David Gruber

David advises employers and pension plan administrators on the design and administration of pension and employee benefit plans. Having worked with a variety of pension plans across Canadian jurisdictions, he is well positioned to help navigate the complex world of pension standards legislation.

Kenji Nuhn

Kenji advises and represents employers on labour, employment and human rights issues. Having previously worked in human resources, Kenji is uniquely positioned to provide practical solutions to workplace issues.

Beyond COVID-19: 2021 Year in Review – Cases and Legislation of Note

Employers and human resource professionals will undoubtedly remember 2021 as another year shaped by the pandemic. But … there were also legal developments in 2021 that were not related to COVID-19. In this FTR Now, we look at some of the year’s notable “non-pandemic” cases and legislative developments of interest.

Federal Government Publishes Exemptions to New Hours of Work and Notice of Schedule Requirements under Canada Labour Code

The federal government recently published Exemptions from and Modifications to Hours of Work Provisions Regulations (Regulations) made under the Canada Labour Code (CLC). The Regulations provide certain exemptions and modifications to the CLC provisions requiring employers to provide 96 hours’ notice of work schedule, 24 hours’ notice of shift change, 30-minute breaks every 5 hours…

Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, Receives Royal Assent

On December 2, 2021, Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021, received Royal Assent. We reviewed Bill 27 in detail in our FTR Now of October 26, 2021, Ontario Proposes Significant Changes to ESA and Other Employment-Related Legislation, as well as our FTR Now of December 1, 2021, Ontario Passes Bill 27, Working for Workers…

Federal Government Announces COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Federally Regulated Workplaces

On December 7, 2021, the federal government announced that it will propose regulations under Part II of the Canada Labour Code to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory in all federally regulated workplaces. The government stated that it will be consulting with key stakeholders on these new regulations, which it anticipates will come into force in…

Ontario Passes Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, As Amended at Committee

On November 30, 2021, the Ontario government passed Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021.

The Bill will amend a number of statutes, including the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997….

Federal Government Phasing Out COVID-19 Support Measures

On October 21, 2021, the federal government announced that two key pandemic programs, the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), would not be extended past October 23, 2021. It has proposed extending the Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP)—with narrowed criteria—to May 7, 2022. It also plans to introduce two new programs—The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program—that would provide rent and wage subsidies, as well as lockdown support for a targeted set of businesses and organizations, until May 7, 2022, with the possibility of extension until July 2, 2022. The details of the two programs are set out in the Backgrounder, “Targeting COVID-19 Support Measures.”