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Bill 148 and the ESA – Changes are on the Horizon for Ontario Employers

On June 1, 2017, the Ontario government introduced Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (Bill 148), its highly anticipated response to the Final Report from the Changing Workplaces Review. If passed, Bill 148 would introduce a range of changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and the Labour Relations Act, 1995…

Ontario Proposes Legislative Overhaul of Labour Relations Act, 1995 in Bill 148 – Are you Prepared?

The provincial government has wasted little time in responding to the Final Report of the Special Advisors under Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review (Final Report). On June 1, 2017, the government introduced Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, legislation that if passed, will implement significant reforms to both the Employment Standards Act, 2000…

Ontario Tables Bill to Amend Employment and Labour Laws

On June 1, 2017, the Ontario government introduced Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, legislation which, if passed, will make significant amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA). On the same date, the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs….

Siobhan O’Brien Quoted in TVO Article on Transgender Rights Bill C-16

TVO quoted Siobhan O’Brien in a May 30, 2017 article titled “Everything you need to know about the transgender bill.” Bill C-16 proposes to include gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act and hate speech provisions under the Criminal Code. By including “gender identity” and “gender…

Ontario to Introduce Significant Amendments to Employment and Labour Laws

On May 30, 2017, the Ontario government announced its intention to introduce The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (Act), omnibus legislation proposing a series of broad ranging, significant amendments to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995. According to the government’s announcement, the Act will contain a package of proposed legislative…

Workplace Safety and Insurance Act Amended to Allow Benefit Entitlement for Chronic Mental Stress

The government’s budget implementation legislation, Bill 127, Stronger, Healthier Ontario Act, recently received Royal Assent. Bill 127 includes amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA) to allow entitlement to chronic mental stress for workplace injuries that occur on or after January 1, 2018. Previously, subsections 13(4) and (5) of the WSIA and…

Changing Workplaces Review Final Report – Focus on Employment Standards

In this, our third update related to the Changing Workplaces Review Final Report (Final Report), we focus our discussion on the recommendations related to the Employment Standards Act, 2000. While many of the recommendations relate to proposed changes to specific standards, the Final Report contains a strong emphasis on compliance measures, comprised of both education…

Changing Workplaces Review Final Report – Focus on the Labour Relations Act, 1995

In this update related to the Final Report of the Special Advisors under Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review (Final Report), we focus on the recommendations made by the Special Advisors regarding changes to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA). While some of the key issues we identify in our discussion overlap with recommendations relating to the…

Changing Workplaces Review – Final Report Issued

Earlier today, the government issued the long-awaited final report from the Changing Workplaces Review, entitled An Agenda for Workplace Rights (Final Report), which was prepared by the government-appointed Special Advisors Mr. Justice John Murray and Mr. Michael Mitchell. The Special Advisors were mandated to consider the changing nature of the workplace, the causes behind those…