Understanding “Safe Sport” Sanctions and Disciplinary Issues Under the Universal Code of Conduct

Introduction Disciplinary issues and related sanctions can arise in any organization, but they can be especially challenging to navigate in relation to safe sport. The federal government has committed to addressing harassment, discrimination and abuse in sport by requiring all federally funded sport organizations to adopt the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address…

Highlights of the 2024 Ontario Budget

On March 26, 2024, the Ontario government tabled its 2024 budget, “Building a Better Ontario” (Budget) and Bill 180, Building a Better Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2024 (Bill 180). In this FTR Now, we highlight information contained in the Budget and Bill 180 that is of broad interest to employers, human resources professionals and pension…

Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 Receives Royal Assent

On March 21, 2024, Ontario’s Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 (Bill 149) received Royal Assent. Bill 149 amends several statutes including the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA), Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 (DPWRA), and Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006…

Key Legal Issues on “Safe Sport” in Canada: Latest Developments on Policy and the Law

Executive Summary Creating and protecting a respectful sport culture is an important priority for governments and public policy-makers in Canada and, increasingly, it is an important legal issue for employers and organizations in the sector as well. A review of any number of recent news articles makes this point clear. This year, the federal government…

Ontario Tables Bill Introducing Policy Requirements for Colleges and Universities

Bill 166, Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 (Bill 166) was tabled by the Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities (Minister) on February 26, 2024. If passed, Bill 166 will require every college of applied arts and technology (College) and publicly assisted university (University) to have a student mental health policy and a policy…

Ontario Court of Appeal Upholds in Part Lower Court Finding That Bill 124 Is Unconstitutional; Bill to Be Repealed

On February 12, 2024, the Ontario Court of Appeal rendered its much-anticipated decision in Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association v. Ontario (Attorney General). A majority of the Court upheld in part the decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (ONSC) which found that Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations…

Majority of Ontario Appellate Court Finds Bill 124 Unconstitutional

On February 12, 2024 the Court of Appeal for Ontario issued its decision in Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association v. Ontario (Attorney General). A majority of the Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision and found the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 (commonly referred to as Bill 124) to…

Arbitrator Considers Interplay of Canada Labour Code Sick Days and Employer-Provided Benefits

In United Steelworkers Local 14193 v Cameco Fuel Manufacturing Inc. (Cameco Fuel), Arbitrator Nyman considered the permissibility of offsetting banked Canada Labour Code sick days against an existing entitlement to employer-provided sick leave benefits under a short-term disability (STD) plan. Background On December 1, 2022, amendments to the Canada Labour Code (CLC) came into force entitling all…

IPC Power to Determine Administrative Monetary Penalties Takes Effect

On January 1, 2024, changes to the General Regulation made under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) took effect (see O. Reg. 343/23). The changes stipulate how the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) determines the amount of administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) issued as part of its enforcement powers for violations of PHIPA….