In Canada, most federally regulated employers in the private and public spheres are subject to the Employment Equity Act, or in French, la Loi sur l’équité en matière d’emploi (the “Act”). First enacted in 1986, the Act’s objective is to ensure that federally regulated employers proactively engage in equitable practices that reduce barriers and counter … Continue reading
New York City has recently adopted amendments to the New York City sick time law. These amendments, which go into effect on May 5, 2018, will require action by New York City employers. Background on New York City’s sick time law Since April 1, 2014, all New York City employers have been required to provide … Continue reading
Earlier this year, we learned that the federal government is going forward with its promise to re-vamp the federal pay equity system. As of yet, the federal government has not introduced any legislation. However, in the 2018 Budget Plan, the federal government has promised a proactive federal pay equity system in line with Ontario and … Continue reading
On April 12, 2018, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law new measures aimed at preventing sexual harassment. We summarized these provisions in detail in our legal update, New York employers should get ready to comply with New York State’s new sexual harassment prevention laws, published on April 11th, in anticipation of the bill being signed … Continue reading
Le projet de loi 176 intitulé « Loi modifiant la Loi sur les normes du travail et d’autres dispositions législatives afin principalement de faciliter la conciliation famille-travail » a été déposé par le gouvernement libéral à l’Assemblée nationale à la fin du mois de mars. Plusieurs de ses dispositions auront un impact significatif sur les agences de placement … Continue reading
The Act to amend the Act respecting labour standards and other legislative provisions (the bill) was tabled by the liberal government at the National Assembly at the end of March. Several provisions of this bill will have an impact on the businesses of personnel placement agencies. Here is our take on these issues. In a … Continue reading
La ministre responsable du Travail, Dominique Vien, vient tout juste de déposer le projet de loi 176 sur la modification de la Loi sur les normes du travail (LNT) et d’autres dispositions législatives afin principalement de faciliter la conciliation travail-famille.… Continue reading
The Financial Post interviews Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s patent and trademark lawyer Maya Medeiros on Artificial Intelligence’s discriminatory biases. Despite all of the advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), experts reveal that these technologies are not immune from some of the less-than-admirable tendencies which afflict humans. As recently reported by the Financial … Continue reading
As we are all aware, the news has been populated with stories concerning allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, particularly in the entertainment and media industries as well as government institutions. These stories have contributed to the “#MeToo” movement, which originated on Twitter and other social media websites in late 2017 and has since become … Continue reading
It is often a challenge for employers to determine whether they have a duty to accommodate an employee’s “family status” under human rights legislation. Adjudicators across Canada have taken different approaches to assess whether the duty to accommodate family status has been triggered. The recent B.C. Human Rights Tribunal decision in Adair v. Forensic Psychiatric … Continue reading
More and more organisations are growing their global footprint and need to move their people around the world. In this global environment, it is essential to know, understand and comply with employment and labour laws in place across all of the jurisdictions in which organisations engage people. This will help to protect business from unnecessary … Continue reading
Effective January 1, 2018, employers covered by the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) have been required to post version 7.0 of the Ministry of Labour poster “Fair at Work Ontario – What You Need to Know” in the workplace where it is likely to come to the attention of employees. Employers must also provide … Continue reading
Over the course of this past year there have been several important decisions dealing with the enforceability of termination clauses in employment agreements, and how a court is to interpret a clause to determine the employer’s obligations to a departing employee. The importance of these decisions can be seen by contrasting the financial consequences that … Continue reading
Since Ontario Family Day is coming on February 19, please take another look at our posts explaining how Bill 148 amended the public holiday provisions in the Ontario Employment Standards Act. As you may recall, there is a new formula for calculating public holiday pay, plus additional employer obligations when an employee works on a … Continue reading
The effect of the Stronger, Fairer Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2017 (“Bill 177”), which received royal assent on December 14, 2017, is far reaching as it introduces changes to a number of statutes. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”), the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act (“BPSECA”), the Pension Benefits Act (“PBA”) and the … Continue reading
After a few politicians at the federal and provincial levels recently stepped down because of sexual misconduct allegations, lawmakers debated Bill C-65 in the House of Commons this week. Tabled in November 2017, Bill C-65 aims to amend “the Canada Labour Code (CLC) to strengthen the existing framework for preventing harassment and violence, including sexual harassment … Continue reading
As a result of the new tax reform legislation, employers may no longer deduct on their tax returns any “settlement or payment related to sexual harassment or sexual abuse if such settlement or payment is subject to a nondisclosure agreement” (emphasis added) or any “attorney’s fees related to such a settlement or payment.” This change … Continue reading
Under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) Ontario has nine public holidays: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 26). Nothing in Bill 148 has changed that. Likewise, an employee who would otherwise be eligible to take the public holiday … Continue reading
Bill 148 reforms have ushered in changes to the public holiday provisions of the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”). This post outlines the new formula for calculating public holiday pay that came into effect on January 1, 2018. Full time, part time, permanent and fixed-term employees can all still qualify for the public holiday … Continue reading
The Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) is a key employment law statute setting certain minimum terms and conditions of employment applicable to most employees in Ontario. Employers covered by the ESA are required to post “the most recent version” of the Ontario Ministry of Labour poster about rights and obligations under the ESA … Continue reading
In a landmark case, the Supreme Court of Canada has extended the protection it offers to employees from discrimination in the workplace to encompass discrimination perpetrated by an individual with a different employer: British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal v. Schrenk, 2017 SCC 62. This case answers in the affirmative the question of whether the BC … Continue reading
Those of you who have been following this series of blogs will know that Bill 148 ESA amendments generally apply to unionized workplaces as of the effective date of the particular amendment. There are a few limited exceptions, however. In yesterday’s post, we addressed how employers with unionized employees may find temporary relief from the … Continue reading
As we explained in yesterday’s post, the Bill 148 amendments to the ESA minimum standards will generally apply to unionized workplaces as of the effective date of the particular amendment. However, there are two circumstances in which a collective agreement provision in effect on April 1, 2018 will temporarily prevail over certain Bill 148 amendments … Continue reading
It is hard to imagine a question more pressing for Ontario employers of unionized employees. For the most part, the Bill 148 amendments to the ESA minimum standards will apply to unionized workplaces as of the effective date of the particular amendment. More specifically, Bill 148 ESA amendments – including with respect to the minimum … Continue reading