Topic: Canada

Speculation in Human Rights Claims – A Recent Decision

One of the challenging circumstances often facing an employer is having to make a tough decision (e.g. termination) with respect to an employee who is known to have a protected characteristic under human rights law. Whether the employee is elderly, has a disability, is gay, or has another protected characteristic, the concern is that the employee will allege that the decision was discriminatory. Even if the employer is comfortable that the protected ground was not a factor in the adverse decision, the threat or commencement of a complaint will add costs, time and stress.

Thankfully, the BC Human Rights Tribunal … Continue Reading

COVID-19 Safety Plans vs. Communicable Disease Plans: Have you Caught the Differences?

By Taryn Mackie and Alex Farrant on August 10, 2021 Posted in Canada, Coronavirus, North America

On July 1, 2021, British Columbia enthusiastically took the next step in its four-step COVID-19 Restart Plan. The transition to Step 3 brought several changes, including the transition for employers to move away from the previously required COVID-19 Safety Plan to the now required Communicable Disease Plan (“CDP”).

WorkSafeBC has published detailed guidance for employers on what is expected in a CDP, including a Communicable Disease Prevention: A Guide for Employers as well as new Guidelines for the Workers Compensation Act on communicable disease prevention at work.

Although many of the expectations for employers in a COVID-19 Safety Plan continue … Continue Reading

Retrait préventif : la COVID-19 ne constitue pas un contaminant au sens de la LSST

By Geneviève Lay (CA) and Megda Belkacemi on July 23, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Dans une affaire récente – Piché et Entreprises Y. Bouchard & Fils inc. – le Tribunal administratif du Travail (Tribunal) a rejeté la demande de retrait préventif d’un travailleur en vertu de l’article 32 de la Loi sur la santé et la sécurité du travail (LSST) car il considère que la COVID-19 ne constitue pas un contaminant au sens de la LSST.

Le contexte

Le travailleur est un technicien ambulancier paramédic atteint d’un psoriasis sévère en gouttes depuis 2015 pour lequel il reçoit des injections de Cosentyx, un agent immunomodulateur. En mars 2020, son médecin … Continue Reading

Ontario Moves to Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen on July 16

By Conrad Flaczyk on July 15, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

On July 16, 2021, all regions in Ontario will move to Step 3 of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, and the province will remain at Step 3 for at least 21 days. In this post, we analyze the legal instrument that will bring the Step 3 rules into force on July 16 and the implication of the new rules for Ontario businesses.

Key Legal Instruments

Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act

Ontario Regulation 364/20, Rules for Areas at Step 3

Key Take-Aways

Requirement to Work From Home “Except Where Necessary” is Relaxed

Unlike the rules for areas

Developing a Long-Term Remote Work Policy

By Margaret McConnell on July 5, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America

As restrictions related to COVID-19 continue to ease in British Columbia and employers are given the green light to return employees to the workplace, the ability to continue working remotely is top of mind for employers and employees alike. For those employers that wish to maintain some level of remote working, now is the time to begin developing a clear and comprehensive long-term remote work policy. While non-exhaustive, the following may serve as a starting point in terms of what to include:

Eligibility: a remote work policy should frame remote work as a privilege and include clear eligibility requirements

Ontario Divisional Court expands statutory severance pay threshold

By Salma Gilani on June 30, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America

In Hawkes v. Max Aicher (North America) Limited, the Ontario Divisional Court held that the calculation of an employer’s payroll for the purposes of determining its severance pay obligations under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) must include its payroll outside of Ontario and Canada.

Background

The employee was employed by Max Aicher (North America) Limited (Aicher), a wholly owned subsidiary of Max Aicher GmbH & Co KG (MAG), which was headquartered in Germany. Following the termination of his employment, the employee filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour alleging that … Continue Reading

La Fête nationale et la Fête du Canada : quelles obligations ont les employeurs?

