Covid-19 has made working from home the new normal for many employees. This new reality has created challenges for employees who, due to the closure of schools, daycares and other social services, have had to serve as full-time caregivers in addition to carrying out their everyday work tasks. Under these circumstances, it is important for
family status
A (Not So) New Test for Family Status Discrimination in British Columbia
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 …
New Ontario Statutory Leaves of Absence
The Ontario Employment Standards Amendments Act (Leaves to Help Families) came into force on October 29, 2014, creating three new unpaid family-related leaves for employees: (1) Family Caregiver Leave; (2) Critically Ill Child Care Leave; and (3) Crime-Related Child Death or Disappearance Leave. This post will highlight the salient features of these new provisions affecting…
Case Brief: On family status discrimination and childcare obligations
In May, the Federal Court of Appeal issued decisions in Canadian National Railway Company v Seeley, 2014 FCA 111 and Canada (Attorney General) v Johnstone, 2014 FCA 110, upholding findings of discrimination on the basis of family status made initially by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and upheld by the Trial Division of…
Federal Court of Appeal clarifies Canadian law on discrimination based on family status
This blog post was written by William Hlibchuk, a partner in the Montréal office.
On May 2, 2014, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) rendered two decisions relating to discrimination based on family status. In so doing, the court clarified the scope of the prohibited ground of family status contained in the Canadian Human…