News & Events

The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld the award of the trial judge finding an employer liable to pay $100,000 in punitive damages and a further $25,000 in aggravated damages, in addition to 19 months’ damages for wrongful dismissal. The employer alleged cause for the employee’s termination and in response to the employee’s claim for

Last week, the Department of Finance released a set of draft legislative proposals clarifying the requirements for converting Health and Welfare Trusts (HWTs) to Employee Life and Health Trusts (ELHTs) and revising certain rules resecting ELHTs. The proposed changes are generally welcome and address many of the concerns raised by stakeholders. The proposed process for

The employee had worked for his employer for 14 years in a manual position in the mailroom. The benefit plan, including long term disability (“LTD”), was self-funded by the employer but administered, adjudicated and paid by Sun Life Assurance Company (“Sun Life”).  The employee received 2 years of short term disability but his request for

On March 19, 2019, Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled the federal government’s 2019 budget.  The budget contained a number of surprises, both in terms of what it included and what it omitted.  Perhaps most significantly for the pension and employee benefits industry, while the government reaffirmed its commitment to introduce tax measures to facilitate the

If an employer terminates an employee for cause, an employer has no obligation to provide an employee with notice of termination. It is important to remember that establishing cause to terminate an employment relationship is not easy. The existence of cause will depend on the particular facts of each case. A lawyer from Koskie Minsky

In the Ontario Court of Appeal’s first decision of the year, Heller v Uber, 2019 ONCA 1, the court held that an arbitration clause in the terms that individual drivers are required to “accept” to become drivers for Uber breached the prohibition on contracting out of the Employment Standards Act (ESA), and was otherwise unconscionable

In the Ontario Court of Appeal’s first decision of the year, Heller v Uber, 2019 ONCA 1, the court held that an arbitration clause in the terms that individual drivers are required to “accept” to become drivers for Uber breached the prohibition on contracting out of the Employment Standards Act (ESA), and was otherwise unconscionable

What will an Ontario Court do when faced with a California based employee who is seeking to enforce rights pursuant to a contract against his American employer, for termination of his employment?  If his employment contract provides that the contract would be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of

On December 20, 2018, the Ontario Progressive-Conservative government passed Bill 67 at third reading, a piece of special legislation preventing a strike by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) workers across the province. The legislation received Royal Assent the same day and is now in force. The Power Workers’ Union (PWU) represents approximately 6,000 workers employed by

Last week, the Ford Government tabled the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, more commonly known as Bill 66. Debate on the Bill will not begin until February 19, 2019, but given the substantial PC majority in the House, it is likely that some version of the Bill will receive Royal Assent in the spring of