By Geneviève Lay (CA) on June 18, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

L’approche de la période estivale rime avec l’arrivée des vacances annuelles, mais aussi l’enchaînement de deux jours fériés en l’espace de 8 jours. La Fête nationale (le 24 juin – jour de la St-Jean Baptiste) et la Fête du Canada (le 1^er juillet) tombent cette année toutes les deux un jeudi.

Afin de dissiper les doutes que les employeurs de juridiction provinciale pourraient avoir, vous trouverez ci-dessous un survol des questions (avec réponses) les plus courantes.

Il est important de mentionner que les obligations découlant des lois sont le strict minimum à respecter. Les conventions collectives, contrats de travail … Continue Reading

COVID-19 vaccination leaves : which provinces require employers to provide paid time off?

By Geneviève Lay (CA) and Conrad Flaczyk on May 20, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America

Vaccination efforts across the country have ramped up significantly. A number of provinces have recently amended existing legislation to allow employees paid time off to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. We provide you with a brief summary of these legislative amendments.

Province	Legislation	Paid Time Off	Other Relevant Information
British Columbia	s. 52.13 of the Employment Standards Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 113	Up to three hours of paid leave for each request made for leave for the COVID-19 vaccine.	The employer can request reasonably sufficient proof that the employee is entitled to the leave. The employer must not request

Reform of Bill 101: Notice to Employers

By Geneviève Lay (CA) and Sébastien Beauregard on May 14, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Recently, the Quebec government tabled Bill No. 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec (Bill) which, if adopted, will make sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language (Charter) and several other laws.

Here is a summary of the changes that will have the most impact on Quebec employers.

Communications and contracts of employment

Employers will be required to respect the rights of workers to carry on their activities in French. They will therefore need to ensure that offers of employment or promotion are published in French and that

Employee’s receipt of CERB doesn’t change employer’s obligations

By John Schudlo on May 6, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America

The Ontario Superior Court recently held that a dismissed employee who received Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments immediately following his dismissal should not receive less in wrongful dismissal damages on account of the fact he received the emergency benefit.

The decision underscores the point that CERB does not affect an employer’s post-termination obligations.

In Iriotakis v Peninsula Employment Services Limited, the Court ordered an employer to pay its former employee damages in lieu of three months’ reasonable notice.

The employee had been dismissed without cause in March of 2020. Shortly thereafter, he began receiving CERB.

The … Continue Reading

Télétravail obligatoire en contexte de pandémie : l’exception demeure les employés dont la présence est essentielle à la poursuite des activités de l’employeur

By Megda Belkacemi on May 6, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Dans une décision récente – Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique, section locale 1108 et CHU de Québec – Université Laval (grief syndical), 2021 QCTA 187 – l’arbitre Me Nathalie Faucher a rejeté la demande d’ordonnance de sauvegarde du Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (le Syndicat) visant à forcer le CHU de Québec (l’Employeur) à se conformer à l’arrêté ministériel 2020-105 (l’Arrêté) afin que les salariés concernés puissent effectuer leurs tâches en télétravail.

Cette décision s’inscrit dans la même veine qu’une décision récente que l’on avait précédemment commentée laquelle concernait plutôt le … Continue Reading

Ontario introduces paid COVID-19 sick leave

By Natasha Hyppolite and Conrad Flaczyk on April 30, 2021 Posted in Canada

On April 29, 2021, the Ontario government enacted Bill 284, COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, 2021 (Act). The legislation amends the Employment Standards Act (ESA) to require employers to provide employees covered by the ESA with up to three paid days of sick leave for certain reasons relating to COVID-19. In this update, we review the scope of the new pay entitlement and corresponding obligations for employers.

What if employees were already entitled to paid leave under their employment contracts?

Employees who were already entitled to at least three paid leave days for certain reasons … Continue Reading

Can COVID-19 be considered a superior force (“force majeure”) lawfully limiting an employer’s obligations?

By Geneviève Lay (CA) on March 29, 2021 Posted in Canada

Since the start of pandemic, our courts have rendered a number of decisions regarding the impact of COVID-19 and whether it constitutes superior force (commonly known as “force majeure” ) for the purposes of limiting liability. In particular, we can think of numerous cases in real estate law, whereby lessees and owners looked to the courts for either relief or an order for payment after businesses were forced to shut down by government decree.

