Summertime Employee Productivity : by the Numbers
The summer season results in significant changes in employee behaviour. A 2012 North America-wide study by Captivate Network, a leading digital media company, entitled “Summer Hours are Bad for Business” examined these changes. Some highlights of this study are depicted below:
Canadians Prove How Much They Hate Spam!
The CRTC recently reported that it has received a record number of 50,000+ CASL complaints in just over a month since CASL came into force. This high volume of complaints is a good indicator of how much Canadians truly hate receiving spam. It also demonstrates how important it is that businesses get their CASL compliance […]
The Supreme Court of Canada Finds Mandatory Retirement Lawful in the Context of Professional Partnerships
In the recent case of McCormick v. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, the Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously ruled that generally speaking, an equity member of a partnership is not an “employee” under the Human Rights Code (“Code”), and therefore a Human Rights Tribunal had no jurisdiction over the relationship between a partner and their […]
Ontario’s New Human Rights Commission Policy on Mental Health & Addictions
The Ontario Human Rights Commission recently released its new “Policy on preventing discrimination based on mental health disabilities and addictions” (the “Policy”). The Policy is a good reference tool for employers and was created to bring attention to the various forms of discrimination, stigma, and negative treatment that individuals with mental health disabilities and addiction […]
Bill 21 Allows Ontario Employees to Take Three New Leaves
On October 29, 2014, Ontario’s Bill 21, the Employment Standards Amendment Act (Leaves to Help Families), 2014, will come into force, enacting three new statutory leaves for employees under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “Act”); family caregiver leave, critically ill child care leave and crime-related child death or disappearance leave. The three new leaves […]
Ministry of Labour Compliance Blitz Changing Employers’ Attitudes Towards Unpaid Internships
Although the internship provision in Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) remains the same, the Ontario Ministry of Labour (“MOL”) has scheduled a compliance blitz from April to June 2014 to ensure compliance with this provision.
E-Bulletin: An Employee’s Child or Eldercare Obligations May be Your Problem
As a follow up to our February 2014 edition of the “In the Know” newsletter, on May 2, 2014, the Federal Court of Appeal issued a decision in A.G. Canada v. Johnstone (“Johnstone”). This case is the most recent in a line of decisions on the topic of family status accommodation. Williams HR Law has […]
Ministry of Labour Implements New Employee Health and Safety Training Regulations
The Ontario Ministry of Labour is amending employee training regulations under the Ontario Health and Safety Act (OHSA), a significant change that will impact the way organizations maintain full compliance with the legislation.
Quitting Employee Required to Work Through Notice Period
In an unusual case involving an employer seeking a declaration that a resignation clause in an employment contract is binding, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Blackberry Limited v. Marineau-Mes, 2014 ONSC 1790 declared that a senior executive is required to work out his resignation notice period.
Timing Is Everything: Comments on Mitigation from the Court Of Appeal
While the duty to mitigate can be help reduce an employer’s liability when it comes to common damages for reasonable notice, the Ontario Court of Appeal in Farwell v. Citair 2014 ONCA 177 reminds employers that certain steps must be taken before arguing that a dismissed employee has failed to mitigate in rejecting a legitimate […]