The Canadian National Railway Co. is amending its pension policy after awarding benefits to a widower who was initially denied because of an outdated rule regarding same-sex couples. On Monday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Newfoundland resident Ken Haire was in a years-long battle with CN Rail over access to spouse Gerry Schwarz’s pension benefits. […]
McDonald’s Corp. is mandating worker training to combat harassment, discrimination and violence in its restaurants worldwide starting next year. The training requirement will impact 2 million workers at 39,000 stores worldwide. “It’s really important that we be very clear — a safe and respectful workplace where people feel like they’re going to be protected is […]
A recent ruling on federal carbon pricing sparked a lot of loud talk on both sides of the aisle, but the impact on institutional investors will be muted, says Monika Freyman, a chartered financial analyst and the responsible investment leader for Mercer’s wealth business in Canada. On March 25, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled […]
Employers are facing a growing number of legal considerations as they continually adapt policies amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent webinar hosted by Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie. In Ontario, there’s been a substantial increase in workplace inspections through that province’s occupational health and safety act, said Ted Kovacs, a partner at […]
Arbitrator Dana Randall has ruled that unilaterally-imposed, bi-weekly testing for the novel coronavirus at a Woodstock, Ont., unionized retirement home is reasonable when weighed against the need to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “The decision tells us that, in this particular environment, mandatory COVID-19 testing is a reasonable exercise of management right given the […]
The federal government, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and its partners, the Warehouse Union Canada, and the Ending Violence Association of B.C., are launching a comprehensive harassment and violence prevention training program for B.C.’s 10,000-person waterfront workforce, according to a press release. “Every Canadian has the right to work in a healthy, respectful and safe environment. […]
A recent decision from the Ontario Superior Court suggests that federally-regulated employers will be held to the same strict rules as their provincial counterparts in ensuring that termination provisions comply with minimum employment standards. “The decision in Sager v. TFI International Inc. extends courts’ pro-employee interpretation of termination clauses in the context of minimum standards […]
The issue of employers imposing vaccines in a global pandemic context is unprecedented. Employers will be faced with the difficult challenge of ensuring a safe work environment, without the power to mandate that their employees be vaccinated. Federal and provincial government officials have said that the coronavirus vaccination will be voluntary. Assuming the absence of […]
As Quebec updates its occupational health and safety legislation, Morneau Shepell is calling for the province to ensure the update stays true to the fundamental principles on which the regime was conceived, while keeping it competitive with other provinces. The company recently released a report on Bill 59, the act to modernize the legislation, and […]
Confusion as to what constitutes family status discrimination in Canada continues to vex employers. “The Supreme Court of Canada had an opportunity to create a uniform test across the country in 2019 but chose not to hear the case,” says Gary Clarke, the Calgary and Vancouver-based national co-head of Stikeman Elliott LLP’s employment and labour group. […]