Practice Area: Employment Law

Ontario Publishes Regulatory Changes to Staffing Qualifications in the Long-Term Care Sector

· 2 min read

Ontario has published changes to the qualifications of persons hired as personal support workers (PSWs) or to provide personal support services in long-term care homes. Ontario Regulation 246/22 (O. Reg. 246/22) under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2001 prescribes, among other things, residents’ rights, plans of care, processes for reporting complaints and nursing and personal…

Ontario Pension Plan Update: Ongoing Consultations of Interest

· 3 min read

Ontario’s Ministry of Finance (Ministry) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) have issued two separate consultations of interest to employers related to the design and governance of pension plans in Ontario. Consultations on “A Permanent Framework for Target Benefit Plans” The Ministry has published a second consultation paper regarding its proposed target benefit framework….

Federal Government Adds Exemptions and Modifications to Hours of Work Provisions, Repeals Penalties for Breaches

· 2 min read

The federal government recently published regulations amending the Exemptions from and Modifications to Hours of Work Provisions Regulations and the Administrative Monetary Penalties (Regulations). (For further information on the exemptions, please see our Federal Post from December 16, 2021, Federal Government Publishes Exemptions to New Hours of Work and Notice of Schedule Requirements under Canada…

Arbitrator Finds Mandatory Vaccination Policy to Be Reasonable

· 8 min read

Arbitrator Goodfellow recently released his decision in Central West Local Health Integration Network v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 96. The issue before Arbitrator Goodfellow was the mandatory vaccination policy of two Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) employers—the Central West Local Health Integration Network and the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (collectively the…

Federal Government Consultation on Accessibility Standard on Employment

· 2 min read

Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) has published a draft Accessibility Standard on Employment (Standard) as part of its mandate under the Accessible Canada Act (the ACA). Background The ACA came into force on July 11, 2019, and the Accessible Canada Regulations (Regulations) made under the ACA came into force on December 13, 2021. The ACA and…

Federal Pay Equity Commissioner Denies Application by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to Establish Multiple Plans

· 8 min read

On June 22, 2023, the Interim Pay Equity Commissioner (Commissioner) denied a request by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, on behalf of the Treasury Board as employer (TBS), for authorization to establish three pay equity plans for employees in the core public administration (CPA). The establishment of multiple plans is an exception to the…

Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 receives Royal Assent

· 2 min read

As we reported previously, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 (Bill 98) on April 17, 2023. On June 8, 2023, Bill 98 received Royal Assent and is now law. As a result, a number of significant amendments to the Education Act, the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996…

Bill 124 Update and Recent Case Law Developments

· 12 min read

Dear Friends, We are back with another edition of Reaching Out. As we go to press, Sean Reginio reminds us that the Ontario Court of Appeal is hearing arguments this week in the government’s appeal of the decision that struck down Bill 124 as unconstitutional. Stay tuned for future updates. It is possible this may…