Industry: Education

Accommodating Childcare Needs: Understanding Your Obligations

· 9 min read

In a recent edition of FTR Now, we reported on two significant Federal Court decisions, Johnstone v. Canada and Seeley v. Canadian National Railway, which confirmed that employers have an obligation to accommodate their employees’ childcare needs. Since the date that FTR Now was published, these two decisions have continued to generate a considerable amount…

Rules Amending Federal Courts Rules Registered

· 1 min read

On February 8, 2013, the federal government registered Rules Amending the Federal Courts Rules (“Rules”). The Rules are the result of a consultation process and are housekeeping in nature. Among other things, the Rules give greater flexibility to the Chief Justice to schedule motions days, specify formatting requirements for documents, set out exceptions to general…

British Columbia Introduces PRPP Legislation

· 1 min read

On February 28, 2013, the government of British Columbia introduced Bill 16, Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act. If passed, Bill 16 would authorize pooled registered pension plans (“PRPPs”) to be made available to provincially-regulated employees and self-employed persons in British Columbia, subject to the requirements set out in the federal Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act…

Regulation under Section 80.1 of the Pension Benefits Act Proposed

· 1 min read

The Ontario government has proposed a new regulation relating to pension asset transfers made under section 80.1 of the Pension Benefits Act (“Act”). Proposed content for this regulation was previously posted for consultation in July 2011. This regulation is required before section 80.1 of the Act comes into effect. Once proclaimed into force, that section…

University’s Removal of Controversial Posters Not Discriminatory under Human Rights Code

· 3 min read

In its recent decision SAIA v. Carleton University, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“Tribunal”) found that the decision by Carleton University to remove certain posters from its campus was not discriminatory, nor was it driven by discriminatory animus against Palestinian students. The University had a policy that posters must be approved by the appropriate…

Court of Appeal for Ontario Clarifies Obligation to Report Injuries to Non-Workers

· 3 min read

The recent Blue Mountain Resorts decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario has clarified the circumstances in which employers are required to report a critical injury or fatality suffered by a non-worker under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”). This FTR Now reviews the decision and its implications for employers. BACKGROUND On December…

Michael Hines Quoted in the Toronto Star

Hicks Morley’s Michael Hines was quoted in the January 29, 2013 edition of the Toronto Star. In an article entitled, “Lawyer warns of consequences on students of ‘work-to-rule’ by teachers,” Michael comments on the bulletins the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario has sent out directing teachers not to fulfill an array of duties beyond teaching….

Michael Hines Quoted in The Globe and Mail

Hicks Morley’s Michael Hines was quoted in the January 29, 2013 edition of The Globe and Mail. In an article entitled, “Teachers are using children’s activities as ‘political tool’: school board lawyers“, Michael comments on directives from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario which have instructed teachers to stop leading sports teams or attending field…

Michael Hines Mentioned in the Toronto Star

Hicks Morley’s Michael Hines was mentioned in the February 6, 2013 edition of the Toronto Star in an article entitled, “Ontario teacher turmoil: School boards’ points to studies that show benefits of extracurriculars.” The article provides details regarding a hearing at the Ontario Labour Relations Board during which Michael asked the Board to look at…