On May 3, 2010, the Ontario government introduced Bill 46, the Excellent Care for All Act, 2010 (the Act). The Act would, if passed, make healthcare providers and executives accountable for improving patient care and enhancing the patient experience. Although aimed at the hospital sector specifically, the government has indicated that following an assessment of…
Publication Type: Article
WSIB Changes Its Practice on the Payment of Loss of Earnings Benefits
Effective December 7, 2009, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) changed its operational practice of paying loss of earnings (“LOE”) benefits even when a worker is no longer in the workforce and has no loss of earnings. This change in practice followed a series of successful employer challenges argued by Hicks Morley lawyers…
Ontario Court Limits Number of Picketers
In a decision released March 24, 2010, the Ontario Superior Court imposed significant restrictions on picketing activities taking place at Vale’s Sudbury premises. Three valuable points emerge from this decision. First, the Court has sent a clear message that it will not tolerate flouting of the law, which in this case was four prior court…
Federal Pension Reform Proceeds
Bill C-9, the Jobs and Economic Growth Act, was introduced in the House of Commons on March 29, 2010 as an omnibus bill which proposes to implement many of the significant pension reform initiatives announced by the Minister of Finance on October 27, 2009, certain measures announced in the March 4th federal Budget, as well…
Ontario Budget 2010 – Highlights for Employers
On March 25, 2010, the Ontario Government tabled Bill 16, Creating the Foundation for Jobs and Growth Act, 2010, omnibus legislation that will amend various statutes to give effect to initiatives outlined in its 2010 Budget – Open Ontario: Ontario’s Plan for Jobs and Growth (the “Budget”). This FTR Now provides a summary of those…
2010 Federal Budget: Highlights for HR Professionals
On March 4, 2010, the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, tabled the Government of Canada’s 2010 Budget (the “Budget”), titled “Leading the Way on Jobs and Growth”. The Budget represents the second and final phase of the Government’s “Economic Action Plan”, which was initiated in the 2009 Budget with a view to lifting…
Federal Government Tables 2010 Budget
On March 4, 2010, the federal Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, tabled the Government of Canada’s 2010 Budget (the “Budget”) in the House of Commons. The Budget represents the second phase of the Government’s “Economic Action Plan”, which was initiated in the 2009 Budget with a view to lifting the Canadian economy out…
Supreme Court of Canada Dismisses Negligence Action in Case Involving Miners Killed During Bitter Strike
In Fullowka v. Pinkerton’s of Canada Ltd., 2010 SCC 5, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an appeal by survivors of miners killed in a 1992 explosion at Giant Mine (NWT) owned by Royal Oaks. They claimed damages against the security company Royal Oaks had hired to protect the miners and against the territorial government…
CPP Deductions on Disability Payments: New Guidance from the Federal Court of Appeal
On January 28, 2010, the Federal Court of Appeal rendered its decision in Toronto Transit Commission v. Minister of National Revenue (“TTC”), which will be of interest to employers who provide long term disability (“LTD”) benefits to their employees through self-funded or administrative services only (“ASO”) arrangements. According to the Court’s decision in TTC, Canada…
New Background Check Policies Squeezing Employers
Late last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) issued a directive to agencies that facilitate national criminal background checks. The directive outlines significant changes to the process governing the dissemination of criminal record information, and the process by which such agencies may conduct name-based criminal record verifications. In this FTR Now, we discuss these…