Supreme Court of Canada Grants Appeal in Case Which Considered Constructive Dismissal, Long-Term Incentive Plan Entitlements and Duty of Good Faith

The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to appeal from a decision which considered long-term incentive plan entitlements as part of a constructive dismissal claim, and, in the dissent, the duty of good faith and honesty in the performance of employment contacts. In Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. v. Matthews, an employee resigned from employment…

Must Exercise Termination Rights Under Independent Contractor Agreement in Good Faith, Appeal Court Rules

In the recent case Mohamed v. Information Systems Architects Inc., the Ontario Court of Appeal determined that the appellant company failed to exercise its termination rights under an Independent Consulting Agreement (ICA) in good faith. As a result, they were liable to pay to the independent contractor (respondent) the amount owing for the remainder of…

The Duty of Good Faith and Honesty: An Important Foundational Decision by The Supreme Court Of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada has issued a significant decision on the duty of good faith in the law of commercial contracts. In Bhasin v. Hrynew, the Court recognized good faith contractual performance as a general organizing principle of contract law and recognized a new “duty of honest performance” in the fulfillment of contractual obligations….

Raising the Bar – Third Edition

Dear Friends, We are pleased to provide you with the third issue of Raising the Bar, just in time for your dockside or patio summer reading. In this issue, we share with you some of the key cases from the Ontario courts in the past few months in the context of summary judgment motions. These…

Raising the Bar – Second Edition

Dear Friends, Spring has arrived, and with the changing of the season, what better time for us to deliver our second issue of Raising the Bar! We hope that this issue will invigorate your mind and spark your interest with fresh and noteworthy developments from the courts. This issue will “shine a light” on expert…

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….

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…