Practice Area: Labour Relations

We Welcome Director, Professional Resources Cheryl Biehler to Hicks Morley

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce that Cheryl Biehler has joined the firm as the director of professional resources in our Toronto office. In this role, Cheryl will lead a robust curriculum to support the ongoing education and growth of our terrific team of associates. She will also drive strategic initiatives and programs aimed at fostering associate recruitment, engagement and retention.

Ontario’s Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 Receives Royal Assent

· 3 min read

On October 28, 2024, Ontario’s Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 (Bill 190) received Royal Assent. Bill 190 amends several statutes including the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. In this FTR Now, we review key amendments of particular interest to employers.

Hicks Morley Ranked Canada’s Top Law Firm in Labour & Employment for 2025 by The Globe and Mail

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce the firm has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Law Firms in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business for the fourth year in a row. The firm is ranked in the areas of Labour & Employment and Human Rights. The firm once again took the top spot in labour and employment, receiving more recommendations than any other labour and employment firm in the country.

From Tweets to Termination: A University Professor’s Controversial Online Conduct

· 4 min read

In a time where social media blurs the lines between personal and professional conduct, an arbitration decision from earlier this year provides a critical reminder of the necessity to navigate off-duty conduct with care, while also confirming that arbitrators may prioritize a healthy workplace environment over reinstatement to avoid further conflict. In Board of Governors…

Nurse Not Entitled to Communicable Disease Paid Leave If Not Required to Quarantine/Isolate

· 3 min read

In a recent decision of significant importance to the hospital sector, Arbitrator William Kaplan held that a nurse will be entitled to communicable disease leave with pay only where they are required by hospital policy, direction of a public health authority or by law to quarantine/isolate. The paid leave does not apply to circumstances where…

Arbitrator Concludes Grievor’s Sincere Religious Beliefs Did Not Prevent Her From Complying with Employer’s COVID-19 Policy

· 5 min read

In Oxford County v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1146, Arbitrator Brian Sheehan determined that the grievor, who refused, on the basis of her religion, to undergo rapid antigen testing in accordance with the employer’s COVID-19 policy, had not established that she had been improperly discriminated against on the basis of creed. This is…