Bill 181, Mandatory Retirement Legislation For Firefighters, Receives Royal Assent

On June 1, 2011, Bill 181, Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act, 2011, received Royal Assent. As previously reported, Bill 181 amends the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 to provide for the mandatory retirement at age 60 of firefighters regularly assigned to fire suppression duties, in certain circumstances, and impose a duty of fair…

Ontario Government Releases Final Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Under the AODA

On June 3, 2011, the Ontario government released the final Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation (the “Final Regulation”) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the “AODA” or the “Act“). The Final Regulation combines accessibility standards in three areas – information and communication, employment, and transportation – and comes into force July 1, 2011….

AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Now Posted

As previously reported, the Ontario government announced the release of the final version of the Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”) on June 3, 2011. O. Reg. 191/11, which will come into force on July 1, 2011, has now been posted on the e-laws website. More information…

AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Released

On June 3, 2011, the Ontario government announced the release of the final version of the Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation (the “final regulation”) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”). The final regulation appears to follow the draft Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation (“draft regulation”), which was published in February of 2011 for…

Bill 181, Mandatory Retirement Legislation For Firefighters, Passes Third Reading as Amended

On May 31, 2011, Bill 181, the Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act, 2011, passed at Third Reading as amended and is expected to receive Royal Assent shortly. As previously reported, Bill 181 amends the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 to provide for the mandatory retirement at age 60 of firefighters regularly assigned to…

Andrew McCreary Publishes an Article on AODA in the Ottawa Business Journal’s OttawaHR Magazine

Hicks Morley’s Andrew McCreary published an article in the May 23, 2011 edition of OttawaHR magazine. The article discusses the new regulatory requirements of employers under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the key role human resources professionals can be expected to play in achieving compliance. View Article

Mandatory Retirement Legislation For Firefighters Ordered for Third Reading as Amended

On May 19, 2011, Bill 181, the Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act, 2011, was ordered for Third Reading after being reported as amended by the Standing Committee on General Government. The Committee amended the “Reasonable Accommodation” provision found in section 2 of the Bill to provide as follows: 53.1(4) A firefighter shall not be…

Michael Hines Quoted in Hamilton Spectator Newspaper

Hicks Morley’s Michael Hines was quoted in the May 10, 2011 edition of the Hamilton Spectator newspaper. In an article entitled “No laws broken in excluding Westmount and Saltfleet from accommodation review,” Michael commented on the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s exclusion of Westmount and Saltfleet Secondary Schools from its current student accommodation review process. View…