On March 19, 2020, the Ontario Legislature met in an emergency session to pass legislation to extend protections for employees in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bill 186, the Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020 amends the leaves of absence provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to provide more leave entitlements to employees impacted by the pandemic and to prohibit employers from requesting medical notes in relation to the new leave.
Tag: Employment Standards Act
Update on COVID-19 for Employers: Ontario to Amend the ESA to Protect Jobs
Today, the Ontario government announced that it will be introducing legislation to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in light of COVID-19. In addition, the federal government announced, among other things, that the Canadian border will be closed to foreign nationals, with some exceptions.
Ontario Introduces Plan to Reform Home and Community Care Services
On February 25, 2020, the Ontario government tabled Bill 175, Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 (Bill 175). The legislation is intended to improve funding and access to home and community care for patients.
College Update: 2019 Year in Review
2019 was a busy year in the College sector. We thought it would be useful to review some of the significant human resource issues from 2019 as these cases may impact your approaches in 2020. Curl up by the fire and have a read. Happy New Year!
FTR Quarterly – Issue 15
In This Issue: Protection in the Face of Employee Fraud, Key Human Resources Decisions in in 2019 and Cases to Monitor in 2020 and more!
Appellate Court Finds Waiver of Common Law Notice Valid, Considers Continuity of Service under ESA
In Ariss v NORR Limited Architects & Engineers, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a decision of a motion judge who considered the appellant’s entitlements under the common law and the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) upon termination. Background In 1986, the appellant began employment with a company which was sold to the respondent employer…
Bill 66 Passes, Amends ESA, LRA and PBA
On April 3, 2019, Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2019, received Royal Assent. Bill 66 is omnibus legislation which amends various statutes, including the following employment-related statutes: Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) The ESA has been amended to remove the need for employers to obtain the approval of the Director of Employment Standards in…
Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Thomas Agnew on Employment and Labour Legislation Changes in Ontario
Hicks Morley’s Thomas Agnew authored an article in Benefits Canada titled “A Summary of Ontario’s Changing Employment and Labour Legislation.” In this article, Thomas summarizes the key ways Bill 47 is changing the previous amendments under Bill 148.
Reaching Out – Fourteenth Edition
Dear Friends, Welcome to our Winter 2019 edition of Reaching Out. The last 18 months have been a tumultuous time in employment law in Ontario. We saw the introduction of sweeping changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995 in January 2018, only to see many of them repealed in January…
Appellate Court Considers Employment Issues Arising out of a Termination Post-Sale of Business
In Kerzner v American Iron and Metal Company Inc., the Ontario Court of Appeal considered a number of complex issues arising out of a sale of business and successive employment contracts entered into after that sale. The Court provided guidance on what can and cannot be agreed to during those transitions and how releases should…