Today, the Ontario government announced that the City of Toronto and Peel Region can move into Stage 3 of the provincial reopening, effective July 31 at 12:01 a.m. The rules regarding Stage 3 are set out in Regulation 364/20 which has been continued under the recently enacted Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act,…
Hicks Morley publishes a number of materials, both electronic and print, on issue-specific and sector-specific topics of interest to our clients. Our insights section has links to all of our various publications, updates and blogs, both current and historical, to keep you informed of developments in the law that impact human resources.
FTR Now
Comprehensive Overview of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy – July 2020 Update
On July 27, 2020, the federal government passed Bill C-20, An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures (Bill C-20), which amends the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) first enacted in April 2020 with Bill C-14, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 (Bill C-14). Since April, there have been a number of changes to the CEWS. Bill C-20 implements the modified rules for the CEWS program that apply from June onward.
In this FTR Now we provide a comprehensive summary of the CEWS, including the new details of the CEWS extension to December 19, 2020, and we incorporate content from our previous firm communications dated March 30, 2020, April 2, 2020, April 9, 2020, April 13, 2020, and April 20, 2020.
FTR Now
Bill 195 Passes: Declared Emergency Will End But Emergency Orders Will Continue
On July 21, 2020, Bill 195, Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 received Royal Assent. The Ontario government has announced that the new Act will be proclaimed in force on July 24, 2020. As set out in greater detail in our FTR Now of July 15, 2020, this means that the COVID-19 declared emergency will come to an end on July 24, 2020.
FTR Now
Province Amends Stage 2 Closure Order Effective July 17
On Thursday, July 16, the Ontario government published a regulation that amends the existing Stage 2 Closure Order (Order) made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). The amendments took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020, and are therefore already in force.
Case In Point
Supreme Court of Canada Finds Federal Genetic Non-Discrimination Act is Constitutional
On July 10, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in Reference re Genetic Non‑Discrimination Act, upholding the constitutionality of the impugned sections of the federal Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (Act) in a split decision. The constitutional question was raised in a reference by the Quebec government to the Quebec Court of Appeal, which…
Human Resources Legislative Update
Canada Labour Code COVID-19 Leave to be Extended by 8 Weeks
The federal Labour Program website related to COVID-19 states that the COVID-19 Canada Labour Code leave may be extended an additional 8 weeks (currently at 16 weeks) effective July 10, to align the leave with the recent increase to the maximum number of weeks a worker can receive the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). This…
FTR Now
Ontario Extends Declared Emergency to July 24, 2020
Further to our FTR Now of July 15, 2020 in which we outlined the changes proposed by Bill 195, Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2000, it has come to our attention that by motion in the Legislature on July 13, 2020, the Ontario government extended the declared emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) to July 24, 2020.
FTR Now
Ontario Introduces Bill to Continue Emergency Orders After the Declared Emergency Ends
Premier Ford recently signaled that he is hopeful another extension of the declared emergency made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) will not be needed. Presumably to this end, on July 7, 2020, the government introduced Bill 195, Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2000 (Bill 195) which, if passed, will enable it to continue Orders made under sections 7.0.2 or 7.1 of the EMCPA even after the declared emergency comes to an end.
Case In Point
The Divisional Court Affirms Employers May Face Substantial Penalties for Failing to Respond to Sex Discrimination and Gender Pay Inequity
In its recent decision Ontario v Association of Ontario Midwives, the Ontario Divisional Court upheld two decisions of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario pertaining to sex discrimination and pay equity, reaffirming that employers have an obligation to take proactive steps to ensure that sex-segregated workers are compensated free from sex discrimination and that a…
FTR Now
Ontario Issues Orders Relating to Stage 3 Reopening: What You Need to Know
On July 13, 2020, the Ontario government filed two Orders made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act regarding Stage 3 of the reopening of the province. The first Order, Stages of Reopening, is a new regulation that identifies which regions of the province are at Stage 1, 2 or 3 of the reopening plan.