Late on May 7, 2018, the Ontario government announced that it is reinstating the prior public holiday pay formula that pre-dated Bill 148. Ontario Regulation 375/18 was filed on the same day and the reinstatement of the prior formula comes into force on July 1, 2018. The regulation will remain in force until December 31, 2019…
Practice Area: Employment Law
FTR Quarterly – Issue 9
In This Issue Sexual Harassment: Best Practices for Proactive Employers and Service Providers FTRQ&A – Customer-to-Customer Harassment: Service Provider Liability Questions, Answered Tips for Conducting Harassment Investigations Sexual Harassment and Your Organization: Best Practice Tips for Boards of Directors For Your Workplace, At Your Workplace: Hicks Morley’s On-Site Learn-by-Doing Training Programs Featured Articles Sexual Harassment:…
Workplace Law in Canada: A Primer
This Guide provides American employers with an introduction to employment laws and regulations that affect businesses in Canada. It outlines an overview of the main differences between Canadian and U.S. workplace laws.
Ontario Passes Pay Transparency Legislation
On April 26, 2018, Bill 3, the Pay Transparency Act, 2018, passed Third Reading, as amended by the Standing Committee on Social Policy. As we previously reported, Bill 3 enacts new rules governing the disclosure of information about the compensation of employees and prospective employees. Among other things, it requires “employers” (as the term is…
Recent Legislative Initiatives of Interest to School Boards
Recent legislative changes in Ontario will have a significant impact on school boards. First, school boards will now be required to adopt a code of conduct that applies to trustees. Second, as of January 1, 2018, entitlement to benefits for chronic mental stress is compensable under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997…
Ontario Proposes Establishment of Pay Rate Minimums for Certain Government Contractors
On April 17, 2018, the Ontario government introduced Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, 2018, legislation that would, if passed, permit minimum pay rates to be established for certain private sector construction sectors (roads; heavy engineering; sewers and water mains; and industrial, commercial and institutional), and building security or cleaning services in government owned…
Divisional Court Finds Breach of Sunset Clause Does Not Necessarily Render Employer Discipline Null and Void
In a decision dated April 17, 2018, the Divisional Court has invited arbitrators to reject the so-called “void ab initio” doctrine that in the past has often resulted in discipline imposed by management being rendered null and void due to the breach of a sunset clause or other similar provisions. Learn more in this FTR Now.
Court Invalidates ESA-Only Termination Clause, Again
In King v DST Systems, the Ontario Superior Court again struck down an Employment Standard Act, 2000 (ESA)-only termination clause – this time for not mentioning benefits.
Arbitrator Finds Co-ordinator Duties Should Be Considered in Assessing Whether a Professor Has Sessional Status
An arbitration award in St Lawrence College and OPSEU Local 417 rendered on March 26, 2018 is potentially very significant to the distribution of work between full-time, sessional, partial load and part-time professors by a college. This College Update reviews the award and its possible impact on college staffing decisions going forward.
Medical Marijuana in Your Workplace: Employer FAQs
Today – April 20 (4/20) – marks cannabis culture’s unofficial day of celebration, and we thought “weed” mark the occasion by answering a few common employer questions. When do I have to accommodate medical marijuana? While employers have no obligation to permit recreational consumption of marijuana at work or tolerate impairment, they must appropriately accommodate…