Labour & Employment

The provincial government went silent throughout much of the fall when Ontarians could expect to have a third reading of Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017. However, last Thursday, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs adopted significant amendments to Bill…

It seems that everywhere we look these days, sexual harassment is on the radar – whether in Hollywood, the CBC or in our own workplaces. Recent changes to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act now require investigations to be conducted by employers into all incidents or complaints of …

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…

As the end of the year approaches, and with it the deadline for many businesses to file their Accessibility Compliance Report, it seems as good a time as any to review the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the “AODA”) and confirm your organization’s compliance. More on that …

It’s not news to readers of this blog that proving just cause for the dismissal of an employee is a high hurdle. Our clients also know that we usually recommend the continuation of a dismissed employee’s group benefits during negotiations post-dismissal. Now there’s a case to highlight the i…

Click here to check out the Labour & Employment Group’s associates featured in the current edition of Venture Magazine!

Like any contract, an employment contract can be “frustrated” when continued performance of the contract becomes impossible or would be radically different because of a dramatic change in circumstances. Employers typically raise frustration of contract to formally end the employment relation…

Yesterday, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs’ tour of Ontario hit London to hear from the public on the changes to labour and employment legislation proposed in Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017. Throughout the day, the Committee considered oral presen…

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…

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…