Huggins Named Recipient of the 2018 Women’s Law Association of Ontario President’s Award
April 25, 2018
We are delighted to announce that Arleen Huggins has been named the recipient of the 2018 Women’s Law Association of Ontario (WLAO) President’s Award for the outstanding work she has done throughout her career for the promotion and advancement of racialized women in the law. Congratulations to Arleen on this distinguished and well-deserved honour! For
Benefit plans can discriminate against marijuana: Canadian Elevator Industry Welfare Trust Fund v Skinner, 2018 NSCA 31
April 24, 2018
In Canadian Elevator Industry Welfare Trust Fund v Skinner, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal considered what constituted discrimination in the denial of access to coverage for medicinal marijuana, emphasizing the deference that courts and tribunals will give to the administrator of a benefit plan in choosing what drugs the plan will cover. The case
Practice Area
Pension and Benefits
Mark Zigler appointed as Co-Lead Commission Counsel for the Ontario Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry
April 23, 2018
We are pleased to announce that Mark Zigler has been appointed as Co-Lead Commission Counsel for the Ontario Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry. The Inquiry was established on August 1, 2017, following the conviction of Elizabeth Wettlaufer on eight counts of first degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault,
Recovery of Variable Compensation during the Notice Period
April 23, 2018
The issue of what a court will do when faced with a claim for variable compensation in the form of a Carried Interest Plan, much like a profit sharing plan, in which profit was recognized some 3-7 years following the initial investment, came before the Honourable Mr. Justice Monahan recently. In a decision released in
Expertise
Employment Law
Equal Pay Provisions of the ESA Now in Force
April 9, 2018
Effective April 1, 2018, the equal pay amendments to the Employment Standards Act (“ESA“) flowing from the Bill 148 Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act officially came into force in Ontario. These equal pay provisions prohibit any employer paying different rates of pay to employees because of a difference in employment status (eg. full-time, part-time and/or
Expertise
Employment Law
Labourers’ International Union of North America, Ontario Provincial District Council, Applicant v. Govan Brown & Associates Limited et. al.
March 29, 2018
For decades, the Ontario Labour Relations Board has considered only the wishes of those persons employed in the bargaining unit on the date of application in construction industry proceedings. “Steady eddies”, disabled employees, and others who are absent from work on the date of application for any number of reasons are thereby excluded from the
Practice Area
Labour Law
2018 Federal Budget: The Death of Health and Welfare Trusts and Other Items of Interest
March 1, 2018
The 2018 Federal Budget was released on February 27, 2018, and amongst other things, included a major and somewhat surprising announcement regarding the phase out of the CRA’s Health and Welfare Trust Policy, which has governed health and welfare trusts (HWTs) since 1966. The announcement was included in the Tax Measures: Supplementary Information document released
Practice Area
Pension and Benefits