Lauri Reesor Quoted in Benefits Canada on #MeToo in the Workplace

Benefits Canada quoted Hicks Morley’s Lauri Ressor in a May 11, 2018 article titled “A Workplace Guide for the #MeToo Era.” With the #MeToo movement in full swing in recent months mostly focused on high-profile cases of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and the political sphere, Benefits Canada discusses what employers should be doing to respond to a new reality of zero tolerance for misbehaviour.

Reminder: New Employer Workplace Harassment Obligations Now in Force

Effective today, significant reforms to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) are coming into force which place additional duties on employers with respect to the prevention of workplace harassment. As previously reported, these changes were outlined in Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment), 2016

Employer Workplace Harassment Obligations Coming Into Force September 8, 2016

On September 8, 2016, changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act are coming into force which place additional duties on employers with respect to the prevention of workplace harassment. As previously reported, these changes have been brought about by Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence…

Ministry Releases Code of Practice to Guide Employers in New Workplace Harassment Obligations

On September 8, 2016, changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) will come into force. The amendments require employers to develop policies and programs to prevent harassment, including sexual harassment, in the workplace. The Ministry of Labour has now finalized its “Code of Practice to Address Workplace Harassment under Ontario’s Occupational Health and…

Ontario Introduces Legislation to Address Sexual Violence and Harassment

On October 27, 2015, the Ontario government tabled new legislation to address sexual violence and harassment. If passed, the proposed measures in Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment), 2015 (“Act”), would, among other things, require publicly assisted colleges and universities and private career…

Ontario Budget 2015

On April 23, 2015, the Ontario Minister of Finance tabled the 2015 provincial Budget, “Building Ontario Up” (“Budget”), and Bill 91, Building Ontario Up Act (Budget Measures), 2015 (“Bill 91”), omnibus legislation designed to implement some of the proposals contained in the Budget. In this FTR Now, we highlight some of the key proposals that…

Maintaining a Workplace Free of Sexual Harassment

Over the past several months, the issue of workplace sexual harassment has been in the spotlight and the subject of considerable discussion. In response to recent media attention, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recently issued a statement reiterating the legal duty of employers to prevent sexual harassment and to respond to any complaints in the…