The Ontario government has opened a public consultation phase seeking input on reform for private sector privacy law, specifically to address gaps in the existing law and to enact new rules to protect privacy rights and increase confidence in digital services. This could be an initial step towards the introduction of a private sector privacy…
Business Operation: Ontario
Ontario Minimum Wage to Increase October 1, 2020
On October 1, 2020, the general minimum wage in Ontario will increase from $14.00 to $14.25 an hour. This minimum wage applies to most employees. Minimum wage rates will also increase for the following employees: students: from $13.15 to $13.40 an hour liquor servers: from $12.20 to $12.45 an hour homeworkers: from $15.40 to $15.70…
Ontario Extends Orders Relating to COVID-19
On August 20, 2020, the Ontario government announced that most orders made as a result of COVID-19 are extended to September 22, 2020 (subject to exceptions below). These orders were initially made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and, with the end of the declared emergency on July 24, 2020, were extended under…
Ontario Court of Appeal Comments on Notice Entitlements Following an Asset Transaction
In Manthadi v. ASCO Manufacturing, the Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously found that summary judgment was not appropriate in a case where a plaintiff was awarded 20 months’ reasonable notice damages after one month service with a company (Purchaser) that had bought the assets of her former employer (Vendor). The Court set aside the summary…
Arbitrator Provides Guidance for Employers Managing Commute to Work Accommodation Requests, Self-Reported Medical Restrictions, and Surveillance Evidence
In Toronto District School Board v Local 4400, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Arbitrator Stout dismissed an allegation of disability-related discrimination and failure to accommodate in the context of a commute to work. The case elaborates on the reasoning of Arbitrator Nyman in Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and Toronto District School Board, Grievance #…
Ontario (Again) Updates Its COVID-19 Self-Assessment
Ontario employers who are planning for an eventual return to work have been keeping a close eye on the province’s COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool (Tool). The Tool directs Ontarians to self-isolate in certain circumstances. This is important because it relates to employers’ Occupational Health and Safety Act duties and their duty to provide statutorily-protected leaves under the Employment Standards Act, 2000.
Ontario Announces City of Toronto and Peel Region Moving to Stage 3 of Reopening
Today, the Ontario government announced that the City of Toronto and Peel Region can move into Stage 3 of the provincial reopening, effective July 31 at 12:01 a.m. The rules regarding Stage 3 are set out in Regulation 364/20 which has been continued under the recently enacted Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act,…
Bill 195 Passes: Declared Emergency Will End But Emergency Orders Will Continue
On July 21, 2020, Bill 195, Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 received Royal Assent. The Ontario government has announced that the new Act will be proclaimed in force on July 24, 2020. As set out in greater detail in our FTR Now of July 15, 2020, this means that the COVID-19 declared emergency will come to an end on July 24, 2020.
Province Amends Stage 2 Closure Order Effective July 17
On Thursday, July 16, the Ontario government published a regulation that amends the existing Stage 2 Closure Order (Order) made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). The amendments took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020, and are therefore already in force.
Ontario Extends Declared Emergency to July 24, 2020
Further to our FTR Now of July 15, 2020 in which we outlined the changes proposed by Bill 195, Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2000, it has come to our attention that by motion in the Legislature on July 13, 2020, the Ontario government extended the declared emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) to July 24, 2020.