Business Essentials – Episode 1: Challenges related to COVID-19 facing employers now and in the future
In Business Essentials, a limited-run podcast series, Chris Sinal of Siskinds’ Labour & Employment Group sits down with some of the firm’s business lawyers to discuss current issues and challenges facing our clients as they adapt to the new business environment resulting from COVID-19. …
View the post titled Business Essentials – Episode 1: Challenges related to COVID-19 facing employers now and in the futureCOVID-19 exposure in the workplace: will WSIB approve the claims?
Are workers entitled to WSIB benefits if they contract COVID-19 at work? The answer, in some circumstances, is yes. The WSIB has stated that workers will be entitled to benefits for COVID-19 “arising out of and in the course of the worker’s employment”; this is simply a reflection of the s…
View the post titled COVID-19 exposure in the workplace: will WSIB approve the claims?Uber Decision Calls into Question Arbitration Clauses in Commercial Agreements
The news media has widely reported the Ontario Court of Appeal’s January 3, 2019 decision allowing a class-action by Uber drivers to proceed. The decision does not answer the question of whether Uber (and UberEATS) drivers should be considered employees or independent contractors (a conclusi…
View the post titled Uber Decision Calls into Question Arbitration Clauses in Commercial AgreementsOntario Government Announces WSIB Premium Relief for Employers
On September 26, the government of Ontario announced that Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) premium rates for employers will be reduced due to a steep reduction in the WSIB’s Insurance Fund’s unfunded liability. In the announcement, the provincial government stated that “the WSIB…
View the post titled Ontario Government Announces WSIB Premium Relief for EmployersBack to the Future – Public Holiday Changes Reversed
As we wrote in January, recent changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) under Bill 148 included a new method for calculating Public Holiday Pay. However, after widespread criticism from employers, the Ontario government announced Monday that it would be conducting a review o…
View the post titled Back to the Future – Public Holiday Changes ReversedNew Changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 Will Affect Calculation of New Year’s Day Holiday Pay
Happy New Year, everyone! Effective January 1, 2018, the method used for calculating public holiday pay has changed, meaning that the way employers are required to pay qualifying employees for New Year’s Day will be different than the method used for calculating Christmas and Boxing Da…
View the post titled New Changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 Will Affect Calculation of New Year’s Day Holiday PayFederal Government Releases Report on Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Workplace
Recently, the federal government released the results of a year-long series of consultations with unions, employer organizations, federal government departments and agencies, academics, and advocacy groups on the subject of workplace harassment and violence. The consultation process also inv…
View the post titled Federal Government Releases Report on Harassment and Sexual Violence in the WorkplacePublic Hearings Regarding the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, in London on July 17
Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, is currently working its way through the Ontario legislature and, if passed into law, would impose many new obligations on employers. For more details on those changes, please see our previous blog posts on the subject. Bill 148 is in the…
View the post titled Public Hearings Regarding the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, in London on July 17Up in Smoke: An Update on Marijuana in the Workplace
We are often asked to comment on what effect the proposed legalization of marijuana is likely to have on workplaces. As I noted last year, many employers already have experience with marijuana-related workplace issues, given that the drug has been used for medical purposes for some time. How…
View the post titled Up in Smoke: An Update on Marijuana in the WorkplaceUnionizing Franchise Locations Could Become Easier Under Proposed Changes to Ontario Law
The Ontario Changing Workplaces Review has now issued its Final Report, and there’s good news and bad news for franchisors. First, the good news: as we outlined in February, there were concerns that the Final Report would call for expanding the situations where franchisors would be considere…
View the post titled Unionizing Franchise Locations Could Become Easier Under Proposed Changes to Ontario LawReceive Blog Posts
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