Ontario and Alberta are making changes to provincial employment legislation to protect workers who are affected by the coronavirus. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act that would provide job-protected leave to employees who are in isolation or quarantine, as well as to those […]
The British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that a clause in an employment agreement mandating arbitration as a way of resolving wrongful dismissal disputes doesn’t illegally contract out of provincial employment standards legislation. The ruling departs from Ontario jurisprudence that’s currently under appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. “The B.C. judge was clearly looking […]
Quebec’s government is introducing a bill that would increase leave entitlements for adoptive parents from the current 37 weeks to 42. The bill would also increase entitlements for parents adopting children from outside Quebec from 42 to 52 weeks of leave. In addition, the bill proposes amending current legislation to increase the work income-related exemptions parents are entitled […]
The Saskatchewan government is amending its provincial employment act to add eight additional weeks of parental leave. The additional weeks of leave will be available to employees entitled to the province’s new shared parental employment insurance benefit. In a press release, the government said the extra weeks will give employees job protection while they access the […]
The Liberal Party announced a number of campaign promises this week, including making maternity and parental benefits tax-free, introducing a 15-week leave for adoptive parents, strengthening the old-age security benefit and increasing the Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan survivor’s benefit. If re-elected, the Liberal government said it will work to establish guaranteed paid family […]
The Ontario Divisional Court has confirmed that an employer’s duty to accommodate ends when an employee’s disability becomes permanent and thereby frustrates the contract of employment. “The decision in Katz v. Clarke is a breath of fresh air for employers because it reaffirms that employees seeking accommodation can’t merely inform their employers of their desire to […]
Manitoba’s New Democratic Party and Liberal Party announced a host of worker-friendly campaign promises over the Labour Day weekend, with both parties committing to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The province’s minimum wage, one of the lowest in Canada, is currently $11.35 an hour. It’s set to increase to $11.65 on Oct. 1, […]
On Sept. 1, federally regulated employers will see the impact of several changes to the Canada Labour Code, including the new right for employees to request flexible working arrangements, as well as new leaves and other measures supporting workplace flexibility. “The changes to the code . . . will support employees in achieving better work-life […]
In a recent case, the Ontario Superior Court found an employee failed to mitigate damages when he refused a return-to-work offer from his employer, with whom he had a good working relationship. In the case, Gent v. Strone Inc., the plaintiff, David Gent, had been employed for 23 years by Strone Inc., first as a carpenter and then […]
More than half (54 per cent) of Canadians believe training around workplace harassment and violence should occur annually, while 28 per cent said it should take place every three years or more, according to the results of the federal government’s online consultation. The survey, which polled 1,000 Canadians about new legislation on workplace harassment and […]