2018 Federal Budget Bill Passes

On June 21, 2018, Bill C-74, the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, received Royal Assent. Bill C-74 is omnibus legislation enacting some of the measures outlined in the 2018 Federal Budget. Among other things,  it includes amendments to the following: Employment Insurance Act, to permanently implement the Working While on Claim pilot project; Canada…

2018 Client Conference Additional Resources

Keynote Speaker on Mental Health in the Workplace Dr. Raj Bhatla, Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Chief of Staff of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group Resources from Presentation The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health science centres with a mandate of getting more people living with mental illness into recovery faster. The Royal…

2018 Client Conference Additional Resources

Keynote Speaker on Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Luke Anderson, Founder, StopGap Foundation Organizations Supporting People with Disabilities The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is an organization offering valuable resources to promote and support meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities. Their mission: “As innovators and agents of change, we build partnerships, develop skills, share knowledge…

Cannabis Act Regulations Now Available

The federal government has finalized the regulations in support of the Cannabis Act. They include: Cannabis Regulations Industrial Hemp Regulations Qualifications for Designation as Analyst Regulations (Cannabis) Regulations Amending and Repealing Certain Regulations Made under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Cannabis Act (Police Enforcement) Regulations The Cannabis Act comes into force on October 17,…

Appeal Court Rules on Termination Clauses and Proper “Failsafe” Language

The differing interpretations by the courts of employment contract provisions which limit entitlements upon termination has caused considerable confusion of late. The Ontario Court of Appeal has rendered a helpful decision which may serve to lessen some of the confusion. The Court reversed a lower court decision and found that a clause in an employment…

Must Exercise Termination Rights Under Independent Contractor Agreement in Good Faith, Appeal Court Rules

In the recent case Mohamed v. Information Systems Architects Inc., the Ontario Court of Appeal determined that the appellant company failed to exercise its termination rights under an Independent Consulting Agreement (ICA) in good faith. As a result, they were liable to pay to the independent contractor (respondent) the amount owing for the remainder of…

WSIB Rate Framework Policies Finalized

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has finalized the following core policies which will support the new Rate Framework, to be implemented on January 1, 2020: Coverage Status The Classification Structure Single or Multiple Premium Rates Associated Employers Employer Level Premium Rate Setting Employer Premium Adjustment As previously reported, the WSIB held public consultations…

OMHRA Summer ECHO Newsletter Features Two Articles by Jessica Toldo

The Summer 2018 issue of OMHRA’s ECHO newsletter features two articles authored by Hicks Morley lawyer Jessica Toldo. In the article “Landmark Decision Finds FIPPA’s Delay / Block of Public Access to Adjudicative Records of Administrative Tribunals Unconstitutional,” Jessica discusses the Toronto Star v AG Ontario case where a landmark decision prompted by the Toronto Star, the Superior Court of Justice found…