Lauren Viegas

Lauren provides strategic advice and representation to employers on a wide range of matters including grievance arbitrations, labour disputes, occupational health and safety, human rights and accommodation, and employment standards.

Gillian McCormick

Gillian is building a practice that includes providing advice and representation to employers on a wide range of labour and employment matters.

Djordje Milanovic

Djordje offers advice and representation to employers in the public and private sectors on a wide range of labour and employment matters.

Ontario Government Launches Consultation on New Job Posting Rules Under the ESA

On August 21, 2024, the Ontario government launched consultations on the new Part III.1 (Job Postings) of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). This section was passed under Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2024, with further proposed amendments introduced in Bill 190, Working for Workers Five Act, 2024. While not yet in force,…

Ryan Markesic

Ryan Markesic is a labour and employment lawyer practising out of Hicks Morley’s Toronto office in all areas of workplace law and in civil litigation. Ryan has assisted in arbitrations, tribunals and matters before all levels of courts including the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal. He has a particular interest and experience in advising and representing colleges and universities on a variety of issues.

Arbitrator Kaplan Clarifies Earlier Interest Arbitration Awards

On May 29, 2024, a board of arbitration (Board) chaired by Arbitrator William Kaplan issued its decisions on two interest arbitration cases in the school board sector which addressed outstanding compensation issues between the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), the Crown, and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) in respect of secondary school…

Important Regulatory Amendments Impact School Board Member Codes of Conduct

New regulations under the Education Act provide express obligations and prohibitions that must be included in a school board’s code of conduct for its board members. The regulations also set out new requirements around integrity commissioners. This article explains these new requirements and what a school board will need to do now to bring itself…

Supreme Court of Canada Addresses Workplace Privacy Rights in Ontario Schools

On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its decision in York Region District School Board v. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. The decision establishes that Ontario school boards are “government”—and thus subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter)—and provides guidance on how alleged breaches of an employee’s Charter-based right…

Ontario Court Declares Back-To-Work Legislation in College Sector Constitutional

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has just released an important decision upholding the constitutionality of the Ontario government’s 2017 back-to-work legislation in the college sector. The legislation in question was the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Labour Dispute Resolution Act, 2017 (Act). The Act legislated the end to the longest college-sector strike in…