Industry: Professional & Technical Services

Alberta Court of Appeal Upholds Conviction in Calf-Roping Machine Case

· 4 min read

In its decision Alberta v. XI Technologies Inc., the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of XI Technologies in relation to the death of an employee who was operating a faulty calf-roping machine at an employer hosted-event, concluding that the employer failed to do all that was reasonably practicable to avoid the foreseeable risks…

Hicks Morley’s Lawyers Globally Recognized as Top 500 Leaders

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce that Christopher Riggs, Stephen Shamie, John Brooks, and Craig Rix are globally recognized as Top 500 ICFM Leading Lawyers by InterContinental Finance 2013 Magazine. They were selected for their border-crossing roles as leaders in the legal field. InterContinental provides international reviews, focusing on distinct practitioners with significant cross-border standings. View…

OCA Affirms Termination Clause in Employment Contract Does Not Violate ESA

· 3 min read

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has upheld a motion judge’s finding that a termination provision in an employment contract was not an attempt to contract out of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”). In Dimson v. KTI Kanatek Technologies Inc., the plaintiff had been terminated and in accordance with his employment contract, he was…

Québec Publishes Private Sector Solvency Deficiency Draft Regulation for Comment

· 1 min read

On July 10, 2013, the Québec government published a draft regulation made under the Supplemental Pension Plans Act (“Act”) entitled “Pension plans in the private sector – New relief measures for the funding of solvency deficiencies” (“Draft Regulation”). The Draft Regulation offers relief measures for the funding of deficiencies in private sector defined benefit plans…

WSIB Announces 2014 Premium Rates

· 1 min read

On July 12, 2013, the WSIB announced that its premium rates for Schedule 1 employers will remain at current levels for 2014. The maximum insurable earnings ceiling for 2014 will be $84,100, an increase of 1.1% from $83,200 in 2013.

Canadian Human Rights Act Amended to Delete Discriminatory Practice Relating to “Hate Messages”

· 1 min read

On June 26, 2013, a federal private member’s Bill, Bill C-304, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting freedom), received Royal Assent. Bill C-304 amends the Canadian Human Rights Act (“Act”) by repealing section 13 “Hate Messages” as a discriminatory practice, to ensure compliance with the freedom of expression guarantee in the…

PBA Amendment Repealing Provisions Relating to Withdrawal of Locked-In Retirement Funds in Force January 1, 2014

· 1 min read

Section 4 of Schedule 44 of the Strong Action for Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2012 has been proclaimed into force effective January 1, 2014. Section 4 amends the Pension Benefits Act by repealing certain provisions relating to the Superintendent’s involvement in approving withdrawals from locked-in retirement savings arrangements. As previously reported, a supporting regulation to…

PBA Amendment Relating to Retroactivity of Certain Regulations Now in Force

· 1 min read

Schedule 11 of the Prosperous and Fair Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2013 has been proclaimed into force effective June 21, 2013. Among other things, Schedule 11 amends the Pension Benefits Act to add a provision allowing for the retroactive effect of regulations relating to the funding of a defined benefit pension plan by allowing a…

Hicks Morley Receives Highest Ranking in Labour Relations in the 2013 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory

Hicks Morley is delighted to once again be named “Most Frequently Recommended” in the Labour Relations (Toronto) category and “Consistently Recommended” in Labour Relations (Ottawa) category. The firm has once again been ranked “Consistently Recommended” in the Pension & Employee Benefits category and “Repeatedly Recommended” in Labour Relations – Construction Sector category. Published since 1997,…