On June 22, 2023, the Interim Pay Equity Commissioner (Commissioner) denied a request by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, on behalf of the Treasury Board as employer (TBS), for authorization to establish three pay equity plans for employees in the core public administration (CPA). The establishment of multiple plans is an exception to the…
Author: Hicks Morley
Municipalities Take Note: Ontario Regulation Expanding Strong Mayor Powers Comes into Effect
The Ontario government has announced it is expanding strong mayor powers to 26 additional municipalities in the province. The province originally granted strong mayoral powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa with the passing of Bill 3, Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022 (Bill 3) on September 8, 2022 and the coming into force…
Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 receives Royal Assent
As we reported previously, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 (Bill 98) on April 17, 2023. On June 8, 2023, Bill 98 received Royal Assent and is now law. As a result, a number of significant amendments to the Education Act, the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996…
Bill 124 Update and Recent Case Law Developments
Dear Friends, We are back with another edition of Reaching Out. As we go to press, Sean Reginio reminds us that the Ontario Court of Appeal is hearing arguments this week in the government’s appeal of the decision that struck down Bill 124 as unconstitutional. Stay tuned for future updates. It is possible this may…
Employers Take Note: Incoming Changes to Competition Act
Employers are reminded that amendments made to the Competition Act by Bill C-19, Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1 (Bill C-19) will come into force on June 23, 2023. Bill C-19 amends the existing criminal conspiracy provisions of the Competition Act to make it a criminal offence for an employer to conspire, agree or arrange…
Employers Take Note: Employees Entitled to Paid Time Off to Vote in Upcoming Toronto Mayoral By-Election
The Toronto mayoral by-election will be held on Monday, June 26, 2023, and voting hours will run from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Employers should be aware that under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (Act), all employees who are eligible to vote in the election are entitled to three consecutive hours during voting hours on…
Standing Committee on Official Languages Amends Federal Bill C-13 regarding the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act
The federal government’s Standing Committee on Official Languages (the Committee) has amended Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (Act). The new Act sets out new rights for employees which will apply…
Reminder: Naloxone Kit Requirements Effective June 1, 2023
As we reported previously, amendments to the Occupational Health & Safety Act in Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022, which require certain employers to have a naloxone kit in the workplace, have been proclaimed into force effective June 1, 2023. On December 9, 2022, the Ontario government filed O. Reg. 559/22: Naloxone Kits, which…
Licensing Framework for Temporary Help Agencies and Recruiters Coming into Force
Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021, amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to introduce a new licensing regime for temporary help agencies (THAs) and recruiters that operate in Ontario. We reviewed Bill 27 in detail in previous editions of the FTR Now on October 26, 2021 and again on December 1, 2021. The…
Recent Cases of Note
Welcome to our latest edition of the School Board Update. In this update we discuss two significant decisions. The first is an arbitration decision where the grievor alleged the Ottawa Catholic School Board failed to accommodate her and discriminated against her on the basis of her age by requiring her to teach on site rather…