The Supreme Court’s Decision on Proving Mental Injury and its Implications for Employers

In a recent decision, Saadati v. Moorhead, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously held that proof of a recognized psychiatric injury is no longer necessary to award damages for mental injuries caused by negligence. Although this finding was made in the context of a personal injury case, it may have implications for employers. The plaintiff/appellant…

CASL Update – Coming into Force of Private Right of Action Delayed

This is to provide an update on significant developments relating to Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) in light of a government decision to delay changes anticipated to come into effect on July 1, 2017 and to review the much-maligned enactment. Introduction of Private Right of Action Delayed The federal government issued an Order in Council yesterday…

Federal Post – Fifth Edition

Dear Friends, We are pleased to bring you our next edition of the Federal Post. In this edition, we highlight some key proposals of the recent federal budget and the corresponding Budget Bill which federally regulated employers need to know about. We also discuss other legislative initiatives currently underway that may have an impact on…

Federal Government Introduces Bill to Legalize Cannabis

On April 13, 2017, the federal government introduced Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act. If passed, Bill C-45 will, among other things: permit persons age 18 and over to possess up to 30 grams of dried or fresh cannabis permit the government to authorize the possession, production, distribution, sale, importation and exportation of cannabis where authorized…

Federal Budget Implementation Legislation Introduced

On April 11, 2017, the federal government introduced Bill C-44, the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1, omnibus legislation that would enact various measures outlined in its 2017 Budget. The accompanying Department of Finance Backgrounder indicates that Bill C-44 would, among other things, amend the Employment Insurance Act to: allow parents to choose to receive Employment…

Guidance for Organizations Sharing Information for Investigation/Fraud Purposes Issued by OPC

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) recently provided guidance on the new provisions of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) that allow organizations to share information for investigation and fraud prevention purposes. The amendments, in force since 2015, give organizations significant flexibility to address cyber-crime and fraud by allowing…