Alia Rashid, a lawyer with Hicks Morley’s Toronto office, provides advice to employers and management in both the private and public sectors on labour, employment and human rights issues. This includes wrongful dismissal actions, employment standards, labour disputes, grievance arbitrations, human rights and accommodation.
Practice Area: Human Rights
Gabrielle A. Lemoine
Gabrielle Lemoine is a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. She provides collaborative strategic advice and representation to employers and management in both the private and public sectors on a wide range of labour and employment issues. Gabrielle regularly advises on workplace accommodation, attendance management, employment standards, workplace drug and alcohol testing, wrongful dismissal, constructive dismissal and Charter issues.
Deadlines under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act are Approaching
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) sets out the process for developing and enforcing accessibility standards in Ontario. Its purpose is to achieve accessibility standards for Ontarians with physical and mental disabilities by 2025. All levels of government, private sector organizations and non-profit organizations must comply with this legislation. Compliance deadline dates depend…
Danika L. Winkel
Danika represents a broad range of public- and private-sector employers—both small and large—in trials, hearings, motions, applications, judicial reviews and appeals. In addition to that work, she provides proactive, day-to-day advice to help employers avoid litigation.
Canada Labour Code COVID-19 Leave Extended by an Additional 4 Weeks
The COVID-19 leave available under the Canada Labour Code has been extended an additional 4 weeks, from 24 weeks to 28 weeks, effective September 4, 2020. This change is to align the leave with the recent increase to the number of weeks an employee can receive the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
Federal Government Seeks Input on Accessibility Standards
The federal government is seeking input from interested participants on the development of federal accessibility standards under the Accessible Canada Act (Act), which came into force in July 2019.
Ontario Government Announces Extension of Temporary Relief from ESA Termination and Severance Provisions
On Thursday, September 3, 2020, the Ontario government announced that it would be extending the temporary relief measures from the termination and severance provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) until January 2, 2021. The temporary measures are found in Ontario Regulation 228/20, Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL Regulation), and had been set to expire today (September 4, 2020). The IDEL Regulation has been amended to define the “COVID-19 period” as that period beginning on March 1, 2020 and ending on January 2, 2021
Eleanor A. Vaughan
Eleanor has significant experience representing clients in complex and high-profile litigation matters including employment disputes, class actions, labour injunctions, appeals and arbitrations. She regularly advises employers navigating sensitive workplace issues including executive terminations, workplace investigations, restrictive covenant enforcement and wrongful dismissal claims.
Arbitrator Provides Guidance for Employers Managing Commute to Work Accommodation Requests, Self-Reported Medical Restrictions, and Surveillance Evidence
In Toronto District School Board v Local 4400, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Arbitrator Stout dismissed an allegation of disability-related discrimination and failure to accommodate in the context of a commute to work. The case elaborates on the reasoning of Arbitrator Nyman in Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and Toronto District School Board, Grievance #…
Ontario (Again) Updates Its COVID-19 Self-Assessment
Ontario employers who are planning for an eventual return to work have been keeping a close eye on the province’s COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool (Tool). The Tool directs Ontarians to self-isolate in certain circumstances. This is important because it relates to employers’ Occupational Health and Safety Act duties and their duty to provide statutorily-protected leaves under the Employment Standards Act, 2000.