Court Examines Parties’ Intentions and Severability Clause in Upholding ESA-Only Termination Provision

Over the past few years, the Ontario Superior Court has rendered several decisions which consider the enforceability of termination notice provisions in employment contracts that provide only for the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) minimum entitlements. Depending on the specific wording used, many of these provisions have been held to be unenforceable for non-compliance with…

Police Record Checks Legislation Passes Third Reading

On December 1, 2015, Bill 113, the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015, as amended by the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, passed at Third Reading. When proclaimed in force, this legislation will implement a new process governing requests for searches of the Canadian Police Information Centre databases, or other police databases, in connection with screening an…

Private Member’s Bill Targets Temporary Help Agencies

On November 18, 2015, Bill 143, Employment Standards Amendment Act (Temporary Help Agencies), 2015, a Private Member’s Bill was introduced in the Ontario Legislature by a Liberal MPP. The Bill seeks to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) with respect to the regulation of temporary help agencies. SUMMARY OF BILL 143 If passed, Bill…

Nadine S. Zacks

Nadine is the chair of the firm’s Occupational Health and Safety Practice Group and regularly assists clients with responding to and defending orders and charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Colin Youngman

Colin advises and represents both unionized and non-unionized employers throughout Eastern Ontario. He is regularly engaged in wrongful dismissal litigation, labour arbitration cases, Ontario Labour Relations Board proceedings and human rights proceedings.

Siobhan M. O’Brien

Siobhan routinely provides advice on wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights law, grievance arbitration, labour relations, collective bargaining and strike management.

Natasha D. Monkman

Natasha Monkman is a pensions and benefits lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office and the chair of the firm’s Pensions, Benefits and Compensation Practice Group.  She regularly advises employers on governance, plan administration, investment and compliance matters relating to their employee benefit plans and pension plans as well as compensation matters.

Matthew J. Mihailovich

Matthew is the chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group. He advises a wide variety of employers in both the public and private sectors on issues relating to their workplaces. He appears before labour arbitrators, in court, and before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. He also regularly acts as spokesperson in collective bargaining.

Kathryn L. Meehan

Kathryn Meehan is an employment and labour lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Waterloo office. She frequently represents clients before the courts and administrative tribunals including labour arbitrations, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Andrew J. McCreary

Andrew predominantly works with employers in the financial services, technology, medical and defence sectors as well as those in government outsourcing. This work has included the defence of numerous wrongful dismissal claims and human rights applications in addition to union organizing campaigns, grievance arbitrations and labour board proceedings.