Though Canada has only two statutory religious holidays, Christmas Day and Good Friday, some Canadian employees may be seeking to take time off for other religious holy days. So how are employers required to accommodate them? Ontario’s Human Rights Commission notes “employers have a duty to accommodate an employee’s creed to the point of undue hardship, […]
The province of Ontario is tackling pay transparency by introducing legislation that requires employers to track and publish information about compensation in their organizations. The proposed legislation, if passed, will require all publicly advertised job postings to include a range or rate of salary, prohibit employers from inquiring about a job candidate’s past compensation and prohibit reprisals against employees who […]
The new five-week parental sharing benefit announced in the 2018 federal budget is causing some concern among employers. Commenting on Benefits Canada’s website, Asha Mohammed, director of human resources and payroll at Centennial College’s Tribute Communities, asked: “Why a new leave again? This is such an expense to employers who are already stressed with all the leaves.” Dan Kelly, […]
In its 2018 budget on Tuesday, the federal government confirmed it would introduce a new five-week incentive for second parents to take parental leave. The use-it-or-lose-it employment insurance parental sharing benefit, which will take effect in June 2019, will be available to eligible two-parent families, including adoptive and same-sex couples, to take at any point following the arrival of […]
The upcoming federal budget will include a five-week, use-it-or-lose-it incentive for new dads to take parental leave and share the responsibilities of raising their young child, The Canadian Press has learned. In recent days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has mused about just such an additional parental leave for the second parent. Read: How to bridge the […]
The Liberal government wants its proposed stricter rules to crack down on harassment in federal workplaces to reflect the fact that colleagues no longer restrict their interactions to daytime hours at the office. “We know that those boundaries are very blurry and especially in workplaces like ours,” Labour Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday after appearing […]
With the majority of the amendments in Bill 148 taking effect in Ontario in early December, it requires employers in the province to undertake a review of their employment policies and practices to ensure compliance. The bill followed recommendations put forth in June 2017 as part of the Changing Workplace Review. The goal of the review was to […]
Employment contracts often contain clauses limiting an employee’s entitlement upon termination to the minimum entitlements under the Employment Standards Act or any other amount the employer and employee have agreed to. However, if the clauses violate the act in any way, courts may not enforce them and the employee will then be entitled to common […]
The Ontario government has responded to the Ministry of Labour’s report on workplace standards with a number of proposed changes, including introducing paid personal emergency leave for all employees, increasing minimum vacation entitlements and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. “The economy has changed. Work has changed. It’s time our laws and protections […]
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour released a report today that makes 173 recommendations on provincial workplace standards, including employees’ entitlements to benefits. The report suggests numerous changes that would affect employers, says Craig Rix, a partner and employment lawyer at Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP in Toronto. “Employers will have to start thinking about how they can […]