Recently, sweltering summer heat settled over parts of Canada, especially in Ontario. There is good reason to believe that this will happen again this summer, and will impact both workers who are outside in the sun and those...more
In R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), 2024 ONSC 3959, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (OSCJ) dismissed an appeal of the trial judge’s decision in which she acquitted the City of Sudbury (City) of various charges under...more
In Croke v. VuPoint System Ltd., 2024 ONCA 354, the Court of Appeal for Ontario (OCA) upheld the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario (SCJ)’s summary judgment decision that an employee’s refusal to comply with their employer’s...more
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently held that an employee’s failure to meet COVID-19 vaccination requirements imposed by a third party amounted to frustration of the employment contract. As a result, there was no obligation...more
The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has announced that it is seeking prompt comments and feedback on two Occupational Health and Safety proposals, including one in relation to heat...more
As of October 14, 2022, Ontario made the following changes to its COVID-19 requirements for long term care (LTC) homes, as set out in its COVID-19 guidance document....more
On March 1, 2022, Ontario moved to the Roadmap Exit Step, as amended. We provided a summary of the restrictions that were eliminated on that date and those that would continue to exist....more
Ontario first released its plan to follow a cautious and phased approach to lifting COVID-19 public health and workplace safety measures on January 20, 2022. On February 14, 2022, however, Ontario announced that with key...more
On February 14, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that continued improvement in public health indicators means that COVID-related restrictions can be relaxed ahead of schedule. The first major changes take effect on...more
With key public health indicators beginning to show signs of improvement and expected to continue, Ontario announced that commencing January 31, 2022, in the absence of concerning trends, it would begin to take steps to...more
On January 20, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that, beginning on January 31, 2022, restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic will gradually be eased. While the province’s plan could change in response to...more
In Bunge Hamilton Canada, Hamilton, Ontario v. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, Local 175, the arbitrator found that a mandatory vaccination policy requiring unvaccinated unionized employees to be placed on unpaid...more
In Bunge Hamilton Canada, Hamilton, Ontario v. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, Local 175 (Bunge), Arbitrator Robert J. Herman dismissed a union grievance challenging the employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination...more
On October 22, 2021, Ontario announced the release of its phased plan to gradually lift all remaining public health and workplace safety measures by March 2022, as set out in A Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage...more
On August 20, 2021 the Medical Officer of Health for Toronto issued a “strong recommendation” that every local business implements a COVID-19 vaccination policy. The City of Toronto has also provided guidance on the key...more
On August 17, 2021, Ontario announced that COVID-19 vaccination policies would be mandatory in high-risk settings, and the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen would be put on hold. Therefore, until further notice,...more
On July 30, 21, Ontario filed O. Reg. 541/21 (Regulation), which adds a new “Roadmap Exit Step” to the Rules for Areas at Step 3 of its Roadmap to Reopen (Roadmap). ...more
On June 24, 2021, Ontario announced that with improvements in key indicators relating to public health and health care, and the provincewide vaccination rate surpassing targets, it will be moving to Step Two of its Roadmap to...more
Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, Ontario has announced that it will enter Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen (Roadmap) on June 11 rather...more
On April 13, 2021, Ontario announced that in Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan it will provide vaccines to those 18 and over via mass immunization clinics, mobile teams, and pop-up clinics in highly impacted...more
In Sharma v. Toronto (City), 2020 HRTO 949, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) provides a roadmap for how employers should determine whether they are required to accommodate employees and customers who seek...more
In a News Release dated March 17, 2021, Ontario announced it was removing regulatory restrictions to make it easier for organizations to conduct on-site COVID-19 testing in the workplace. Asymptomatic employees can now...more
In Christian Labour Association of Canada v. Caressant Care Nursing & Retirement Homes (D. Randall), a union filed a group grievance on behalf of a number of its members working at an Ontario retirement home to challenge the...more
On November 19, 2020, Ontario announced it had launched “inspection blitzes” to help stop the transmission of COVID-19 and keep workers safe. The inspections involve the deployment of provincial offences officers from...more
On November 3, 2020, Ontario announced a new COVID-19 Response Framework, Keeping Ontario Safe and Open (New Framework) that will be approved by Cabinet on November 6, 2020. Public health units will be transitioned to the...more