On April 16, 2021, the Ontario government extended the declared emergency made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) as well as the Stay-at-Home Order until May 5, 2021. Additional restrictions for the Rules for Areas in Stage 1 (Shutdown Zone), made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020,…
Industry: Hospitality & Gaming
Reaching Out – Fifteenth Edition
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…
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….
Larissa V. J. Putt
Larissa Putt is a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Waterloo office. She provides advice and representation to employers in both the private and public sectors on a wide range of labour and employment issues including grievance arbitration, labour disputes, collective bargaining and human rights advocacy work. She also provides employers with practical guidance on a wide array of statutory compliance related matters including employment standards compliance.
Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Rayaz Khan on CEWS
Rayaz Khan, an associate at Hicks Morley has authored “Expert panel: The ins and outs of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy one year on” published in Benefits Canada Magazine on March 30, 2021. The article covers Canada’s initial reaction to the pandemic, the introduction of the wage subsidy, and an update on the current state of…
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…
Ontario Announces Changes To Indoor and Outdoor Dining Rules
On March 19, 2021, the Ontario government filed a number of regulatory amendments to the Rules for Areas in Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 with respect to indoor and outdoor dining. The Rules for Areas in Stage 1, as they apply to the Grey Zone, have been amended to permit restaurants, bars, food…
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…
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…