2095 Results

Carrigan v. Carrigan Estate Update: Ontario Pension Regulator Supports Common-Law Spouse’s Appeal

As first discussed in our FTR Now of November 7, 2012 “Ontario Court of Appeal Decision Rewrites the Pension Pre-Retirement Death Benefit Regime“, the decision in Carrigan v. Carrigan Estate fundamentally altered the interpretation of spousal rights and priorities relating to payment of pre-retirement death benefits. The Court of Appeal awarded the pre-retirement death benefit payable under…

Proportionate Approach Necessary to Determine Whether Just Cause Exists

The Court of Appeal for Ontario recently confirmed that a proportionate approach must be taken in determining whether a single incident of misconduct by a long-serving employee with a relatively unblemished work record should result in dismissal for cause. In Plester v. PolyOne Canada, the plaintiff failed to lock out a machine prior to working…

Susan Nickerson Quoted in Canadian Lawyer

Hicks Morley’s Susan Nickerson was quoted in the February 2013 edition of Canadian Lawyer. In an article entitled, “The pension conundrum”, Susan comments on a British Columbia case where two employees won a wrongful dismissal claim which focused entirely on projected losses associated with their pensions. Susan states, “the concept of being in a pension…

2013 Winter Edition

FOCUS ON BARGAINING Hard bargains LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS The OLRB declines to interfere with  legitimate subcontractor relationship Employment contracts: how to get it right and help your chance of success PROFILE Quick study Download PDF

Supreme Court of Canada Weighs in on Plan Deficits and the Fiduciary Duty of Pension Plan Administrators in an Insolvency: Sun Indalex Finance, LLC v. United Steelworkers

INTRODUCTION On February 1, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its highly anticipated decision in Sun Indalex Finance, LLC v. United Steelworkers, largely overturning the 2011 Ontario Court of Appeal decision. The Supreme Court upheld an expansive definition of the deemed trust under the Ontario Pension Benefits Act (“PBA”) and struck down a constructive…

Raising the Bar – Fifth Edition

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”                                                                        Albert Einstein Dear Friends, We’re very pleased to bring you the first 2013 edition of Raising the Bar, as our publication hits its second year. In this issue, we shine a light on the law of fiduciary duties. We discuss…

Ministry of Labour to Target Health Care Workplaces for Safety Inspections

The Ministry of Labour (“MOL”) has announced a safety blitz targeting health care workplaces in the months of February and March. MOL inspectors will conduct inspections to check on issues related to workplace violence and harassment. In this FTR Now, we review some steps you can take to ensure your workplace is compliant with its…

Can Hospitals Impose a Dress Code that Prohibits Large Tattoos and Excessive Body Piercings in a Unionized Environment?

Apparently not, according to Arbitrator Slotnick’s recent award in Ottawa Hospital v CUPE. This award concluded that a hospital’s dress code policy was unenforceable as it required employees to cover up large tattoos and prohibited “visible, excessive body piercings.” The hospital argued that the dress code was minimally intrusive and its goal was to improve…