John Mastoras

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Over the past month there has been a lot of press and speculation about the status of the changing Workplaces Review and, in particular, when we can expect the final report of the special advisors, former union-side labour lawyer C. Michael Mitchell and former Ontario Superior Court judge and management-side labour lawyer John C. Murray.…

A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has confirmed that, in certain scenarios, an employee’s dishonesty in the hiring process will constitute cause for dismissal.

The defendant employer, Canada’s leading nuclear energy agency, is required to comply with government rules respecting site access security clearance.  As such, candidates for employment are required…

On January 1, 2017, amendments to the personal emergency leave and daily rest period provisions under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) came into force with respect to the automotive sector.

The amendment added section 4 to O Reg 502/06, “Terms and Conditions of Employment in Defined Industries – Automobile…

Since 2012, two class action lawsuits have been filed against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).  The lawsuits allege that current and former female officers and employees were subject to systemic gender-based bullying, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace, causing the affected women to suffer physical and psychological damage, personal expense, and loss of income,…

Recently, a private member’s bill which proposes to add “genetic characteristics” to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code went through its second reading at Queen’s Park and was referred to the committee stage. From an employment law point of view, if this bill is passed into law, the…

The federal government has moved one step closer to making good on its promise earlier this year to restore the pre-2013 public service labour relations regime.  On November 28, 2016, the government tabled legislation to repeal parts of Conservative Bill C-4 (Economic Action Plan, No. 2, Division 17), dealing with essential services, collective bargaining, and…

With the cold weather setting in, flu season is officially in full swing.

Last year, Arbitrator Jim Hayes considered whether hospitals could implement policies requiring nurses to either get the flu shot or wear a mask. In the test case decision of Sault Area Hospital and Ontario Nurses’ Association (“Sault Area Hospital”), Arbitrator Hayes…

In Gagnon & Associates Inc. v Jesso, 2016 ONSC 209, the defendants (“Jesso” and “Cameau”) had been working as salesmen for the employer (“Gagnon”) for ten years when they resigned. They had been an integral part of the defendant’s operations, and were jointly responsible for approximately 60 per cent of the defendant’s sales.

The…