When Ontario abolished mandatory retirement in 2006, employers could still terminate benefits for workers who turned 65. But in May, the province’s Human Rights Tribunal determined the provision in the Human Rights Code that allowed employers to do so was unconstitutional. Previously, employers often offered benefits to older workers to encourage them to stay and […]
More than 8,000 Starbucks stories and offices across the United States will close on Tuesday afternoon to host education and training sessions for employees on race, bias, diversity and inclusion. Last week, it shared a preview of its May 29 curriculum, noting this will set the foundation for a longer-term anti-bias, diversity, equity and inclusion effort. It worked with […]
As the legalization of cannabis in Canada approaches, League Inc. has introduced a toolkit to help employers solidify their human resources policies. The free resource, which is available on the company’s website, includes three components along with a webinar. “Basically, it includes a policy template,” says Lori Casselman, health advisor at League. “The template really […]
The terms of a settlement for Wabush Mines’ former employees and retirees are now available, including an $18-million payment to address a $28-million pension shortfall and an estimated $10.9 million to compensate for the loss of health benefits. The settlement affects 1,700 pensioners and former unionized employees of the Newfoundland and Labrador-based mine owned by Cleveland Cliffs Inc., according […]
Three years after Wabush Mines filed for restructuring, its former employees and retirees will see an increase to their pensions, following a previous reduction of between 21 and 25 per cent, as a result of a proposed settlement in the matter. While the amounts won’t be public until the court overseeing the company’s insolvency approves a settlement in principle, […]
In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found an employer didn’t constructively dismiss a long-service employee when it provided her with 18 months of working notice prior to asking her to enter into a new employment contract that included changes to vacation pay and a signing bonus. In Lancia v. Park Dentistry, Michele Lancia worked […]
Pension plan sponsors can save money by ensuring their plan texts and other communications materials are free of mistakes, says Mitch Frazer, a partner and the chair of the pensions and employment practice at Torys LLP. At a pension and benefits fundamentals program held by the Toronto chapter of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists […]
With the #MeToo movement in full swing in recent months, criminal lawyer Marie Henein crystallized what needs to change at an event in Toronto recently. “The baseline must be changed,” Henein, a criminal lawyer and partner at Henein Hutchinson LLP, said at a University of Toronto lecture in February. “Women must be entitled to go […]
Canadians spend an average of almost 10 hours each day, excluding sleep time, being sedentary. That counts as risky behaviour given studies that have linked sitting more than four hours a day to a number of long-term health risks, such as heart disease, diabetes and back pain. But when that inactivity is largely the result […]
Companies are falling short when it comes to having comprehensive policies on substance use, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. The report, which is based on a review of about 800 companies, interviews with experts and responses to an online survey, aimed to analyze and provide a […]