In 2021, Canada saw significant statutory and case law developments in labour and employment law, some of which related to COVID-19. This Insight provides an overview of key 2021 developments, with links to more detailed...more
12/17/2021
/ Canada ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Harassment Guidance ,
Workplace Violence ,
Wrongful Termination
In NK v. Botuik, 2020 HRTO 345, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) made a $170,000 damage award to a vulnerable employee who, after being sexually harassed by her direct supervisor, engaged in unwelcome sexual...more
10/27/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Canada ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Ontario ,
Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Workplace Romances
On May 4, 2017, the federal government enacted the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (GNDA). On July 10, 2020, in Reference re Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (Reference),2 the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) rendered a split...more
Canada saw significant developments in labour and employment law in 2019. As we embark on a new decade, we will undoubtedly see the landscape in this ever-changing area of law continue to evolve....more
1/9/2020
/ Amended Legislation ,
Appeals ,
Canada ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Labour Code ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Substance Abuse ,
Tort ,
Undue Hardship
Two years after the #MeToo Movement made the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace known worldwide, the Alberta Court of Appeal in Calgary (City) v. Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 37,...more
11/11/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Arbitration ,
Canada ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hostile Environment ,
Judicial Review ,
Labor Regulations ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Termination
Employers in Ontario will likely welcome the decision in Katz et al. v. Clarke, 2019 ONSC 2188 (Divisional Court), which addressed the scope of the duty to accommodate in the event of an employee’s permanent disability. ...more
8/29/2019
/ Canada ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Damages ,
Duty to Accommodate ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Essential Functions ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Rights Code ,
Labor Regulations ,
Lost Wages ,
Ontario ,
Permanent Disability ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Wrongful Termination
Earlier this year, a labour arbitrator rendered a decision in Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Sunnyside Home) v Ontario Nurse’s Association, 2019 CanLII 43 (ON LA), that sends a clear warning to employers in Ontario about...more
6/6/2019
/ Arbitration ,
Breach of Trust ,
Canada ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Gross Misconduct ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Rights Code ,
International Labor Laws ,
Ontario ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reinstatement ,
Substance Abuse
The British Columbia Court of Appeal recently affirmed that it continues to be bound by the existing legal test for adverse discrimination on the ground of “family status” established in Health Sciences Assoc. of B.C. v....more