Amendments to CIRB Regulations Now in Force

On December 18, 2012, the federal government registered Regulations Amending the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2001 (“Regulations”), which amend the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2001 (“CIRBR”) made under the Canada Labour Code (“Code”). As previously reported, the government had invited comments on the proposed Regulations in November 2012. The Regulations came into force…

Hicks Morley Named in 2013 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce it has been ranked as the leading law firm in the Labour Relations and Pensions category according to the 2013 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. Practice groups included in this category are Employment Law, Labour Relations, Occupational Health & Safety, Pensions & Employee Benefits…

Hicks Morley Lawyers Named in 2013 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce that two of the firm’s lawyers, Christopher Riggs and Stephen Shamie have been recognized as the country’s top practitioners in the 2013 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. They are featured in the prestigious guide based on peer recommendations for their distinguished expertise in Labour…

Worker Receiving WSIB Benefits Cannot Claim Monetary Relief under Collective Agreement

A recent arbitration decision considered the historic trade-off made through the enactment of workers’ compensation legislation in Ontario almost 100 years ago, when, in general terms, a worker was barred from suing his or her employer for a workplace accident or occupational disease, in exchange for which the worker would receive benefits from the (now)…

PSFA “General” Regulation Filed

On January 2, 2013, the Ontario government filed O. Reg. 2/13, General, made under the Putting Students First Act, 2012 (“PSFA”). Among other things, O. Reg. 2/13 establishes additional prescribed terms further to subsection 2(1) of the PSFA for employees who do not bargain collectively. The terms include, among other things: terms that shall be…

Hicks Morley Welcomes Two New Partners

Hicks Morley recently welcomed three new partners, Henry Dinsdale and Michael Smyth, to the firm. Henry, Jeffrey and Michael are based in the firm’s Toronto office. Recognized as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the field of labour and employment law by The Best Lawyers in Canada and by Martindale Hubbell, Henry Dinsdale was called…

Supreme Court of Canada to Hear Appeal in Mounted Police Association Case

The Supreme Court of Canada will be providing further clarification on the freedom of association guarantee in the Charter and the scope of collective bargaining. The Court has recently granted leave to appeal in Mounted Police Association of Ontario v. Canada, where the Court of Appeal for Ontario found that a separate labour relations scheme…

Receipt of WSIB Benefits Bars Claim for Additional Monetary Damages at Arbitration

An arbitrator recently affirmed that a grievor is not entitled to monetary damages under a collective agreement where that grievor has received benefits from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) in respect of the accident for which damages are claimed. Arbitrator Howe considered section 26(2) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (“WSIA”) and…

SCC Grants Leave to Appeal in Freedom of Association/Collective Bargaining Case

On December 20, 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal in the Mounted Police Association case which considered whether RCMP Regulations dealing with consultations between management and officers offended the freedom of association guarantee found in section 2(d) of the Charter. This case is important because it deals with the scope of…

Reaching Out – Second Edition

Dear Friends, Happy Holidays! Since our first edition of Reaching Out this past summer, the fall has managed to fly by and we find ourselves already gearing up for the holiday season. We hope you found our first edition of our social services update informative and we always appreciate your feedback. In our Winter edition,…