Federal Wage Restraint Legislation Does Not Infringe Section 2(d) of Charter

Underscoring once again that section 2(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (“Charter”) only guarantees a meaningful process of collective bargaining and not a particular result, the Ontario Court of Appeal recently found that wage restraint legislation effectively prohibiting salary increases over a five-year period was not, in and of itself, unconstitutional. Association…

Proposed Teacher Bargaining Legislation Passes Second Reading, Referred to Committee

On September 5, 2012, Bill 115, Putting Students First Act, 2012, carried at Second Reading and was ordered referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. For background information on the Putting Students First Act, please see our FTR Now of August 20, 2012, “Ontario to Introduce Sweeping Legislation Concerning School Board Bargaining.”  

Changes to Proposed Legislation on Teacher Bargaining

On August 27, 2012, the Ontario Legislative Assembly resumed, and the government introduced Bill 115, Putting Students First Act, 2012. The government has made a number of changes to the original draft of the Bill that was released on August 16, 2012, including a key change to the proposed regulation-making powers about the imposition of…

Ontario Introduces Bill 115, Putting Students First Act, 2012

On August 27, 2012, the Ontario Legislative Assembly resumed, and the government introduced Bill 115, Putting Students First Act, 2012. The government has made a number of changes to the original draft of the Bill that was first introduced on August 16, 2012. We are in the process of reviewing the proposed legislation. For background…

Ontario to Introduce Sweeping Legislation Concerning School Board Bargaining

On August 16, 2012, the Ontario government announced its intention to introduce the Putting Students First Act (the “Bill”). If passed, this legislation would, among other matters, establish unprecedented controls on current school board collective bargaining, freeze current teacher salary grids, require the radical alteration of existing sick leave and retiring gratuity plans, permit regulations…

Putting Students First Act to be Introduced August 27, Legislature Recalled

The Ontario government announced that the Legislature has been recalled for August 27, 2012 to permit the introduction of the government’s Putting Students First Act Bill. As previously reported, the government first released a draft of the Putting Students First Act on August 16, 2012, legislation that would, if passed, impose a two-year freeze on…

Ontario To Introduce Wage Freeze Legislation for Teachers

On August 16, 2012, the Ontario government announced its intention to introduce the Putting Students First Act, legislation that would, if passed, impose a two-year freeze on teacher salaries and prohibit labour disruption, among other matters. Specifically, the Bill would require school boards and local bargaining units of teachers and support staff to accept local…

Prep Time Payback – The Last (Good) Word?

School board labour relations practitioners will recall the efforts made by OPSBA in its 2009 PDT negotiations with ETFO to ensure that public school boards would not be obliged to reschedule preparation time that was missed due to such factors as board-imposed professional development held during the instructional day. The OPSBA/ETFO language stated: Missed preparation…

Bill 77, Labour Relations Amendment Act (Fairness for Employees), 2012

On May 3, 2012, Bill 77, Labour Relations Amendment Act (Fairness for Employees), 2012, a Private Member’s Bill, passed at Second Reading and was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs; the Bill was considered on June 7, 2012. Bill 77 proposes a number of amendments to the Labour Relations Act, 1995…