News & Events

On October 25, 2021, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021 (“Bill 27”) to amend, among other things, the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA“). If passed, Bill 27 and the amendments it includes, would significantly alter the employer-employee relationship. The changes proposed by Bill 27 include: New Part VII.0.1 – Right to Disconnect

What is the hot issue in every workplace right now?  Vaccine policies of course. We have yet to see a court or administrative tribunal definitively answer whether vaccine policies violate health privacy laws or employee privacy generally or whether an employer’s implementation of these types of policies constitute constructive dismissal and/or a form of workplace

In late 2019 the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (“WSIAT” or the “Tribunal”) issued a landmark decision that took away an employee’s right to sue their employer for damages with respect to chronic mental stress flowing from workplace harassment and an inadequate employer response to same, resulting in a claim for constructive dismissal.  The

The COVID-19 Period has been further extended in Ontario and is now slated to end on January 1, 2022. Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL) is extended to January 1, 2022. The three paid sick days in relation to COVID-19 related matters are extended to December 31, 2021. After Infectious Disease Emergency Leave ends, employees who

To date, there has been very little caselaw dealing specifically with the implementation of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in the employment context. In the circumstances, employers and employees alike have no choice but to navigate the complex legal issues that arise from any attempts to reduce the risks associated with COVID-19 transmission and infection in

In a recent decision which considered the impact of the pandemic on a termination of employment, the Honourable Justice Vella held that the consideration of the fourth Bardal factor, namely ‘availability of similar employment having regard to the experience, training and qualifications of the employee’ led to consideration that there were challenging circumstances in terms

The Pay Equity Act, S.C. 2018, c. 27, s. 416 (“Pay Equity Act” or the “Act“), was passed by Parliament and received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018. It will come into force on August 31, 2021. It will apply to federally regulated public and private sector employers with an average of 10 or more

In recent years, and in particular over the course of the last 18 months or so, courts have varied and/or clarified their position on a number of key employment law issues. In Hawkes v. Max Aicher (North America) Limited, 2021 ONSC 4290, the employee successfully brought an application for judicial review of a decision of the

The COVID-19 Period has been further extended in Ontario and is now slated to end on September 25, 2021 Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL) is extended to September 25, 2021 After Infectious Disease Emergency Leave ends, employees who were placed out of active service as a result of the pandemic are no longer on that

For good reason, many employers are beginning to think about how their workplace will look a few months from now.  They are considering how to assure employee safety and are wondering what impact the vaccination roll-out will have on masking and social distancing requirements over the summer and by early fall of 2021. In short,