WSIB Announces Funding Review of Unfunded Liability

On September 30, 2010, the Ontario government announced that Harry Arthurs will chair the Funding Review of the unfunded liability of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. As announced by the WSIB on the same date, the year-long Funding Review will gather input from experts and stakeholders regarding policy issues relating to the financial future…

Municipal Elections 2010: Employers’ Obligation to Provide Paid Time Off to Vote

Province-wide municipal elections will be held on October 25, 2010, and voting hours will run from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, all employees who are eligible to vote in the election are entitled to three consecutive hours during voting hours on election day to cast their vote. To be…

2010 Summer Issue

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS Student Communication Through Social  Media – The Struggle to Define Misuse “Stress” Leave – The Legal Framework FOCUS ON SCHOOL BOARDS Tales Out of School PROFILE Making School a Priority Download PDF

Ontario Launches Safety Campaign for Construction Sites

On July 28, 2010, the Ontario government announced the launch of an eight-week campaign, together with its health and safety partners, which targets construction sites across the province. The focus of the campaign is to impress upon workers and employers the importance of putting safety first, through proper training and awareness of workplace dangers. Also…

Bill 168 – Assessing Students as Risks

The new provisions incorporated into the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) by Bill 168 came into force on June 15, 2010. These provisions make clear that colleges must take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect their workers from workplace violence. In this bulletin, we focus on the college duty to manage the…

Occupational Health And Safety Act Regulations Amended

On June 28, 2010, the Ontario government published O. Reg. 259/10 (Designated Substances) under the Occupational Health And Safety Act. In part, the regulation revokes and substitutes Table 1 of O. Reg. 490/09, which sets out exposure limits. The regulation comes into force July 1, 2010.

New Workplace Violence Amendments to Ontario’s Occupational Health And Safety Act Take Effect

On June 15, 2010, Bill 168, the Occupational ­Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace), 2009, came into effect. As reported in our FTR Now of December 10, 2009, Bill 168 requires employers to develop policies and programs to address workplace violence and­ harassment a­nd to assess the risk of violence…

Hicks Morley Introduces Legislative Update Blog

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce the launch of Human Resources Legislative Update, a blog designed to provide human resources professionals with timely information about developments in a range of employment-related areas. In this FTR Now, we highlight the features of this new service. To access the blog click here. BACKGROUND Since 1997, Hicks Morley…

Are You Ready for Bill 168? Preventing Workplace Violence and Bill 168 – A Guide for Employers

Bill 168, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace), 2009 will come into effect on June 15, 2010. Bill 168 requires employers to develop policies and programs to address workplace violence and harassment and to assess the risk of violence in its workplace. Hicks Morley has prepared Preventing Workplace…