Tag: Disability

Arbitrator Renders Helpful Decision for Multi-Site Employers Dealing with Commute to Work Accommodation Requests

In Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and Toronto District School Board, Grievance # 13-50 (Accommodation), Arbitrator Nyman held that the refusal of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to transfer the grievor, a secondary school teacher who suffered from chronic pain and fatigue, to a school located within 15 kilometers of her home to ease…

Court Finds University Erred in Placing Too Much Weight on Marks in Assessing Application by Person with Disabilities

The Ontario Divisional Court has held that a university should not have placed as significant weight on previous grades during its admissions process when considering an application submitted by a person with disabilities. Noting the “unusual” circumstances of this case, the Court remitted the consideration of the applicant’s application to the university’s Admissions Committee “for…

Federal Accessibility Legislation Now Passed

On June 21, 2019, Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act (Act) passed as amended by the Senate and received Royal Assent. The provisions of this Act come into force on a day to fixed by order of the Governor in Council. As we previously reported, the Act is accessibility legislation which impacts certain federally regulated…

Tribunal Confirms Human Rights Issues Need not be “Explicitly Decided” to Have Been Appropriately Dealt With in Another Proceeding

In Hewitt v. HTS Engineering Ltd., the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal) addressed the issue of whether the Ontario Labour Relations Board (Board or OLRB) had appropriately dealt with the substance of an Application. The decision confirms that human rights issues do not need to be explicitly at issue in another proceeding in order to…

Federal Accessibility Legislation Tabled

On June 20, 2018, the federal government introduced Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (Bill), accessibility legislation which will apply to certain federally regulated employers. In its preamble, the Bill states that barriers to accessibility can prevent full and equal participation in society by Canadians with disabilities. If passed and among other things,…

AdvantAge Ontario Human Resources Law: The Year in Review

Overview Join this popular annual webinar to hear about important developments in human resources law over the past year, and the key trends to think about for 2018. Topics will include an update on bargaining trends in the LTC sector, key changes under the WSIB regime, labour and employment update with a focus on Bill…

Is It Discriminatory to Include a Disability-Related Absence in an Attendance Management Policy? Appellate Court Weighs In

In Canada (Attorney General) v. Bodnar, the employer sought judicial review of a decision of the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (Board) in which the Board held that the inclusion of disability-related absences and absences taken for the purposes of family caregiver leave in an attendance management policy was discriminatory. On judicial review,…