The United States has announced the imposition of new tariffs on Canadian goods, effective immediately as of March 4, 2025. These tariffs include a 25% surcharge on a wide range of products imported from Canada....more
3/7/2025
/ Canada ,
Employment Contract ,
Energy Sector ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Ontario ,
Surcharges ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies
In November 2023, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 149, the Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 (the “Act”). The Act places new obligations and prohibitions on employers, and intends to strengthen Ontario’s employee...more
6/21/2024
/ Canada ,
Digital Platforms ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Standards Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Ontario ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
The Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act will take effect on January 1, 2024, requiring certain organizations in Canada that are involved in the production or distribution of goods to submit a...more
11/1/2023
/ Child Labor ,
Designated Agent ,
Distributors ,
Enforcement ,
Forced Labor ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Suppliers ,
Supply Chain ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
In our previous article, Protecting Your Brand: A Primer on Canadian Trademarks, we touched upon the beginning stages of a trademark application and considerations such as, "Should I register my trademark?" and "Is the...more
When it comes to selling a business, there are two primary methods: an asset sale and a share sale. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to understand the key legal differences between the...more
6/21/2023
/ Assignments ,
Capital Gains ,
Commercial Contracts ,
Contract Terms ,
Depreciation ,
Employment Contract ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Sale of Assets ,
Share Purchase Agreements ,
Share Transfer ,
Strategic Planning ,
Tax Liability
Every minute counts in the workplace, but what happens when employees start stealing worktime for personal gain? This important issue is known as time theft which is the act of employees taking advantage of company time for...more
The federal Canadian Competition Act is the principal legislation that aims to deter and prevent anti-competitive practices in the Canadian marketplace. One year ago, the Canadian government made major amendments to the act. ...more
On February 28, 2022, the Ontario Government introduced the new “Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022” which would amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) and, amongst other things, require employers to develop an...more
Further to our previous article, the Working for the Workers Act, 2021 (the "Act") received Royal Assent on December 3, 2021. The Act amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA") and requires employers to develop a...more
Since the release of government-approved vaccines to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have been wrestling with how to implement vaccination policies in the workplace. For those employers who have implemented a...more
11/18/2021
/ Arbitration ,
Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Health Canada ,
Human Rights Act ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The government of Ontario has introduced legislation that they proclaim will “make the province the best place for people to work, live and raise a family.” The legislation, Bill 27 - the Working for Workers Act, 2021 (“Bill...more
11/3/2021
/ Amended Legislation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Standards Act ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
On-Call Employees ,
Ontario ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The world is shrinking, and the cost to multinational employers may have grown because of it.
In Hawkes v. Max Aicher (North America) Ltd., 2021 ONSC 4290 ("Hawkes"), Mr. Hawkes was originally denied severance pay...more
The Ontario Government has declared a second provincial emergency in response to COVID-19 under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (the "Act"). The Act provides the Ontario Government with wide authority to...more
In a recent publication, the Government of Ontario is encouraging all employers to develop and implement a COVID-19 Safety Plan as part of their obligation to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”). A...more
In the recent decision of Manthadi v Asco Manufacturing, 2020 ONCA 485 (“Manthadi”), the Ontario Court of Appeal has clarified that an employee’s past service with their former employer does not automatically transfer to a...more
As the old adage goes, "less is more." This might now be true for termination clauses in employment contracts after a recent decision from Ontario's top court.
In Waksdale v Swegon North America Inc., 2020 ONCA 391...more
As discussed in our recent newsletter, the new Bill 195 – Reopening Ontario (A Flexible response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 contains a provision that terminated the COVID-19 declared emergency. It read:
“17 Unless it has been...more
As discussed in our previous newsletter, the Ontario Government passed the O. Reg 228/20 - Emergency Leave: Declared Emergencies and Infectious Disease Emergencies on March 19, 2020. This Regulation altered how layoffs and...more
Over these past few weeks, there has been a great deal of concern related to the layoff provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA"). As discussed in our previous newsletter, employers have the ability under the...more
Over this last week, the Government of Canada has announced various changes to the programs that it has put in place to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief article provides an overview of these changes...more
Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance -
The Government of Canada announced further details of its new Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program on April 24, 2020. The CECRA is intended to allow...more
Further to our most recent newsletter, the Prime Minister announced on April 16, 2020, that the Government of Canada has:
..Expanded the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to businesses that paid between $20,000 and...more