The brief run on employer friendly cases seems to have come to an end. The Ontario Court of Appeal just reversed the lower court’s decision in Waksdale v Swegon North America, which previously held that an ‘illegal’ just cause termination provision would not necessarily impact the enforceability of a ‘legal’ without cause provision where the...
After much speculation, Prime Minister Trudeau announced today that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will be extended by 8 weeks. Previously the length of the eligibility period for the CERB was 16 weeks, which for many who applied when it first became available will be soon coming to an end. As a reminder, the...
Over the weekend the provincial government passed legislation amending the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) in several fundamental ways. In particular, the changes set out below will apply throughout the “Covid-19 Period”, which is defined as the period from March 1, 2020 to six (6) weeks after Ontario’s emergency order is lifted. Employees...
Prime Minister Trudeau announced today that he will begin talks with the provinces and territories to implement 10 paid sick days a year for workers. It is important to note that the Federal government does not have the authority to pass provincial employment laws, including the obligation to provide paid sick days. To be clear,...
With health and safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind in B.C. as the province starts to reopen, WorkSafeBC is now requiring businesses in B.C. have a Safety Plan outlining each business’s plan to reduce the risk of COVID-19. Below are the points B.C. businesses must consider when developing their plan: Assessing the risk in...
As more and more provinces begin reopening, it’s important for employers to be aware of the specific health and safety guidelines associated with reopening/operating your business. For your reference, we have gathered below a list of links to the guidelines issued by province. While these are recommendations/best practices, you can anticipate Ministry of Labour occupational...
More COVID-19 related changes are coming, this time to British Columbia. Following suit with Alberta, the province of BC has recently made amendments extending their temporary layoff period from 13 weeks to 16 weeks in a 20-week period. It’s important to note this change is only applicable if the layoff is due to COVID-19 related...
There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Over the past week, provincial governments across Canada have started outlining plans to get businesses up and running again. Some provinces – Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec – have also released health and safety guidelines setting out what businesses must have in...
At long last the Ontario government is allowing some businesses to reopen, with strict guidelines, starting on Monday, May 4th, 2020. This announcement follows several other provinces announcing their reopening plans over the past week. If following proper health and safety guidelines, the following will be allowed to open come Monday: Garden centres and nurseries...
The Federal Government announced today that applications for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) will commence on April 27th, 2020. While you wait for the applications to open, they have provided a subsidy calculation tool to assist employers in figuring out how much wage subsidy they will be eligible for. The calculator can be found...