The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed injured veterans’ pension claims against the federal government because they had “no chance of success.” “It’s difficult to understand the claim at all, at least not without completely reimagining our constitutional framework,” says David Rankin, an associate in Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s Toronto office. “The decision […]
From lack of sleep to post-traumatic stress disorders, employees facing a range of challenges that can have an impact on their work. What are some of the causes of mental-health issues and how can employers recognize when an employee is having difficulties? At the 2017 Mental Health Summit in Toronto on Nov. 7, experts provided […]
Despite mental health accounting for more than 30 per cent of long-term disability claims, there’s a disconnect between medical practitioners and insurers that unwittingly impedes the ability of plan members to receive timely care. Samuel Mikail, senior consultant for mental health at Sun Life Financial, told attendees at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Mental Health Summit in […]
In one episode of the television show The Office, salesman Stanley Hudson has a heart attack during a workplace fire drill. A few days later, he’s back at his desk, with only a doctor’s orders to “relate more positively” to his surroundings. Many employers can only dream of such an easy return to work. In […]
Does disability interfere with an organization’s right to terminate employment and employer-provided benefits? It’s a question that commonly arises when it comes to employees who have been away from work and in receipt of long-term disability benefits for extended periods of time. Generally, and subject to applicable statutory entitlements respecting termination pay and severance, it […]
The majority of Canadian employers intend to prioritize the improvement of workplace mental health over the next three years to help manage ballooning costs, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. Most of the 150 survey respondents indicated that mental-health issues generate major costs to their organization, largely due to disability, absenteeism, loss of productivity and costs […]
When illness or disability strikes an employee, it can disrupt the whole team. It’s important for every employer to put an integrated structure and sound disability policy in place, so there’s no ambiguity around the process and the claimant can receive care promptly and integrate back into the workforce quickly. When it comes to handling […]
A B.C. municipality will get another chance to make its case for terminating three employees on long-term disability with no hope of coming back to work following a new ruling from the province’s labour relations board that deals with the tricky question of non-culpable absenteeism. Earlier this month, board vice-chair Elena Miller issued a ruling on […]
The Supreme Court of Canada won’t hear an appeal from a former Nortel Networks Corp. employee who claimed her charter rights were violated over the issue of disability payments. The employee, Jennifer Holley, had argued the 2015 agreement setting out disability benefits in the wake of Nortel’s bankruptcy was unfair and unreasonable. According to a news […]
An independent review panel has provided the Alberta government with a report that includes 60 recommendations to restructure the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board and its processes. The panel spent nearly two years compiling its review of the board. It examined previous reviews and spoke with employers, injured workers, unions, employee advocates and safety organizations. “It […]