But how has COVID-19 as a “force majeure” played out in labour law?

A recently published arbitration decision – SCP, sections locales 2229 et 2301 et … Continue Reading

La COVID-19 peut-elle être considérée comme un événement de force majeure limitant les obligations d’un employeur?

By Geneviève Lay (CA) on March 29, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Depuis le début de la pandémie, nos tribunaux ont rendu plusieurs décisions concernant l’incidence de la COVID-19 et la question de savoir si elle constitue un événement de force majeure aux fins de la limitation de la responsabilité. On peut notamment penser aux nombreux cas, dans le domaine du droit immobilier, où des locataires et des propriétaires se sont adressés aux tribunaux pour obtenir soit un redressement, soit un ordre de paiement, après que des entreprises aient été contraintes de fermer leurs portes en raison des décrets gouvernementaux.

Mais comment la COVID-19, en tant qu’événement de force majeure, a-t-elle été … Continue Reading

Can teachers be required to teach simultaneously online and in person?

By Kathleen Houlihan on March 18, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

In a recent decision – Centre de services scolaire du Lac-Témiscamingue et Syndicat de l’enseignement de l’Ungava et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 2020 QCTA 641, an arbitrator was called upon to determine if a school board’s requirement that teachers undertake a dual teaching system of simultaneous in-person and online learning was contrary to their right to privacy and constituted fair and reasonable conditions of employment.

As many of us know, given the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have had to miss school to self-isolate. In order to ensure that students in this position would be able to continue their education, one Quebec school … Continue Reading

Contexte de pandémie : un arbitre précise les droits et obligations des employeurs québécois en matière de télétravail

By Jonathan Deschamps on March 9, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Dans une décision récente, un arbitre de griefs a précisé les droits et obligations des employeurs québécois en matière de télétravail. Cette décision fait suite à celle qu’il a rendue l’automne dernier dans laquelle il a rejeté la demande d’ordonnance de sauvegarde du Syndicat des fonctionnaires municipaux de Québec (le Syndicat) visant à forcer la Ville de Québec (la Ville) à favoriser le télétravail.

La décision au stade provisoire

Tel qu’exposé dans notre billet de blogue sur la décision au stade provisoire, essentiellement, l’arbitre a rejeté la demande d’ordonnance de sauvegarde du Syndicat pour deux raisons :

How to manage vacation when there is nowhere to go

By Samantha Cass on February 26, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America

Vacation may not be top of mind for employees in Ontario right now: March Break is postponed, public health officials continue to advise against non-essential travel, and the Government of Canada imposed greater international travel restrictions. But even though employees may want to save their time off for warmer weather and, hopefully, an improved public health situation, employers in Ontario must nonetheless ensure that employees are taking at least the minimum annual vacation time prescribed under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the ESA).

How many weeks of vacation are employees entitled to under the ESA?

An employee who has … Continue Reading

Fausses déclarations sur le questionnaire des symptômes de la COVID 19 : peine capitale confirmée en arbitrage

By Ione Deda Alves on February 19, 2021 Posted in Canada, Québec

Dans une décision rendue le 21 décembre 2020, l’une des premières en la matière au Québec, un arbitre confirme le congédiement d’une salariée pour avoir fait défaut de répondre honnêtement au questionnaire des symptômes de la COVID‑19 imposé par l’employeur au début de chaque journée de travail.

Les faits de cette affaire

L’employeur, une entreprise qualifiée comme un service essentiel au sens des décrets émis par le gouvernement en mars 2020, a pu continuer ses opérations, malgré l’impossibilité de respecter les consignes de la Santé publique sur la distanciation physique. Il mettait alors en place une procédure visant à atténuer … Continue Reading

Avis aux employeurs – changements aux congés pour les parents

By Geneviève Lay (CA) on January 29, 2021 Posted in Canada, North America, Québec

Étiez-vous informés des modifications récentes à la Loi sur l’assurance parentale et à La loi sur les normes du travail (LNT) concernant les congés de maternité, de paternité et parental? Les employeurs devront revoir leur politique d’entreprise et/ou convention collective pour tenir compte de ces changements.

