Practice Area: Human Rights

The Human Rights Code – How to Do Human Rights Right

There are procedural requirements and processes required by the Human Rights Code which employers need to know when dealing with human rights complaints and requests for accommodation. The Program will provide a review of your legal obligations as an employer. There are a number of areas covered by the Code, but some of the more…

Is It Discriminatory to Include a Disability-Related Absence in an Attendance Management Policy? Appellate Court Weighs In

· 2 min read

In Canada (Attorney General) v. Bodnar, the employer sought judicial review of a decision of the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (Board) in which the Board held that the inclusion of disability-related absences and absences taken for the purposes of family caregiver leave in an attendance management policy was discriminatory. On judicial review,…

Medical Marijuana in the Workplace [Video]

· 5 min read

With an increasing number of employees receiving prescriptions for medical marijuana to treat various ailments, employers and service providers are grappling with how to respond. In this video, Jacqueline Luksha discusses the implications of medical marijuana in the workplace and at places of business, touching on the duties of employers and service providers to accommodate medical marijuana’s use while ensuring a safe work environment. To assist employers and service providers, she provides some best practices on how to meet those obligations.

Your First Application before the Human Rights Tribunal

Topic: Interim Steps and Summary Hearings. Overview: Are you new to, or interested in human rights law? Are you looking to brush up on the fundamentals of practice before the Human Rights Tribunal? Do not miss this practical primer on how to navigate your first application or response before the Human Rights Tribunal. With essential…

Arbitrator Declares that DECEs Need Not be Scheduled “Side By Side” with FDK Teachers

· 9 min read

In an arbitration award released on October 13, 2017, Arbitrator Russell Goodfellow dismissed a grievance brought by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) concerning the scheduling of breaks accorded to Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECEs) under the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) support staff collective agreements applicable to them. Arbitrator Goodfellow declined to follow the controversial path taken by Arbitrator George Surdykowski in a 2014 decision involving the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (Surdykowski Award) and has established a very useful precedent for school boards to employ. In this School Board Update, we review this important award.

Workplace Investigation Training

This workshop focuses on essential investigation skills required by HR Professionals who are charged with investigating workplace incidents including: workplace harassment and violence complaints, discrimination and harassment complaints under the Human Rights Code, employee misconduct such as suspected sick leave abuse or time theft, and more!