2095 Results

Termination Clause in Federal Employment Agreement Enforceable

The recent decision in Luney v. Day & Ross Inc. is good news for employers. The Plaintiff worked for an interprovincial trucking company subject to the Canada Labour Code (“Code”). The Defendant terminated the Plaintiff’s employment without cause and offered the Plaintiff a severance package that it asserted was consistent with the termination clause in…

Webcast: Coping with Violent Behaviours in the Classroom: Safety Issues for Staff and other Students in the Special Education Context

Complimentary This webcast responds to a number of requests following our last webcast, After Keewatin: The Use of Exclusions, and reflects the reality that there are increasing numbers of students whose disabilities give rise to violent outbursts and that this phenomenon is a growing challenge for special educators and for administration. We will review the…

Indefinite Suspensions with Pay: The SCC Clarifies the Test for Constructive Dismissal

The Supreme Court of Canada recently considered the common law doctrine of constructive dismissal in Potter v. New Brunswick Legal Aid Services, where a majority of the Court (with two justices concurring in the result) concluded that placing an employee on an indefinite administrative suspension with pay constituted constructive dismissal. It found that even where…

Ontario Minimum Wage Increasing to $11.25 on October 1, 2015

On March 19, 2015, the Ontario government announced that the general minimum wage will increase from $11 to $11.25 per hour, effective October 1, 2015. A list of the new minimum wage rates for students, liquor servers, hunting and fishing guides and homeworkers is available on the Ministry of Labour’s website. Background information on the…

The HRTO and the Duty to Accommodate: How Far Does an Employer Have to Go?

In a helpful decision for employers, Pourasadi v. Bentley Leathers, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”) found that an employer’s duty to accommodate did not extend to altering the essential duties of a position. In this case, the Applicant, a retail store manager, requested a workplace accommodation for a wrist injury which prevented her…

Supreme Court of Canada On Pregnancy and Parental Leave Top-Ups

The Supreme Court of Canada recently upheld a decision of a British Columbia arbitrator which had found that denying birth mothers entitlement to parental supplemental employment (“SEB” or “top-up”) benefits where they had received pregnancy SEB plan benefits was discriminatory. The issue before the arbitrator turned on an interpretation of the collective agreement in place…

Ontario Releases Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment

On March 6, 2015, the Ontario government published It’s Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment, a targeted action plan (“Plan”) to address sexual violence and harassment in Ontario, in part through significant legislative reforms and sector-specific training initiatives. Among other things, the Plan will target sexual violence and harassment in…

Solicitor-Client Privilege Does Not Necessarily Arise Where Lawyer Copied on Internal HR Email

Is an email sent by a human resources employee and copied to the employer’s lawyer covered by solicitor-client privilege? The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently answered this question in Jacobson v. Atlas Copco Canada Inc. This action involved a plaintiff’s claim for wrongful dismissal. His employment had been terminated for allegedly participating in a…

Ontario to Consult on Labour and Employment Reform

On February 17, 2015, the Ontario government announced the launch of public consultations to consider reforms to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) and the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) in light of the “changing nature of the modern workplace.” In this FTR Now, we highlight key issues that will be under review, and how…