Craig Rix Quoted in the Law Times on the Additional Changes in Employment Law Introduced by Bill 66

Hicks Morley’s Craig Rix was quoted by the Law Times in the January 28, 2019 article titled, “Additional Changes for Employment Laws Proposed” in which the impact of the proposed changes introduced by Bill 66 – Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act on the workplace are explored, such as overtime.

WSIB Issues New Policy on Medical Cannabis

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has issued Policy 17-01-10 Cannabis for Medical Purposes (Policy) which will come into effect on March 1, 2019. The WSIB has previously covered the cost of medical cannabis in some circumstances, primarily for the relief of pain in accordance with section 33 of the Workplace Safety and Insurance…

Workplace Law in Canada

Workplace law in Canada operates in a significantly different way than workplace law in the United States. This short primer sets out the main features of Canadian workplace law to enable American legal counsel to understand the basic differences and ask further questions.

Ministry of Labour Publishes New ESA Poster

The Ministry of Labour has published a revised version of the ESA poster (Version 8.0) to reflect the recent changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 made by Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018. Employers are required to post the poster in a conspicuous place in the workplace, among other things. Learn more in this FTR Now.

Tribunal Finds that Denial of Coverage for Medical Cannabis under Employer’s Benefit Plan is not Discriminatory

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (the Tribunal) recently held that the decision to deny coverage for medical cannabis coverage under an employer’s benefit plan is not discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code) when the decision to deny coverage is unrelated to an applicant’s disability or another protected ground. In Rivard v. Essex (County),…

Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Thomas Agnew on Benefits Coverage for Medical Marijuana

Hicks Morley’s Thomas Agnew authored an article in Benefits Canada titled “Employer Obligations Around Medical Pot, Benefits Plans.” In a case from February 2017, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal confirmed that an administrator of a benefits plan can choose what specific drugs and medications will be covered by a plan. In particular, it held that the exclusion of medical cannabis…