On March 17, 2020, the Ontario government declared an emergency in Ontario as a result of COVID-19. It ordered the immediate closure of a number of venues, as well as enhanced funding for the province’s response to COVID-19.
Industry: Long-Term Care and Home Care
Update on COVID-19 for Employers: Ontario to Amend the ESA to Protect Jobs
Today, the Ontario government announced that it will be introducing legislation to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in light of COVID-19. In addition, the federal government announced, among other things, that the Canadian border will be closed to foreign nationals, with some exceptions.
Update: COVID-19 – Questions and Answers for Employers
As we learn more about the Novel Coronavirus (2019-vCoV or Coronavirus), employers will no doubt be contemplating the potential implications of this virus on their workplaces. We have set out below some of the emerging questions that employers may have right now and our answers and guidelines for how to address these issues.
Federal Government Waives EI Waiting Periods for Workers Affected by COVID-19
As part of this initiative, the government will be waiving the mandatory one-week waiting period for Employment Insurance sickness benefits for those workers who are in quarantine or who have been directed to self-isolate as a result of the COVID-19.
COVID-19 and Workplace Preparedness
Health officials in Canada have stated that the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains very low. That said, in recent weeks the virus has been top of mind for many, including employers. In this FTR Now, we discuss workplace pandemic planning and operational issues employers should be anticipating in the unlikely event of an outbreak.
Ontario Introduces Plan to Reform Home and Community Care Services
On February 25, 2020, the Ontario government tabled Bill 175, Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 (Bill 175). The legislation is intended to improve funding and access to home and community care for patients.
Management Rights, Sick Leave under HOODIP and More
In our first HR Healthcheck of 2020, we discuss two cases you need to know about. The first deals with whether a scheduled medical procedure under conscious sedation falls within the “sick leave” provisions of HOODIP. The second case considers management rights under the central CUPE collective agreement and a Hospital’s right to transfer employees.
Pension Law 2020: A Clear Look at the Latest Pension Law Reforms
In this FTR Now, we highlight the new pension rules that are of particular interest to employers and pension plan administrators.
New Year – New Standard of Review
Just prior to the end of 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada established a new framework that is designed to guide lower courts on applying the standard of review in judicial review applications. The Court’s long-awaited “trilogy” of cases in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov and the two companion appeals heard together in Bell Canada v. Canada (Attorney General) represents an express departure and evolution from the framework that the Court set out in the case of Dunsmuir decided over a decade ago.
Federal Government Postpones Changes to Stock Options
In June 2019, the federal government tabled a Notice of Ways and Means Motion to limit the benefit of the employee stock option deduction for high income individuals employed at large, long-established, mature organizations. Stakeholders were invited to provide input on the characteristics of small, growing companies that should not be subject to the new…