Practice Area: Occupational Health

Ontario Bar Association: Returning to Work – Employer Considerations and Workforce Management Strategies

As businesses contemplate a return to work, there are a number of questions confronting employers including employment law and Employment Standards Act requirements, health and safety obligations, and potential claims arising out of restructured workplaces. Join this expert faculty as, over the course of three weeks, they provide deep insight on how to tackle the quickly evolving legal issues facing employers today. Register now to secure your spot for this highly practical and timely program.

Osgoode Professional Development: COVID-19 Education Law Update – Accommodating Staff and Students

Meeting the accommodation needs of staff and students during the COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges for educators and administrators alike. Join us for a webinar during which we will discuss the application of the law to this unprecedented circumstance, and also suggest some best practices to meet your duty to accommodate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 and Long-Term Care – Government Permits Mandatory Management Orders to Address COVID-19 Challenges

· 2 min read

On May 13, 2020, the Ontario government issued an order (O. Reg. 210/20, Management of Long-Term Care Homes in Outbreak) (Order) made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act which is intended to provide long-term care homes with additional assistance in managing COVID-19 outbreaks.

Ontario Enables School Board Employees to Be Redeployed to Congregate Care Settings

· 5 min read

On May 8, 2020, the Ontario government filed Ontario Regulation (O. Reg.) 205/20 – Education Sector (Order) made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act which applies to all school boards within the meaning of the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 in Ontario.

Temporary Pandemic Pay – Update on Recent Developments

· 4 min read

There have been two developments this week in relation to pandemic pay: a temporary amendment to Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 (Bill 124) and the publication of a page entitled “COVID-19: Temporary pandemic pay” on the government website. However, key details, including how pandemic pay is to be operationalized, have yet to be announced. We therefore continue to advise employers to wait for the government to communicate this information before taking steps to implement any form of pandemic pay.

Access To and Use of PPE Governed by CMOH Directive 5: An Inherent Balancing Act Confirmed by Arbitrator Stout

· 8 min read

In an award dated May 4, 2020, Arbitrator Stout addressed, among other things, critical aspects of the CMOH’s Directives respecting access to and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In this HR HealthCheck, we provide an overview of this significant award (Award), a decision of notable impact to health care providers and health care workers alike, in both the Hospital and Long-Term Care sectors.

New Measures to Support the Delivery of Frontline Care in the Long-Term Care Setting

· 5 min read

In this FTR Now, we review the latest order (Order) made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) on April 24, 2020 regarding temporary measures focusing on the long-term care sector and the fight against COVID-19 (O. Reg. 174/20). We also discuss the new temporary pandemic payment introduced to support certain frontline workers in Ontario, announced by the Ontario government on April 25, 2020.

Special COVID-19 Webinar: Compliance, Immigration & Employment

Hicks Morley and Green and Spiegel LLP have teamed up to bring you a special COVID-19 webinar focusing on Compliance, Immigration & Employment. The panel will asses the impact of COVID-19 on employer compliance from an immigration standpoint as well as employment-law related issues due to the pandemic.