Rayaz provides advice and representation to employers on a wide range of labour, employment and human rights issues. His practice includes wrongful dismissal litigation, grievance arbitrations, labour disputes, and human rights applications as well as helping employers navigate accommodation and employment standards issues. He has also advised and assisted several corporations through large-scale restructurings.
Practice Area: Human Rights
Successfully resisted appeals seeking entitlement for CPD and psychotraumatic disability in a medically complex case.
Successfully resisted appeals seeking entitlement for CPD and psychotraumatic disability in a medically complex case.
Gender Identity and Gender Expression
Gender identity and gender expression are protected grounds under Ontario’s Human Rights Code (Code). While the law in this area is highly dynamic, this Client Toolkit provides employers with guidelines and best practices for understanding its unique aspects, supporting trans people in the workplace, and ensuring compliance with the Code.
Accommodating Medical Marijuana
Accommodating medicinal cannabis requires balancing an employee’s rights under the Human Rights Code with an employer’s obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of workers. These obligations are especially pronounced in workplaces that include safety-sensitive positions.
Successfully represented a university defending discipline of a faculty member for discriminatory conduct against allegations of a breach of academic freedom rights.
Successfully represented a university defending discipline of a faculty member for discriminatory conduct against allegations of a breach of academic freedom rights.
Counsel to the Respondent in the leading family status accommodation case in Ontario.
Counsel to the Respondent in the leading family status accommodation case in Ontario.
On behalf of universities, successfully defended various Human Rights Tribunal applications from students, staff and senior faculty claiming discrimination on various grounds of discrimination including race, gender, creed and psychological disability.
On behalf of universities, successfully defended various Human Rights Tribunal applications from students, staff and senior faculty claiming discrimination on various grounds of discrimination including race, gender, creed and psychological disability.
Successfully defended a school board against a human rights application alleging discrimination in the provision of special education to students.
Successfully defended a school board against a human rights application alleging discrimination in the provision of special education to students.
On behalf of universities, successfully defended wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal claims by senior administration alleging harassment and systemic discrimination.
On behalf of universities, successfully defended wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal claims by senior administration alleging harassment and systemic discrimination.
AODA Compliance Checklist
All organizations in Ontario which employ at least one employee are required to comply with a series of requirements under the standards established by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the regulations promulgated under it. In this Checklist, we provide a general overview of an organization’s AODA compliance obligations, along with checklists to assist you in assessing your degree of compliance and the anticipated timing for future compliance deadlines.