School Board Update – Arbitrator Rules in Board’s Favour in Lakehead DSB Prep Time Payback Case

In our School Board FTR Now of January 31, 2011, we traced a series of disappointing arbitration decisions concerning the issue of “prep time payback”, the supposed obligation of school boards to reschedule prep time periods that are “missed” due to mandatory professional development activities, the monitoring of EQAO testing, the participation at the direction…

School Board Update – The Prep Time Payback Saga

School boards will recall that the topic of “missed preparation time” was addressed in the 2009 Provincial Discussion Table (“PDT”) negotiations. This led to provincial template language that stated “missed preparation time shall only be re-scheduled where a teacher is required by the principal to provide instruction during his or her scheduled preparation time for…

Responding to Disclosure Demands at the Bargaining Table: Employer Rights and Obligations

Many Social Services organizations will be negotiating for the renewal of their collective agreements in 2011. Some of our clients have advised us that they have received broad disclosure requests from unions well in advance of actual bargaining. These requests are very similar to requests a number of Social Services organizations received in early 2009….

School Board Update – ECE Representation Disputes: OLRB Sidesteps Arbitration Award

In York Region District School Board, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”) considered an application for certification by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (“ETFO”) to represent the Board’s designated early childhood educators (“DECEs”). In this case, an arbitrator had already determined that the Board’s DECEs were included in an office, clerical, technical and educational…

School Boards Exposed To Construction Collective Agreements

In a recent decision, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”) held that key non-construction employer provisions of the Ontario Labour Relations Act, 1995 (the “Act”) were unconstitutional.  In this FTR Now, we discuss how the decision could have an impact on school boards’ ability to tender construction work. Background The construction industry labour relations regime…

School Board Update

IN THIS ISSUE 2009 Hicks Morley School Board Conference Teaching Assignments for Principals Cyberbullying Probationary Employees EA Travel Time WSIB LOE Benefits for Retirees Pay Equity Retiring Gratuities School Board Governance Grouped Classes 2009 HICKS MORLEY SCHOOL BOARD CONFERENCE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 On Friday, November 20, Hicks Morley will present its 2009 School…

School Board Update

IN THIS ISSUE EFTO Bargaining Support Paid Religious Leave Management’s Rights Job Qualifications of Teachers Union Dues Trustee Conflict of Interest Damages for Maximum Class Size Violations Access to Adverse Reports Workers’ Compensation Claims and the Human Rights Code ETFO BARGAINING SUPPORT Public district school boards have less than a month in which to reach…

Responding to Disclosure Demands at the Bargaining Table: Employer Rights and Obligations

As we enter 2009, many Social Services organizations are looking ahead to upcoming negotiations with unions for the renewal of their collective agreements. Some of our clients have already reported an increasing trend among unions to initiate broad disclosure requests well in advance of actual bargaining. However, employers in Ontario are not necessarily obliged to…

School Board Update

IN THIS ISSUE Hicks Morley Negotiation Support Services Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario Defers to Special Education Tribunal Occasional Teacher Timetables Duties of Principals Burden of Proof in Discharge Cases Accommodation of Religious Holidays TPA Arbitration and Motion for Non-Suit School Security and Office Staff HICKS MORLEY NEGOTIATION SUPPORT SERVICES Did you know that more…

Hicks Morley Information & Privacy Post – Summer 2008

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER! We hope you enjoy this mid-summer edition of the Hicks Morley Information & Privacy Post – our quarterly newsletter about case law developments in privacy, access to information, the protection of confidential business information and the law of production. We’ve had a busy summer for client relations here, having recently launched a…