Cases dealing with expert evidence have recently been considered by appellate courts. We have discussed two of those cases in our FTR Nows, Court of Appeal Holds that Counsel May Review Draft Expert Witness Reports and SCC Clarifies Test for Qualifying as an Expert Witness. In Westerhof v Gee Estate, the Court of Appeal for…
Industry: Social Services
Stephanie Jeronimo and Julia Nanos Publish Two Articles in the Summer Edition of OMHRA’s Newsletter ECHO
Hicks Morley’s Stephanie Jeronimo and Julia Nanos co-authored two articles in the summer edition of ECHO, a newsletter published by the Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association. In the first article, entitled “New ESA Provisions now in Effect (Don’t Forget about the Posters!)“, the new rules are reviewed and the impact they will have on municipal employers. In…
Courts Differ on Termination Provisions and Need for Future Compliance with ESA
Over the last few years, courts have been reluctant to enforce different “ESA only” termination provisions due to ambiguity. However, not all judges have taken the same position with respect to what constitutes an ambiguous termination provision. The following two cases offer differing views on termination provisions in employment contracts and future compliance with the…
New Police Record Checks Reforms Introduced
On June 3, 2015, the Ontario government introduced Bill 113, the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015, legislation that would, if passed, implement a new process governing requests for searches of the Canadian Police Information Centre databases, or other police databases, in connection with screening an individual for certain purposes. Among other things, the Bill would: authorize…
Ontario Government to Amend Workplace Laws
On May 28, 2015, the Ontario government introduced Bill 109, the Employment and Labour Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015, proposed legislation intended to effect a number of changes to workplace laws, including: the labour relations provisions of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 ("FPPA"); the Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, 1997 ("PSLRTA"); and…
Ontario Passes PRPP Legislation
On May 26, 2015, Bill 57, the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act, 2015, passed Third Reading, as amended by the Standing Committee on Social Policy. The Bill, which is awaiting Royal Assent, will come into force on a date to be named by proclamation. As we previously reported, pooled registered pension plans (“PRPPs”) are a…
Federal Government Announces Possible Canada Pension Plan Expansion
On May 26, 2015, the federal government announced that it will conduct public consultations regarding potential changes to the Canada Pension Plan (“CPP”) to allow Canadians to voluntarily contribute more. No details were released at the time of the announcement. We will continue to monitor any developments regarding a possible expansion of the CPP.
Reaching Out – Eighth Edition
Dear Friends, Before everyone becomes distracted by the beautiful weather and blooming flowers, we wanted to provide you with our Spring Edition of Reaching Out. We hope that it will give you some valuable information that you can put to good use during the hazy days of summer. Leanne N. Fisher, an Associate in our…
Alberta Extends Deadline for Filing Amendments Relating to EPPA Reform
As previously reported, the pension reforms in British Columbia will come into force on September 30, 2015. Amendments to plans registered in British Columbia which reflect the new legislative requirements must be filed by December 31, 2015. While likely to follow suit, the Ontario pension regulator, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, has not yet…
Employment Standards Enforcement Blitzes Announced for Ontario Workplaces
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has announced that it will do province-wide enforcement blitzes of workplaces that employ “new, young and vulnerable workers engaged in “precarious employment”” and temporary foreign workers to ensure that employers are complying with their obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. The blitzes will take place from May 1 to…