Blog
What Constitutes an “Appropriate” Workplace Investigation? Labour Board Weighs In.
Ontario employers are required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) to investigate incidents and complaints of workplace harassment in a manner that is “appropriate in the circumstances.” There has been relatively little guidance on what this means in practice.
2026 Canadian Minimum Wage Increases: What Employers Should Prepare For
Employers may wish to review their employment agreements, job descriptions, and IP protection strategies to ensure they are aligned with current legal expectations.
Refusal to Vaccinate Can Lead to Frustration of Contract
In Croke v. VuPoint System Ltd., 2024 ONCA 354, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a wrongful dismissal claim by an employee who was terminated after refusing to comply with a vaccination policy.
The Side Effects of Moonlighting During Working Hours
With the increase in remote and hybrid work arrangements, employers are increasingly being faced with situations where employees have taken on “side hustles” or “side gigs.” In Dove v Destiny Media Technologies Inc., 2023 BCSC 1032, the Supreme Court of British Columbia found that an employer had “just cause” to terminate a full-time employee who worked on a side business during working hours.
File Your Accessibility Compliance Report By December 31, 2023
It’s hard to believe it, but we’re already in the final quarter of 2023. Reader, if you’re anything like me, you’ll blink, and the end of the year will be here just like that. But don’t blink just yet: before we can wrap up 2023, we’ve got deadlines to meet.
Time to Revisit Your Company’s Vacation Policy…
Vacation entitlements in Ontario can be tricky because of the minimum entitlements in Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) and the reality that many employers provide a greater right or benefit than the ESA minimums.
Upcoming CLC Changes Impose New Obligations on Employers
Amendments to the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”) that first received royal assent on December 13, 2018, with a to-be-determined coming into force date, are now slated to soon come into force – imposing new obligations on federally regulated employers in the process
New Licensing Regime for Temporary Help Agencies and Recruiters Now In Force
As of July 1, 2023, Ontario will require temporary help agencies (THAs) and recruiters to participate in a new licensing regime as part of the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”).
Inclusivity in the Workplace
In honour of Pride Month, today’s blog post addresses the unique responsibilities of employers in ensuring they make efforts to develop an inclusive workplace environment for members of the 2LGBTQIA+ community.
‘Tis the Season…For Vaccine Policies
It’s cold and flu season and after recent years, we can probably include COVID-19 in the list. After the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, we saw many employers introduce mandatory vaccine policies (“MVPs”) in order to comply with their obligations under health and safety legislation and manage their workforce in the middle of a pandemic.
The Electronic Monitoring Policy
On April 11, 2022, Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (the “Act”), received Royal Assent, amending the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) to require employers to develop “electronic monitoring” policies.
COVID Lessons for Employers
While a solution to the COVID health crisis remains far from certain, there are certain legal lessons that most employers can take away from the impact associated with the pandemic.
Location, Location, Location.
While the idea of working from a sunny (COVID-safe) remote island is tempting, companies will have to take a number of factors into consideration before permitting workers to work outside of Ontario.