2077 Results

It’s All in the Timing – Minimum Standards and When Employees Are Considered to be “Working”

In this edition of the Monitor, we will summarize a few recent cases on the topic of when an employee is “working” and entitled to compensation. These cases demonstrate that not all travel time is compensable, that pre-employment training time can be compensable, and that an employer can determine that a meal break must be taken in the workplace as long as it is uninterrupted.

Appellate Court Finds Employee Entitled to Bonus Which Vested after the End of the Notice Period

In Bain v. UBS Securities Canada Inc., the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision which awarded an employee who was dismissed without cause in February 2013 his bonus entitlements for 2012 and the first three months of 2013, as well as for the 18-month notice period. David Bain worked for UBS as…

Ontario’s Proposed New Anti-Racism Standards

As we previously reported, the Ontario Anti -Racism Act (ARA) came into force on June 1, 2017. One of the purposes behind the ARA is to allow certain organizations to collect information that will be used to identify and monitor systematic racism and racial disparities for the purpose of eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial…

Ontario Publishes Description of Proposed Variable Benefits Regulations for DC Plans

The Ontario government posted a description of proposed regulations on March 20, 2018 enabling it to implement the variable benefit (VB) provisions applicable to defined contribution (DC) plans under the Ontario Pension Benefits Act (PBA). Background – DC Decumulation Currently, Ontario members of DC plans who have terminated their employment with the plan sponsor and…

Reminder: Equal Pay for Equal Work Provisions in Force April 1, 2018

On April 1, 2018, amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 regarding equal pay for equal work will come into force. Among other things, the provisions prohibit employers from paying different rates of pay to their employees because of a difference in employment status, where the employees perform substantially the same kind of work in…

HRTO Finds No Discrimination Where Use of Medical Marijuana at Worksite Breached Zero Tolerance Policy

In Aitchison v L & L Painting and Decorating Ltd., the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) found that an employer did not discriminate against the applicant when his employment was terminated for smoking marijuana while at work, which was contrary to the employer’s “zero tolerance” policy. The applicant was employed as a seasonal painter…

Human Resources Professionals of Ontario (HRPAO) Conference: A New Beginning: The Intelligence Revolution

Overview New and Evolving Issues in Workplace Accommodation Workplace accommodation is one of the most challenging issues facing both employers and service providers. Legal developments emerging from human rights tribunals, arbitration boards and courts across Canada have imposed additional challenges, expanded obligations, and the need to think “outside the box” as employers and service providers…

Regulation Made Under School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 Sets Out Minister’s Authority as Crown Representative

On March 1, 2018, the Ontario government filed O. Reg. 50/18 “Minister’s Authority as Crown Representative” made under the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 (Act). O. Reg. 50/18 sets out the Minister’s authority to exercise the powers of the Crown under the Act. In table format, the Regulation specifies the general nature of the Crown…

Canadian Employment Safety and Health Guide Publishes an Article by Allison MacIsaac on the Scope of Occupational Health and Safety Obligations

Hicks Morley’s Allison MacIsaac authored an article in Canadian Employment Safety and Health Guide titled “Appellate Court Considers Scope of an Employer’s OHSA Obligations to Protect Workers.” The article discusses the Ontario (Labour) v. Quinton Steel (Wellington) Limited case where an appellate court recently overturned a decision acquitting a company which had been charged following a workplace fatality, where they found that employer should have done more to protect its workers than what is prescribed under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.