Practice Area: Human Rights

Benefits Canada Publishes an Article Authored by Jodi Gallagher Healy

An article authored by Hicks Morley’s Jodi Gallagher Healy was published in the December 29, 2014 edition of Benefits Canada. The article entitled, “How to maintain a workplace free of sexual harassment” outlines the legislative compliance requirements, a checklist for compliance, necessary communication and training an employer should provide its employees, and discusses the complaint resolution…

Maintaining a Workplace Free of Sexual Harassment

· 6 min read

Over the past several months, the issue of workplace sexual harassment has been in the spotlight and the subject of considerable discussion. In response to recent media attention, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recently issued a statement reiterating the legal duty of employers to prevent sexual harassment and to respond to any complaints in the…

Divisional Court Finds Arbitrator’s Approach to Pre-Access Drug and Alcohol Testing Reasonable

· 1 min read

The Divisional Court has dismissed a judicial review application of an arbitration decision that held that pre-access drug and alcohol testing was contrary to the parties’ collective agreement and the Ontario Human Rights Code. While the Court declined to comment on the Code, it upheld Arbitrator Surdykowski’s finding that the applicant had violated the collective…

After Keewatin: The Use of Exclusions

Overview In a recent case, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario served clear notice that excluding a student under s. 265(m) of the Education Act, because of behavioural issues arising from the student’s disability, must not offend human rights principles.  In R.B. v. Keewatin Patricia District School Board, the Tribunal found that the exclusion of…

EMS Matters Publishes an Article by Mark Mason and Stephanie Jeronimo

An article authored by Hicks Morley’s Mark Mason and Stephanie Jeronimo was published in the Winter 2014/2015 edition of EMS Matters. The article entitled, “Accommodating Mental Health Disabilities: What are Employers Obligated to Do?” discusses the importance of the duty to accommodate within the workplace. Mark and Stephanie address key issues that employers in the…

Human Rights in the School Board Sector

  Agenda Human rights issues are becoming increasingly complex and more difficult to understand and manage. As both employers and service providers, school boards are faced with human rights challenges on a daily basis. As employers, human rights issues can arise in a variety of contexts – from benefits to accommodation to attendance management. As…

Human Rights Update 2014: Accommodation and the Diverse Workforce

Materials Case Law Summaries PowerPoint Presentation Slides Agenda As the workforce in Ontario has become increasingly diverse, the range and complexity of accommodation issues facing Ontario employers have also grown substantially.  Keeping up with the continually-evolving legal landscape with respect to accommodation issues can be a challenge for many busy Corporate Counsel and Human Resources…

Workplace Investigation Training

  Fee – $750.00 plus $97.50 HST (13%), totalling $847.50 per person. Agenda This workshop focuses on essential investigation skills required by HR Professionals who are charged with investigating workplace incidents. Following instructional components, attendees will work, in small groups, through case scenarios designed to highlight strategies which can be used to deal with issues…