Divisional Court Confirms Concurrent Jurisdiction Model Applies to Human Rights Disputes in Unionized Workplaces

The Divisional Court has confirmed that Ontario labour arbitrators share concurrent jurisdiction with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal) over human rights disputes that arise in a unionized workplace.   As reported in our FTR Now of October 6, 2022, in Weilgosh v. London District Catholic School Board, the Tribunal determined it shared jurisdiction with…

Can There Be a Central Arbitration Over Local Terms? The Divisional Court Weighs In

The Ontario Divisional Court recently dismissed an application for judicial review of a preliminary arbitration decision in which Arbitrator Steinberg concluded that he lacked jurisdiction over aspects of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association’s (OECTA) grievance alleging violations of the preparation, planning and supervision (PPS) provisions of the collective agreement. He determined that the PPS…

Arbitrator Upholds Mandatory Vaccination Policy

On November 9, 2021, Arbitrator Von Veh upheld the mandatory vaccination policy (Policy) implemented by a security company, finding the company acted reasonably in implementing the Policy and that it did not breach the collective agreement. The award provides some helpful guidance for employers that have implemented similar policies.  In United Food And Commercial Workers…

Supreme Court of Canada Dismisses Uber Appeal – Proposed Class Action Can Now Proceed in Ontario Courts

On June 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released Uber Technologies Inc. v. Heller and dismissed an appeal of the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision which held that the arbitration clause in Uber’s standard form services agreement (Agreement) was invalid both because it was unconscionable and because it contracted out of mandatory provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). We previously reported on the Court of Appeal decision.

New Regulations Filed Under Labour Relations Act, 1995 – Arbitration Awards to be Made Publicly Available

On November 21, 2018, the Ontario government filed two regulations made under the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA). The first regulation is made further to the repeal by Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 of certain provisions of the LRA, previously enacted by Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (Bill…