May 15, 2017 by Andy Pushalik in Employment Standards, English, Ontario
  • Comments Off on Changing Workplaces Review to be Released May 22: Media Reports

Changing Workplaces Review to be Released May 22: Media Reports

The countdown is on.

Over the weekend the Toronto Star and the CBC each published stories detailing what Ontarians can expect to see in the long awaited final report from the Changing Workplaces Review when it is released later this month. Citing unnamed government sources, the media outlets report

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May 03, 2017 by Heather Di Dio in English, Ontario, Pensions and Benefits
  • Comments Off on 2017 Ontario Budget: Highlights for Pension Plan Sponsors and Administrators

2017 Ontario Budget: Highlights for Pension Plan Sponsors and Administrators

Pension plan sponsors and administrators have much to anticipate with the release of the 2017 Ontario Budget: A Stronger, Healthier Ontario (Budget) on April 27, 2017.  The Budget provides updates to several pension reform initiatives that many stakeholders have been waiting for, as well as new proposals aimed at benefiting

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April 26, 2017 by Mary Picard in English, Ontario, Pensions and Benefits
  • Comments Off on Changes to the Canada Pension Plan: a field guide for Ontario employers

Changes to the Canada Pension Plan: a field guide for Ontario employers

Are you an employer who is uncertain about what you should be doing to prepare for the changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)?  This guide will help you.

The changes were announced by the federal government a year ago, and formal rules became law at the end of 2016.  Unlike

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April 10, 2017 by Sabrina Serino in English, Labour, Ontario, Privacy
  • Comments Off on Court Allows the TTC to Implement Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

Court Allows the TTC to Implement Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

In a recent decision, the Honourable Justice Marrocco of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice denied the request of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 and Robert Kinnear (the “Applicants”) to restrain the TTC from conducting the random drug and alcohol testing of its employees.

The random testing applies to TTC

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March 15, 2017 by Jillian Frank in British Columbia, English, Human Rights
  • Comments Off on Costs of Accommodation: British Columbia Supreme Court Reaffirms High Threshold for Undue Hardship

Costs of Accommodation: British Columbia Supreme Court Reaffirms High Threshold for Undue Hardship

In a July 2016 decision, Providence Health Care v. Dunkley, 2016 BCSC 1383, the British Columbia Supreme Court held that Providence Health Care (PHC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) failed to establish that the costs of providing interpreter services for a deaf medical resident constituted undue hardship.

The decision

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February 27, 2017 by Catherine Coulter in Employment Standards, English, Ontario
  • Comments Off on Is This The Definitive Word on Termination Provisions/Consideration?

Is This The Definitive Word on Termination Provisions/Consideration?

A series of Ontario cases dating back to 2012 has put into issue the question of what does, or doesn’t, make a termination provision enforceable.  After a number of recent employer-friendly decisions, the Ontario Court of Appeal has weighed in with a decision that contains some good news, and some

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February 17, 2017 by Mary Picard in English, Ontario, Pensions and Benefits
  • Comments Off on Who is a “parent” in the Ontario pension world? And why does it matter?

Who is a “parent” in the Ontario pension world? And why does it matter?

Any person who is the “spouse” of a member of a registered pension plan in Canada has rights regarding the pension entitlement of his or her partner. That important policy has been entrenched in pension legislation for decades.  Exactly who is a “spouse”?  The answer to that question has recently

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January 31, 2017 by Andy Pushalik in Employment Standards, English, Ontario
  • Comments Off on 2016 Labour and Employment Law – A Year in Review (in 140 characters or less)

2016 Labour and Employment Law – A Year in Review (in 140 characters or less)

As we close out the first month of 2017, we thought it appropriate to briefly review the cases which caught our eye in 2016 in 140 characters or less:

  1. Wilson v. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., 2016 SCC 29 – @SCC_eng confirms Federally regulated employers cannot be dismissed without cause.
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November 28, 2016 by Mary Picard in English, Ontario, Pensions and Benefits
  • Comments Off on Ontario regulatory form regarding pension plan contributions: comply!

Ontario regulatory form regarding pension plan contributions: comply!

Trustees and administrators of Ontario registered pension plans: beware of Form 7.

That’s the form that administrators of registered pension plans must complete, and send to their pension fund trustees, that summarizes the estimated employer and employee contributions that will be due to be made to the pension plans in future.

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October 05, 2016 by Jeff Bastien in British Columbia, English, Labour
  • Comments Off on British Columbia Arbitrator Reinstates Firefighter Convicted of Possession of Stolen Boat

British Columbia Arbitrator Reinstates Firefighter Convicted of Possession of Stolen Boat

In a recent grievance decision, Re Prince George and Prince George Firefighters, Local 1372 (Williams), 2016 CarswellBC 2591, a labour arbitrator reinstated a firefighter whose employment was terminated after being found guilty of possession of a stolen boat and trailer.

This case serves as a reminder to employers that in order

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