2014 Toronto Client Conference

Stay on the leading edge of Human Resources change Change is a constant in the human resources world – with new laws and court decisions and the evolution of best practices. Employers must take the lead in responding to these emerging challenges – and Hicks Morley is pleased to be your partner in navigating this…

2014 Toronto Client Conference

April 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 22, 24 and 29, 2014 View Map Stay on the leading edge of Human Resources change Change is a constant in the human resources world – with new laws and court decisions and the evolution of best practices. Employers must take the lead in responding to these emerging challenges…

OHSA Consultation on Implementation of Working at Heights Training

The Ministry of Labour is consulting on the implementation of the Working at Heights Training Program Standard released on December 19, 2013. Specifically, a regulatory proposal outlining amendments to O. Reg. 297/13 (Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) would, if adopted, require employers subject to O. Reg. 213/91…

OLRB Revisits the Scope of its Authority To Consider Workplace Harassment Reprisal Complaints

In two recent decisions, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“Board”) signalled that its powers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) to consider complaints arising out of the OHSA’s workplace harassment provisions may be broader than the findings articulated in an earlier case, Confortia v. Investia Financial Services Inc. In Investia, the Board had…

Reaching Out – Fifth Edition

Dear Friends, Well, the verdict is in. Six more weeks of winter according to our furry rodent weather prognosticators! And what better way to fill those cold blustery evenings than something interesting and topical to read? Welcome to the Winter 2014 Edition of Reaching Out, our newsletter specifically focussed on issues relevant, and of particular…

OHSA regulations amended – Diving Operations, Mines and Mining Plants

On February 14, 2014, the Ontario government filed the following Occupational Health and Safety Act regulations: O. Reg. 32/14 (Diving Operations), extensively amending various sections of O. Reg. 629/94; and O. Reg. 34/14 (Mines and Mining Plants), amending Regulation 854 of R.R.O. 1990 (now in force). O. Reg. 32/14 comes into force March 1, 2014.

Court of Appeal for Ontario considers mitigation in OHSA sentencing case

In Ontario (Labour) v. Flex-N-Gate Canada Company, the Court of Appeal for Ontario found that corrective action taken by an employer to merely comply with a safety order following a workplace accident was not a mitigating factor for sentencing purposes under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”), and that fines for multiple OHSA breaches…

Mere compliance with OHSA order not a mitigating sentencing factor, says Ontario Court of Appeal

Flex-N-Gate, an automobile parts manufacturer, was charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) after a worker badly injured her foot while unbundling 5200 bounds of metal sheets. At the time of the accident the injured worker was following company procedure. A Ministry of Labour (“MOL”) inspector investigated the accident and issued two orders…

Hicks Morley Named in 2014 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide

Hicks Morley is pleased to announce it has once again ranked as the leading law firm in the Labour Relations and Pensions category according to the 2014 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…

Expanded OLRB Power to Consider Bill 168 Workplace Harassment Reprisal Complaints

Based on two decisions rendered late last month, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB” or “Board”) has expanded the scope of the Board’s authority to consider complaints arising from the Bill 168 workplace harassment amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA” or “Act”). This moves away from the Board’s decision in Confortia v….