In an arbitration award released on October 13, 2017, Arbitrator Russell Goodfellow dismissed a grievance brought by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) concerning the scheduling of breaks accorded to Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECEs) under the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) support staff collective agreements applicable to them. Arbitrator Goodfellow declined to follow the controversial path taken by Arbitrator George Surdykowski in a 2014 decision involving the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (Surdykowski Award) and has established a very useful precedent for school boards to employ. In this School Board Update, we review this important award.
Industry: School Boards
Back to School Edition – Student-Focused Case Law and Legislative Update
Welcome back to school! We hope everyone enjoyed a restful summer season. To kick off the school year, we bring you the latest edition of our School Board Update with particular emphasis on legislation and decisions involving the student body…
Ontario Expands Access to Licensed Childcare in Schools
The Ontario government has announced that effective September 1, 2017, all publicly funded elementary schools serving students up to Grade 6 are required to provide before- and after-school programs for children aged 4-12 where there is a sufficient demand. The programs may be operated by a school board through a licensed childcare provider for children…
Jessica M. Toldo
Jessica advises employers on a wide range of labour and employment matters. This includes labour disputes, grievance arbitrations, human rights and accommodation.
Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan: The New Requirement for Race-Based Data Collection
On September 7, 2017, the Ministry of Education announced their three-year plan for education equity. The “Education Equity Action Plan” (Plan) will serve as a roadmap in the province’s effort to identify and eliminate systemic barriers to student success. Find out more in this FTR Now.
Immunization of School Pupils Act Amendments Coming into Force September 1, 2017
On September 1, 2017, sections 1, 2, 3 and 5 of Schedule 2, Bill 87, the Protecting Patients Act, 2017, amending the Immunization of School Pupils Act (Act) will come into force. Among other things, the amendments require that the parent of a pupil complete an immunization education session with a medical officer of health…
Expert Guides Best of the Best 2017 Recognizes Two Hicks Morley Lawyers
Best of the Best, the international legal market’s leading guide to the top legal practitioners, has recognized two Hicks Morley lawyers in its Expert Guides 2017 directory for the practice area of Labour and Employment law. Congratulations to Stephen Shamie and John Brooks on this recognition!
A Legislative and Case Law Update for School Boards
In this latest edition of our School Board Update, we provide you with a brief overview of the significant changes recently proposed by the Ontario government to the employment and labour laws in our province…
Are You Properly Authorized to Make that Freedom of Information Decision?
This is a short reminder to our school board contacts about an often overlooked feature of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) – the assignment of formal powers and duties to the board of trustees itself…
Ontario Budget 2017
On April 27, 2017, the Ontario government tabled its 2017 Budget “A Stronger, Healthier Ontario” (Budget) and Bill 127, Stronger, Healthier Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2017 (Budget Bill), omnibus legislation designed to implement some of the proposals contained in the Budget. In this FTR Now, we highlight key proposals that are of particular interest to…