On April 4, 2017, the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Ontario introduced private member legislation that would amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act) to bring “card check” union certification back to Ontario for the first time since 1995, and to implement a new first contract arbitration process. It is important to note that private…
Industry: Financial Services
Guidance for Organizations Sharing Information for Investigation/Fraud Purposes Issued by OPC
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) recently provided guidance on the new provisions of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) that allow organizations to share information for investigation and fraud prevention purposes. The amendments, in force since 2015, give organizations significant flexibility to address cyber-crime and fraud by allowing…
2017 Federal Budget Released
On March 22, 2017, the federal government tabled its 2017 Budget, Building A Strong Middle Class (#Budget2017)…
Appellate Court Finds Termination Clause Unenforceable for Breach of ESA
The recent dismissal by the Supreme Court of Canada of an employee’s leave to appeal an appellate decision which upheld the enforceability of a minimum standards-only termination clause was good news for employers…
FTR Quarterly – Issue 4, Volume 1
This issue features articles on; Human Resources Trends and Issues to Watch in 2017, the Top 10 Developments in Human Resources Law in 2016 and the Featured Lawyer is Amy R. Tibble…
Default Judgment Giving Rise to New Tort of “Public Disclosure of Embarrassing Private Facts” Set Aside
Early in 2016, we reported on a case in which the Ontario Superior Court articulated a new private tort: “public disclosure of embarrassing private facts.” The plaintiff in that case had been coaxed by a former boyfriend (the defendant) to send him a sexually explicit video of herself. Despite promising the plaintiff confidentiality, the defendant…
Clarifying Pension Portability in Ontario for Retired Members
With the publication of draft regulations to support recent amendments to the Pension Benefits Act (PBA), the PBA will soon expressly permit…
OLRB Considers Employer’s Obligation to Pay for Commuting Time of Employee Using Company Vehicle
When employees are provided with company vehicles to take home at the end of the work day, does the employer have to pay for their commuting time directly to and from a job site?
Procedural Power of Courts Not Constrained by PIPEDA
In Royal Bank of Canada v. Trang, the Supreme Court of Canada held that the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) does not interfere with the procedural powers of a court. The decision arose out of a situation in which past judicial interpretation and application of PIPEDA had impeded the ability of the…
An Update on “Minimum Standards Only” Termination Clauses
The Ontario Superior Court has issued several decisions over the past few years which have found “minimum standards only” termination provisions in employment contracts to be unenforceable. Thus, employers are in the unexpected position of being liable for reasonable notice at common law…