Insights

Hicks Morley publishes a number of materials, both electronic and print, on issue-specific and sector-specific topics of interest to our clients. Our insights section has links to all of our various publications, updates and blogs, both current and historical, to keep you informed of developments in the law that impact human resources.


Case In Point

OLRB Considers Employer’s Disclosure Obligations Under OHSA After Workplace Harassment Investigation

· 3 min read By: Artimes Ghahremani

The Ontario Labour Relations Board (the OLRB) has provided guidance on the extent of an employer’s disclosure obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) when an investigation into workplace harassment has been conducted. In Shannon Horner v Stelco Inc. Lake Erie (Shannon Horner), the OLRB considered, for the first time, an employer’s disclosure…

Human Resources Legislative Update

Federal Minimum Wage to Increase April 1, 2024

· 1 min read By: Danika L. Winkel

The federal government has announced that, effective April 1, 2024, the federal minimum wage will increase from $16.65 to $17.30 per hour. The increase applies to the federally regulated private sectors, including banks, postal and courier services, telecommunications, and interprovincial air, rail, road and marine transportation. The federal minimum wage is adjusted on an annual…

FTR Now

Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 Receives Royal Assent

· 4 min read By: Lesley A. Campbell

On March 21, 2024, Ontario’s Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 (Bill 149) received Royal Assent. Bill 149 amends several statutes including the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA), Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 (DPWRA), and Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006…

Case In Point

Divisional Court Confirms Concurrent Jurisdiction Model Applies to Human Rights Disputes in Unionized Workplaces

· 3 min read By: Diane Harbin

The Divisional Court has confirmed that Ontario labour arbitrators share concurrent jurisdiction with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal) over human rights disputes that arise in a unionized workplace.   As reported in our FTR Now of October 6, 2022, in Weilgosh v. London District Catholic School Board, the Tribunal determined it shared jurisdiction with…

Common Ground? Class Action Updates

Court Certifies Class Action Relating to Improper Access of Medical Files

· 4 min read By: Kelly Brennan

In Welshman v. Central Regional Health Authority, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Court) certified a class action in which the plaintiffs alleged that employees of the defendant, the Central Regional Health Authority, improperly accessed the private personal and medical information of 260 individuals outside of the scope of their employment. The Court’s decision…

Safe Sport

Key Legal Issues on “Safe Sport” in Canada: Latest Developments on Policy and the Law

· 6 min read By: Brittany Bates, Frank Cesario, Kayley C. Leon

Executive Summary Creating and protecting a respectful sport culture is an important priority for governments and public policy-makers in Canada and, increasingly, it is an important legal issue for employers and organizations in the sector as well. A review of any number of recent news articles makes this point clear. This year, the federal government…

Human Resources Legislative Update

New Federal Online Harms Bill: Possible Implications for Federal Employers

· 2 min read By: Nigel McKechnie

The federal government tabled Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) on February 26, 2024. Bill C-63 aims to curb online harms, especially to children, by targeting the spread of harmful content on social media. If passed, key features would include the establishment of the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, the introduction of an…