On March 23, 2023, the Ontario government tabled its 2023 Ontario Budget: Building a Strong Ontario. Of significance to employers, the Budget announced that the paid Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (Paid IDEL) will expire on March 31, 2023. By way of background, the Paid IDEL is a form of paid leave available under the Employment…
Industry: Education
Ontario to Amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Other Legislation
On March 20, 2023, the Ontario government tabled Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023. If passed, Bill 79 would amend several statutes including the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act, 2009. In this FTR Now, we review proposed amendments of particular interest…
Advantage CPD: Access Requests Under FIPPA – A Practical Guide For Colleges
FOI Coordinators responding to access requests need to balance a wide range of issues from clarifying requests and arranging reasonable searches to preparing fee estimates all within tight time frames. This program addresses a number of the strategic and practical considerations which go into responding to requesters under FIPPA.
Exclusions and Competing Rights in Schools
Educators and school boards have an obligation to provide every student with meaningful and equitable access to an education while taking reasonable measures to keep all students and staff safe from foreseeable harm. To that end, students with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodation in their learning environments. But what happens when the behaviour of these students creates safety issues for themselves, other students and school staff? How can special educators and administrators deal with these increasingly common occurrences while managing the competing rights of both students and staff under the Education Act, Human Rights Code and Occupational Health and Safety Act?
Hicks Morley Welcomes Stephanie Savoni as WSIB Counsel
Managing Partner Craig Rix is pleased to announce that Stephanie Savoni has joined the firm as WSIB Counsel.
Stephanie J. Savoni
Stephanie Savoni is counsel to Hicks Morley in its Toronto office, and has been working in the field of workplace safety and insurance law for over 21 years. Her practice has been dedicated exclusively to representing employers in workplace safety and insurance law matters for the past 18 years.
Ontario Arbitrator Finds National Day of Mourning Not a Holiday under Collective Agreements
An Ontario arbitrator has found that the “National Day of Mourning” on September 19, 2022 was not a “holiday” within the meaning of the collective agreements in issue as that day was not “proclaimed” to be a holiday by a legislative process. The Prime Minister declared September 19, 2022 to be a National Day of…
Ontario Human Rights Commission Strategic Plan and the Right to Read
On January 17, 2023, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a new strategic plan for 2023 to 2025, entitled Human Rights First: A plan for belonging in Ontario. It centres around five priorities which include Indigenous reconciliation, the criminal justice system and the education system. In this School Board Update, we focus on the OHRC’s priorities with respect to the education system.
Beyond COVID-19: 2022 Year in Review – Cases and Legislation of Note
Employers and human resource professionals will undoubtedly remember 2022 as another year shaped by the pandemic.
But…there were also legal developments in 2022 that were not related to COVID-19. In this FTR Now, we look at some of the past year’s notable “non-pandemic” cases and legislative developments.
Attendance Management Training Workshop 201
Employee absenteeism is one of the most challenging issues an employer faces and it can impact productivity and morale in the workplace. In addressing absenteeism issues, employers must be aware of the interplay between their legitimate expectation that employees attend work regularly and the many valid reasons for absences, including statutory leaves and an employee’s human rights.