On March 25, 2020, the federal government passed Bill C-13, COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, which contains various fiscal and other measures designed to deal expeditiously with the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Included among these measures is an amendment to the Canada Labour Code (Code) which provides an unpaid leave of up to 16 weeks for employees who are unable or unavailable to work for reasons related to COVID-19. The COVID-19 Leave came into force on March 25, 2020.
Business Operation: Canada
CHRT Seeks Feedback on Rules of Procedure to be Developed Under New Pay Equity Act
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) is seeking feedback on specific questions related to the development of the Rules of Procedure under the federal Pay Equity Act (Act), which is expected to come into force sometime in 2020.
Federal Government Waives EI Waiting Periods for Workers Affected by COVID-19
As part of this initiative, the government will be waiving the mandatory one-week waiting period for Employment Insurance sickness benefits for those workers who are in quarantine or who have been directed to self-isolate as a result of the COVID-19.
COVID-19 and Workplace Preparedness
Health officials in Canada have stated that the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains very low. That said, in recent weeks the virus has been top of mind for many, including employers. In this FTR Now, we discuss workplace pandemic planning and operational issues employers should be anticipating in the unlikely event of an outbreak.
Federal Government Clarifies Scheduling Requirements for On-Call Employees, Seeks Submissions on Hours of Work Requirements
The federal Labour Program has been holding consultations on the scheduling and hours of work provisions in the Canada Labour Code (Code) that came into force on September 1, 2019. The first round of consultations took place in the fall of 2019.
Modernizing Federal Labour Standards, and More
In this Federal Post, we look at the recently released study on modernizing labour standards in the federally regulated private sector, the second such study in the last few years.
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2018 Client Conference Additional Resources
Keynote Speaker on Mental Health in the Workplace Dr. Raj Bhatla, Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Chief of Staff of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group Resources from Presentation The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health science centres with a mandate of getting more people living with mental illness into recovery faster. The Royal…
2018 Client Conference Additional Resources
Keynote Speaker on Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Luke Anderson, Founder, StopGap Foundation Organizations Supporting People with Disabilities The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is an organization offering valuable resources to promote and support meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities. Their mission: “As innovators and agents of change, we build partnerships, develop skills, share knowledge…
Successfully defended a retail client in a human rights complaint brought by a customer who claimed he was denied service for discriminatory reasons.
Successfully defended a retail client in a human rights complaint brought by a customer who claimed he was denied service for discriminatory reasons.