Dear Friends, We are back with another edition of Reaching Out. With 2020 behind us and some light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel, we thought it appropriate to reconnect with our Social Services clients with a Spring edition of Reaching Out. We chose not to publish Reaching Out last year as we…
Industry: Education
Ontario Declares Third Emergency, Again Issues a Stay-at-Home Order
On April 7, 2021, the Ontario government declared its third emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and issued its second Stay-at-Home Order under that Act, effective April 8 at 12:01 a.m. Stay-at-Home Order (Order) The Order is similar in wording to the Stay-at-Home Order issued in January 2021, with some minor modifications….
Ontario Tables 2021 Budget
On March 24, 2021, the Ontario government tabled its 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy (Budget), and introduced supporting implementation legislation, Bill 269, Protecting the People of Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2021. In this FTR Now, we highlight certain aspects of the Budget that are of broad interest to…
Arbitrator Rules That Virtual Class Prep Time Arrangement Violates Collective Agreement
On March 5, 2021, Arbitrator Susan Stewart released an award (Award) between the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (Board) and ETFO dealing with preparation time (prep time) for remote learning elementary teachers in its virtual classes during the current 2020-21 school year. The grievance alleged that the Board had failed to provide prep time in…
Important Updates Regarding Employment Insurance Regular Benefits, Recovery Benefits, and Upcoming CEWS Claim Periods
In the latest evolution of the federal government’s response to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, on February 19, 2021, the government announced that it would be introducing regulatory and legislative amendments to increase the number of weeks of benefits available for Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits, as well as the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the…
Ministry of Education Releases New “School Board Teacher Hiring Practices” PPM
On February 22, 2021, the Ontario Ministry of Education (Ministry) released the much anticipated Policy/Program Memorandum No. 165 (PPM 165) regarding “School Board Teacher Hiring Practices.” PPM 165 comes in response to the revocation of Ontario Regulation 274/12 “Hiring Practices” and will replace the Interim policy for school board hiring practices. The PPM is effective…
Public Input Regarding Exemptions From The Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 Requested
On February 10, 2021, the Ontario government published a consultation paper seeking stakeholder input regarding possible changes to the exemptions from the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 (Act). Because the information disclosed as a result of police record checks is often used to assist in determining suitability for employment, employers may wish to offer their…
Ontario’s Regional Approach to Pandemic Management: Amendments to the Yellow, Orange, Red and Grey Zones
The Ontario government is continuing its recently announced return to a regional approach to pandemic management and to a modified provincial COVID-19: Response Framework. The first phase, discussed in greater detail in our February 10, 2021 FTR Now, involved the creation of a new Shutdown Zone as part of the Rules for Areas in Stage…
Debate Regarding Regulatory Obligations for Kindergarten Class Size Caps Now Resolved in Favour of School Boards
For 20 years, beginning in 1997, school boards and teachers’ federations agreed that class size limits pertaining to elementary school students needed to be met only by and on a “determination date” identified in the first half of the fall term. Following the negotiation of its 2017 Extension Agreement and an associated Letter of Commitment from the Crown, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) challenged this mutual understanding in two related arbitrations. Two arbitration awards and one judicial review later, the issue has now been definitively resolved – in favour of the school boards’ interpretation and the continuation of the historical compliance system.
Ontario Ends Declared Emergency and Resumes Regional Approach to Pandemic Management
On February 8, 2021, the Ontario government announced that the declared emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act would be terminated at the end of day, February 9, 2021. It also announced that it would be gradually resuming its regional approach to managing the pandemic that was previously in effect. While most regions of the province will remain in a shutdown, three public health regions have been moved to lesser restrictions.