Employers are under no obligation to offer benefits. But if they do, they must offer them to all staffers in the same situation or face potential discrimination claims. Over the past few years, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation has grieved the top-up policies of three school boards that barred teachers from receiving benefits for both […]
Last week’s move by Sears Canada Inc. to file for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act wasn’t a surprise for the company’s retirees, says their lawyer. “The company has been having many challenges for years. Retirees have been engaged with the company for many years,” says Andrew Hatnay of Koskie Minsky LLP, the firm appointed […]
When it comes to wage indemnity benefits, employees can’t double-dip even if they’ve been successful in a human rights case, the Supreme Court of British Columbia has ruled. Between April 2008 and April 2009, Leslie Palm couldn’t work due to depression and received $36,078.57 from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union-Employer Association Health and Benefit Plan in […]
It’s never easy telling employees their pension benefits are getting worse, whether that’s because of a merger, a sale or simply a cost-savings measure. But when it happens, employers should consider several tactics to minimize both employee distress and the possibility of a lawsuit. “They need to be aware of potential constructive dismissal [litigation] that could occur if […]
The sale of Stelco Inc. to Bedrock Industries Group LLC can proceed, Ontario Superior Court Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel ruled this morning in Toronto. At the hearing, U.S. Steel, salaried employees, the province and the court-appointed monitor supported the new plan. “You can’t always get what you want, but it’s good enough,” said James Harnum, counsel for Stelco’s […]
Take your kids to work day happens all summer long at the Indianapolis campus of Roche’s diagnostics division. The drug company has hosted an on-site summer day camp for employees’ children since 2012 in an effort to better support parents and provide work-life balance, says Cody Adams, a consultant in employee engagement at Roche. “Employees have […]
With recreational marijuana set to become legal in Canada next summer, employers have limited time to prepare for the coming changes, attendees at a presentation sponsored by Torys LLP in Toronto heard on Wednesday. The Cannabis Act, introduced in the House of Commons in April, had its second reading earlier in June as the government looks to […]
MHIB Global Inc. has introduced a new online mental-health training program for small- and medium-sized companies. Small businesses “sometimes feel a little overwhelmed,” says Julie Holden, executive vice-president of the company. “There’s a lot of information out there, which is good. . . . But it can be a bit daunting in terms of where […]
One local of an Ontario construction union is introducing medical marijuana coverage into its benefits plan, effective June 15. LiUNA Local 625 represents around 1,500 active construction workers and 1,600 dependants and retirees in the Windsor area. It began researching medical marijuana coverage two years ago, motivated by the desire to reduce the amount […]
Stelco Inc. employees in Nanticoke and Hamilton, Ont., are voting today and Tuesday on whether to accept a new collective agreement proposed by potential buyer Bedrock Industries Group LLC, CBC has reported. Ontario Superior Court Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel won’t sign off on the purchase until the agreements are in place, according to the Globe and Mail. Creditors […]