News & Events

We are pleased to announce that Murray Gold has been awarded the 2021 OBA Pension Award for Excellence in Pension & Benefits Law. The OBA Award of Excellence in Pensions and Benefits Law recognizes exceptional contributions and achievements in Pension & Benefits Law by members of the OBA. Murray is a leading lawyer in the

While cases before the courts will wind their way through slowly, labour arbitration hearings can move at a quicker pace. Some COVID issues have already been decided in the collective bargaining context. Of note is a recent arbitration decision in the federal context which upheld the termination of a worker for attending at work and

Philip Graham will be speaking at The Osgoode Certificate in Human Rights for Education Professionals Program on February 27, 2021.   Philip will be participating in a panel discussion on “Disability Rights – Accommodation and Accessibility – The Duty to Accommodate: Theory and Practice”. For more information about the program, please click here.

Leona Kung will be speaking at a Webinar hosted by LexisNexis Canada on February 19, 2021 regarding “Construction Law Updates: COVID Restrictions, Adjudication and New Home Warranties”. For more information about the webinar, please click here.

In response to the concerns about racism and oppression raised by former Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) student trustees, HWDSB took action and initiated an independent, third-party Trustee Code of Conduct Review. We are pleased to announce that Arleen Huggins and Philip Graham have now completed this review. For more information, please click here.

A recent decision provides a caution concerning the proper treatment of medical information in the grievance process. In Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital v Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union, Local 383, Arbitrator Randi Abramsky determined that the hospital violated the Personal Health Information Protection Act (“PHIPA”), the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) the hospital’s own

Louis v. Poitras, 2021 ONCA 49, is the first Ontario Court of Appeal decision to consider the impact of delays caused by the pandemic on a motion to strike a jury notice. The decision calls on lower courts to adopt a creative and pragmatic approach to this unprecedented challenge to the civil justice system in

In its 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the federal government announced that, in light of the large numbers of Canadian taxpayers working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canada Revenue Agency (the “CRA”) would simplify the process for claiming the home office expense deduction for the 2020 taxation year.  Details regarding the temporary simplified

We are pleased to announce that a settlement has been reached on behalf of the United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 175 and 633, their members, and certain other salaried employees in respect of severance entitlements arising from the bankruptcies of Quality Meat Packers Limited (QMP) and Toronto Abattoirs Limited (TAL).  This settlement, reached on

Facts In June 2020, Caressant Care Nursing & Retirement Homes (the “Employer”) advised its staff that it would begin conducting bi-weekly COVID-19 testing and would begin to require proof of testing before an employee could return to work. When several staff members complained, the Employer advised its employees that if they chose not to comply