An Ontario labour arbitrator has upheld a grievance challenging the reduction of life insurance coverage for employees who die after having reached age 65, finding that the relevant provision of the insurance policy had not been incorporated into the collective agreement. In the same decision, the arbitrator dismissed two policy grievances challenging the termination of…
Practice Area: Human Rights
Brooklyn Hallam
Brooklyn is a a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Waterloo office. She offers advice and representation to employers and management in the public and the private sectors for a wide range of labour, employment and human rights issues.
Arbitrator Finds Three-Dose Mandatory Vaccination Requirement Reasonable in Long-Term Care Homes
In Regional Municipality of York v Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 905 (Long Term Care Unit), Arbitrator Stephen Raymond found that a mandatory vaccination policy (Policy) which required long-term care home employees to receive three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was reasonable. The employer, the Regional Municipality of York, operates two long-term care homes….
Quinn Brown
Quinn is a labour and employment lawyer practising out of Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. She advises employers on a wide range of labour, employment and human rights matters including grievance arbitrations, employment litigation, labour disputes and workplace accommodation.
Justin Choy
Justin is building a practice that includes advice and representation for employers in both the private and public sectors on a wide range of labour and employment issues including grievance arbitrations, labour disputes, wrongful dismissals, constructive dismissals, employment standards, and pensions and benefits.
Advised and represented hospitals and private sector employers on various pandemic-related issues.
Advised and represented hospitals and private sector employers on various pandemic-related issues.
Successfully represented an employer in a summary hearing before the human rights tribunal and had the application dismissed.
Successfully represented an employer in a summary hearing before the human rights tribunal and had the application dismissed.
Arbitrator Upholds Mandatory Vaccination Policy but Finds Enforcement Mechanisms (Suspension and Termination) Unreasonable
On August 26, 2022, Arbitrator Derek Rogers released Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, I.A.A.F. Local 3888 and City of Toronto in which he considered the reasonableness of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy (Policy) of the City of Toronto (City). The Arbitrator found that the Policy itself was, and remains, reasonable. However, he found that the…
Assisted in successfully defending a municipal-sector client against a human rights claim alleging that a bargaining unit member was discriminated against.
Assisted in successfully defending a municipal-sector client against a human rights claim alleging that a bargaining unit member was discriminated against.
Employers Take Note: Changes to the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave
Employers should be aware of imminent changes to an employee’s entitlements to the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL), made under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 21, 2022, the Ontario government announced that it is extending entitlement to the three days of paid IDEL (Paid IDEL) for…