New Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 in Force July 1, 2018: What Employers Should Know

On July 1, 2018, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 (SFO Act) and accompanying regulation will come into force. It was enacted as part of the omnibus Bill 174, Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017. The SFO Act repeals and replaces the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2015 and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (Earlier Acts), consolidating many provisions of those two statutes into one place. It also contains new requirements for employers and others.

Privacy Rules Around Non-Disclosure of Administrative Records Declared Unconstitutional

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently held that the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) violates section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), finding that it goes too far to protect the privacy of parties, witnesses and others in matters heard by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, Ontario Labour Relations Board and other statutory tribunals. Learn more in this FTR Now.

Update on Personal Emergency Leave in the Municipal Sector

The introduction of two paid personal emergency leave (PEL) days to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) has revived the debate about whether collective agreements or policies provide a Greater Right or Benefit (GROB), or alternatively, whether entitlements under the collective agreement or policies can be offset against the PEL entitlement. The first arbitration case since the paid entitlements were introduced (from Arbitrator Mitchnick) has brought an interesting twist to the debate.

Ontario Government Reinstates Prior Public Holiday Pay Formula Effective July 1, 2018

Late on May 7, 2018, the Ontario government announced that it is reinstating the prior public holiday pay formula that pre-dated Bill 148. Ontario Regulation 375/18 was filed on the same day and the reinstatement of the prior formula comes into force on July 1, 2018. The regulation will remain in force until December 31, 2019…

FTR Quarterly – Issue 9

In This Issue Sexual Harassment: Best Practices for Proactive Employers and Service Providers FTRQ&A – Customer-to-Customer Harassment: Service Provider Liability Questions, Answered Tips for Conducting Harassment Investigations Sexual Harassment and Your Organization: Best Practice Tips for Boards of Directors For Your Workplace, At Your Workplace: Hicks Morley’s On-Site Learn-by-Doing Training Programs Featured Articles Sexual Harassment:…

Workplace Law in Canada: A Primer

This Guide provides American employers with an introduction to employment laws and regulations that affect businesses in Canada. It outlines an overview of the main differences between Canadian and U.S. workplace laws.