Ontario to Consult on New Public Sector Benefits Pooling Model

The Treasury Board Secretariat has announced that it will begin consultations this year on a new benefits pooling model for broader public sector participants. The government consulted with public sector employers and bargaining agents in the spring and summer of this year about how to achieve reasonable public sector compensation growth, and a centralized benefits…

OMHRA Fall 2019 ECHO Newsletter Features Articles Authored by Amanda Cohen and Jessica Toldo

The Fall 2019 issue of OMHRA’s ECHO newsletter features two articles authored by Amanda Cohen and Jessica Toldo. In the article “Divisional Court Reaffirms the Orillia Hospital Test for Accommodation,” the authors discuss a recent decision by the Ontario Divisional Court which quashed the decisions of the Arbitrator in a workplace accommodation related case.

Chambers Canada 2020 Guide Recognizes Hicks Morley for Employment and Labour, Pensions and Benefits, and Privacy and Data Protection

Hicks Morley has once again been recognized as a leading law firm in the Chambers Canada 2020 guide for Employment & Labour (Ontario and Nationwide) and Pensions & Benefits (Nationwide). The firm receives praise for its “tremendous bench strength” being “a pre-eminent boutique in Ontario,” as well as for working on “very big pensions matters”…

Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Thomas Agnew on Constructive Dismissal and the Duty to Mitigate Damages

Hicks Morley’s Thomas Agnew authored an article in Benefits Canada titled “Constructive Dismissal and the Corresponding Duty to Mitigate Damages.” In a recent case, the Ontario Superior Court found an employee failed to mitigate damages when he refused a return-to-work offer from his employer, with whom he had a good working relationship. This case serves as an important…

OMHRA Summer 2019 ECHO Newsletter Features Articles Authored by Hicks Morley Lawyers

The Summer 2019 issue of OMHRA’s ECHO newsletter features two articles authored by Hicks Morley lawyers. In the article “Advanced Planning Required by Municipalities to Respond to New Changes to OMERS,” Natasha Monkman discusses how Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System participating employers will need to plan in advance to respond to the changes that will be made effective on January 1, 2021…

Ontario Clarifies DB Funding Reforms under the Pension Benefits Act

On May 21, 2019, the Ontario government filed Regulation 105/19 amending Regulation 909 (General Regulation) under the Pension Benefits Act (PBA). The amendments mainly relate to clarifying elements of the defined benefit (DB) funding rules that took effect on May 1, 2018. Many of the new clarifications have been requested by the pension industry over…

Ontario Budget Bill (Bill 100) Passes

As previously reported, on April 11, 2019, the Ontario government released its 2019 Budget and introduced Bill 100, Protecting What Matters Most Act (Budget Measures), 2019. Bill 100 received Royal Assent on May 29, 2019. Of particular interest to employers and human resource professionals are the amendments made to the following statutes: Public Sector Labour…