Ces lois ont été récemment modifiées par le projet de loi 51, sanctionné le 29 octobre 2020. Comme son titre l’indique, ce projet de loi intitulé « Loi visant principalement à améliorer la flexibilité du régime d’assurance parentale afin de favoriser la conciliation famille-travail » est venu ajouter de la flexibilité au programme d’assurance … Continue Reading

Effectuer des enquêtes en milieu de travail… pendant une pandémie

By Taryn Mackie on November 19, 2020 Posted in Canada, Coronavirus

Cette année, les employeurs ont dû relever d’innombrables défis, notamment celui d’effectuer efficacement une enquête en milieu de travail alors que les protocoles de santé et sécurité exigent un certain degré de séparation. Heureusement, les règles de base pour les employeurs sont les mêmes, que ceux-ci effectuent une enquête en respectant une distance de deux mètres ou virtuellement sur Zoom.

Ne retardez pas (indûment) : Avec le temps, les souvenirs s’effacent et les arbitres peuvent interpréter les retards comme un signe que les agissements ne sont pas pris au sérieux ou qu’ils sont tolérés. Cependant, cela ne signifie pas que

Conducting Workplace Investigations… in a Pandemic

By Taryn Mackie on November 19, 2020 Posted in Canada, Coronavirus

This year has created innumerable challenges for employers— including the challenge of how to effectively conduct a workplace investigation when health and safety protocols demand a certain degree of separation. Fortunately, the same Do’s and Don’ts still apply to employers, whether they are conducting an investigation two meters apart or virtually through Zoom.

Don’t (inexcusably) delay: Memories fade over time and adjudicators may interpret delay as a sign that the conduct is insignificant or that the conduct is condoned. This does not mean that investigations need to be rushed, however— on the contrary, hasty investigations can be equally fatal. Best

L’obligation d’accommodement raisonnable à la suite d’une fusion d’entreprises au Québec : du maintien du lien d’emploi à la sauvegarde des conditions de travail

By Ione Deda Alves and Megda Belkacemi on November 18, 2020 Posted in Canada, Québec

Dans une décision rendue le 2 juillet 2020^[1], la Cour d’appel du Québec (la Cour d’appel) statue que l’obligation d’accommodement raisonnable ne devrait pas se limiter au maintien du lien d’emploi, mais qu’elle devrait plutôt tendre à offrir au salarié – sans toutefois lui garantir – des conditions de travail similaires et des gains comparables à ceux de son emploi originel, et ce, dans la mesure où cela n’impose pas à l’employeur une contrainte excessive. Il convient de préciser que cette décision a été rendue dans un contexte particulier de fusion d’entreprises, de sorte que, dans l’issue … Continue Reading

Long-awaited relief for federally regulated employers: Layoff periods extended further

By Stéphane Erickson on November 17, 2020 Posted in Canada, Coronavirus

To give federally regulated employers more time to recall employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain layoff periods under the Canada Labour Standards Regulations have (again) been temporarily extended as of November 9, 2020, as follows:

Employee laid off before March 31, 2020

Three-month layoff: If an employee is laid off for a period of three months or less before March 31, 2020, the period is extended by nine months after the date on which it would otherwise end. As a result, the employer has 12 months to recall the employee before the layoff is deemed a termination of employment.

Un soulagement très attendu pour les employeurs sous réglementation fédérale : nouvelle prolongation des périodes de mise à pied

By Stéphane Erickson on November 17, 2020 Posted in Canada, Coronavirus

Dans le but de donner aux employeurs sous réglementation fédérale plus de temps pour rappeler les employés mis à pied en raison de la COVID-19, certaines périodes de mise à pied en vertu du Règlement du Canada sur les normes du travail ont (de nouveau) été temporairement prolongées, et ce, à compter du 9 novembre. Voici les points à retenir:

Employé mis à pied avant le 31 mars 2020