1098 Results

The First Bill 148 Cases: Overview of Key New ESA Decisions

It has now been 7 months since Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, was enacted and cases are beginning to emerge which interpret the new provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). In this Minimum Standards Monitor, we review some decisions of particular interest to employers which involve the new personal emergency leave (PEL) requirements, the equal pay for equal work provisions and the new minimum wage entitlements.

Appeal Court Rules on Termination Clauses and Proper “Failsafe” Language

The differing interpretations by the courts of employment contract provisions which limit entitlements upon termination has caused considerable confusion of late. The Ontario Court of Appeal has rendered a helpful decision which may serve to lessen some of the confusion. The Court reversed a lower court decision and found that a clause in an employment…

WSIB Rate Framework Policies Finalized

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has finalized the following core policies which will support the new Rate Framework, to be implemented on January 1, 2020: Coverage Status The Classification Structure Single or Multiple Premium Rates Associated Employers Employer Level Premium Rate Setting Employer Premium Adjustment As previously reported, the WSIB held public consultations…

Introducing HR HealthCheck – Nurses and Presumptive PTSD Entitlement

Welcome to our first edition of HR HealthCheck, a publication geared to issues of specific interest of our clients in the healthcare sector. We hope you find the information set out below on the new presumptive entitlement for nurses who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) helpful and informative. We look forward to bringing you more updates in the future.

OMHRA Summer ECHO Newsletter Features Two Articles by Jessica Toldo

The Summer 2018 issue of OMHRA’s ECHO newsletter features two articles authored by Hicks Morley lawyer Jessica Toldo. In the article “Landmark Decision Finds FIPPA’s Delay / Block of Public Access to Adjudicative Records of Administrative Tribunals Unconstitutional,” Jessica discusses the Toronto Star v AG Ontario case where a landmark decision prompted by the Toronto Star, the Superior Court of Justice found…

Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario Decision on Post Age 65 Benefits Raises Important Issues

The recent decision from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal) in Talos v. Grand Erie District School Board raises important issues about the provision of benefits to employees aged 65 and older. In Talos, the Tribunal found that section 25 (2.1) of the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), which effectively permits employers to cease providing employees with benefits at age 65, is unconstitutional. More specifically, the Tribunal held that this age-based “carve out” from Code protection violates the equality guarantee under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) and cannot be justified under section 1 of the Charter as a reasonable limit.

Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Thomas Agnew on an Employer’s Right to Change Job Conditions

Hicks Morley’s Thomas Agnew authored an article in Benefits Canada titled “Court Confirms Employer’s Right to Change Job Conditions.” In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that an employer didn’t constructively dismiss a long-service employee when it provided the individual with 18 months of working notice prior to asking her to enter into a new employment contract that included changes to vacation pay and a signing bonus…

Privacy Rules Around Non-Disclosure of Administrative Records Declared Unconstitutional

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently held that the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) violates section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), finding that it goes too far to protect the privacy of parties, witnesses and others in matters heard by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, Ontario Labour Relations Board and other statutory tribunals. Learn more in this FTR Now.