On November 14, 2023, the Ontario government tabled Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 (Bill 149) which, as of the date of this blog, has been referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. If implemented as...more
Two underlying themes for the Spring 2022 Bennett Jones Economic Outlook are supply shortages and economic uncertainty. These themes also resonate in analyzing developments and prospects in the Canadian labour market more...more
The "right to disconnect" refers to an employee's ability to not engage in work-related communications (emails, texts, telephone calls, video calls, etc.) while off duty....more
2/21/2022
/ Canada ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Off-Duty Employee Access ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Right to Disconnect ,
Telecommunications ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Privacy
Last month, we wrote about a recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court in Coutinho v Ocular Health Centre, which found that employees placed on a temporary leave under O. Reg 228/20 Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (the...more
7/7/2021
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medical Leave ,
Paid Leave ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour
A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court has dealt yet another blow to employers in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The decision of Justice D.A. Broad in Coutinho v Ocular Health Centre, released April 27,...more
On April 29, 2021, the Ontario Legislature passed the COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, amending section 50.1 of Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). As a result, provincially regulated employers must now provide...more
5/5/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Ontario, Premier Ford announced on September 28, 2020, that Ontario "is in the second wave". As part of measures to flatten the curve during this second wave of COVID-19,...more
On July 17, 2020, in response to public consultations, the Department of Finance, introduced draft legislative proposals which, if implemented, would extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to December 19, 2020, and...more
Changes Announced on April 8, 2020 -
On April 8, 2020, the federal government disclosed updated eligibility and coverage information on its proposed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the preliminary details of which...more
As an alternative to engaging in layoffs or reducing work-weeks (which we discuss in Employer's Guide to COVID-19—Managing Issues of Pay), an employer may consider applying for relief under the existing Canadian Work Sharing...more
On April 1, 2020, the federal government disclosed additional eligibility and coverage information on its proposed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the preliminary details of which were introduced in announcements made...more
In November 2017, Ontario’s Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received Royal Assent. While many changes to Ontario’s employment laws have already come into effect, others are just around the corner....more
On November 28, 2017, Ontario’s Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received Royal Assent. While some major changes have already come into effect, others are just around the corner....more
On November 28, 2017, Ontario’s Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received Royal Assent. Major changes are now on the horizon for all provincially-regulated workplaces in Ontario....more
On November 28, 2017, Ontario’s Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received royal assent. What this means is that major changes are on the horizon for all provincially-regulated workplaces in Ontario....more
North v Metaswitch Networks Corporation, 2017 ONCA 790 [Metaswitch] is the latest in a series of employee-friendly appellate level decisions where a contractual termination provision is not enforced. The Ontario Court of...more
The Ontario Ministry of Labour recently released version 6.0 of the Employment Standards Poster, which outlines employees’ minimum rights and employers’ minimum obligations. With the release of this new poster, almost every...more
On November 20, 2014, Bill 18, the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, received royal assent. This amends five employment and labour-related statutes in Ontario in an effort to protect employees. The effect...more