News & Analysis as of

Employment Litigation Hiring & Firing Employment Standards Act

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Five Employer Wins and Counting: Is the Tide Turning?

In a shift from the prevailing trend of employee-friendly case law regarding the interpretation of employment and compensation agreements, Canadian courts have recently issued a series of rulings in favour of employers. ...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Did the Punishment Fit the Claim? Employer Hit With $25,000 in Punitive Damages for Making Statutory Entitlements Subject to a...

Stikeman Elliott LLP on

In its recent decision, Thompson v Revolution Resource Recovery Inc.2025 BCSC 8 (“Thompson”), the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the “Court”) made a $25,000 punitive damages award against an employer for attempting to...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Ontario Court Reaffirms Importance of Clear and Compliant Language in Employment Agreements

In December 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its highly anticipated decision in Dufault v. Ignace (Township). The three-judge panel determined that the “for cause” termination clause contained in the employee’s...more

Bennett Jones LLP

New Regulations Regarding the Hiring Process: Key Dates and Information for Ontario Employers

Bennett Jones LLP on

Ontario has recently published regulations offering employers further details on the new amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) related to the hiring process....more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Finds Termination Provisions Unenforceable and Awards Employee Punitive Damages

Littler on

Wilds v. 1959612 Ontario Inc., 2024 ONSC 3452, involves a wrongful dismissal action in which the employee brought a motion for summary judgment. The court found the termination provisions in her employment agreement were...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Upholds Provision Limiting Employee’s Termination Rights to Minimums Under Employment Standards Legislation

Littler on

In Bertsch v. Datastealth Inc., 2024 ONSC 5593, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed an employee’s claim for common law reasonable notice of termination on a Rule 21 motion....more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

A Win for Employers: The Ontario Superior Court of Justice Upholds Termination Provision

Stikeman Elliott LLP on

In the recent Bertsch v. Datastealth Inc., 2024 ONSC 5593 decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice upheld the enforceability of a "with or without cause" termination provision that limited the employee's entitlement on...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Reinforces Waksdale’s Impact on Enforceability of Termination Provisions and Provides Guidance on Proving...

Littler on

In De Castro v. Arista Homes Limited, 2024 ONSC 1035, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice (Court) held the termination provision in an employment contract was unenforceable because it defined “cause” more broadly than does...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Finds Termination Clauses in Fixed-Term Employment Agreement Unenforceable

Littler on

In Dufault v. The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, 2024 ONSC 1029, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that the termination provisions of a fixed-term employment contract were illegal and unenforceable because...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Court Rules Employer's Discretion to Terminate is Shackled by the ESA

Stikeman Elliott LLP on

In Dufault v. The Corporation of the Township of Ignace ("Dufault"), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, on a summary judgment motion, found the termination without cause provision of a fixed-term employment contract...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Have Arrived

Bennett Jones LLP on

As you may have heard or read in our earlier blog, More Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Are on the Horizon, the Ontario government introduced Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 in late March 2023. On...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Employment Standards Act to Require Licensing of Temporary Help Agencies: The New Regime at a Glance

Bennett Jones LLP on

As of January 1, 2024, the Employment Standards Act will require temporary help agencies to be licensed by the Ministry of Labour in order to operate. The Ontario government previously amended the Employment Standards Act in...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Fixed in Stone - Fixed Term Remains Secure Despite Invalid Termination Clause

Stikeman Elliott LLP on

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently released its decision in Kopyl v Losani Homes (not yet cited) (the “Decision”), providing insight into the enforceability of fixed terms in employment agreements in circumstances...more

Bennett Jones LLP

More Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Are on the Horizon

Bennett Jones LLP on

On March 20, 2023, the Ontario government introduced Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 (Bill 79), which, if passed, will introduce changes to Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and other employment-related...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Decides Employment Contract’s Unenforceable Confidentiality and Conflict-of-Interest Clauses Invalidated All...

Littler on

Two years ago in Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc., 2020 ONCA 391,  the Ontario Court of Appeal established the proper method for determining whether a termination clause in an employment agreement is enforceable. ...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada: Availability of Deemed IDEL Ended on July 30, 2022 But Unpaid and Paid IDEL Still Available to Eligible Employees

Littler on

Deemed IDEL No Longer Available - In May of 2020, Ontario filed O. Reg. 228/20, which provided that a non-unionized employee who did not perform their job duties during the “COVID-19 period” because their work hours were...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Applies the Rule in Waksdale and Provides Insight on Calculating Reasonable Notice Damages

Littler on

A recent wrongful dismissal opinion from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice weighed the impact of the pandemic and alleged failure to mitigate when deciding how much reasonable notice damages were owed the plaintiff. In...more

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

La Cour d’appel de l’Ontario confirme que les conséquences du harcèlement sexuel peuvent être sévères

Mark Render, un gestionnaire avec 30 ans de service, a été congédié par son employeur pour motif sérieux après avoir donné une gifle sur les fesses d’une collègue (la « plaignante ») dans leur lieu de travail. M. Render a...more

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Consequences for Sexual Harassment Can Be Severe, Ontario Court of Appeal Confirms

Mark Render (Render), a manager with 30 years of service, was dismissed by his employer for just cause after slapping the buttocks of a female colleague (Complainant) at the workplace. Render’s wrongful dismissal action...more

Littler

Surreptitious Recording of Conversations with Colleagues May Justify Termination of Employment for Cause in British Columbia,...

Littler on

In Shalagin v. Mercer Celgar Limited Partnership, 2022 BCSC 112 (Mercer), the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed an employee’s wrongful dismissal claim and held that his surreptitious recording of conversations with...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Awards Employee $25,000 in Moral/Aggravated Damages Because Employer Breached Duty of Good Faith and Fair...

Littler on

In Russell v. The Brick Warehouse LP, 2021 ONSC 4822 (The Brick Warehouse), on a motion for summary judgment in a wrongful dismissal action, the court awarded $25,000 in moral/aggravated damages because the employer breached...more

Fisher Phillips

Employers with Limited Canadian Presence May Be Required to Fulfill Significant Severance Obligations Thanks to Recent Court...

Fisher Phillips on

A Divisional Court in Ontario, Canada recently issued a ruling that could have significant potential extra-jurisdictional consequences for U.S. employers with even a single employee based in Canada. The court’s June 15...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Decides Employer’s Liability for Severance Depends on Size of its Global Payroll

Littler on

The recent Ontario decision, Hawkes v. Max Aicher (North America) Limited, 2021 ONSC 4290 (Max Aicher), establishes that global employment is factored into the calculation of an employer’s payroll under s. 64 of the...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Decides Employees Laid Off During COVID-19 May Not Claim Constructive Dismissal at Common Law

Littler on

Just six weeks after holding in Coutinho v. Ocular Health Centre Ltd. that Ontario Regulation 228/20 (IDEL Regulation) under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) did not remove an employee’s common law right to claim...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Decides Employee Laid Off During COVID-19 May Claim Constructive Dismissal at Common Law

Littler on

Last May, the government of Ontario filed Ontario Regulation 228/20 (IDEL Regulation) under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA).  The Regulation provides that an employee in a non-unionized workplace who, any time during...more

31 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 2

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide