June, 2011
June 30, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General Lord Monck called upon all Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st.
Canada Day, Dominion Day, employment law, general holiday, July 1st, National holiday, Public Holiday, Public Holiday Pay, Statutory Holiday
June 30, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Corporate Immigration, Human Resources
Legislation cracking down on crooked immigration consultants (Bill C-35) comes into force on June 30, 2011. At the same time, the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) is confirmed as the new regulatory body for immigration consultants. The ICCRC will…
Canadian immigration system, Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, Foreign workers, Hiring foreign workers, immigration consultants, Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, legislation cracking down on crooked immigration consultants, recruiting, regulatory body for immigration consultants
June 29, 2011 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Privacy and Security
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta has determined that an employer violated the Personal Information Protection Act and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act when it disclosed more information than necessary to determine the employee’s eligibility for disability benefits, and that the group insurance provider used the information without consent.
Alberta, Breach of privacy, collecting medical information, consent, Disability benefits, Disclosing medical information, eligibility for disability benefits, employment law, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, group insurance, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, oipc, personal information, Personal Information Protection Act, using medical information, workers’ compensation, workplace injury
June 28, 2011 Andrew Lawson Conferences, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security
So here’s a question to ask yourself—what are your legal obligations under Ontario law when you see an online photo of your worker committing violent acts?
12th Annual Ontario Employment Law Conference, Bill 168, employment law, facebook, harassment, health and safety, Kelly McDermott, occupational health and safety act, OH&S, OHSA, ontario, policies and procedures, Rioting, social media, Stanley Cup playoffs, Stringer Brisbin Humphrey, termination, twitter, workplace harassment, workplace violence, wrongful dismissal
June 24, 2011 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
‘Tis the season of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This time, it’s women who are going to be playing, beginning this Sunday June 26 and ending July 17, in Germany. It may not be as popular as the men’s World Cup, but it is a busy and important year for women’s football/soccer! Will the rate of employee absenteeism be as high as when the men’s World Cup took place? Maybe not; but still, what can employers do to manage a sudden outbreak of “World Cup flu” cases in their workplace?
Absences, Absenteeism, attendance, discipline, employee absenteeism, employment law, fifa, FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011, football, lateness, policies, sick leave, soccer, time in lieu of overtime, time theft, vacation time, women's soccer, work computers, world cup, World Cup Flu
June 24, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
In Quebec, June 24 is la Fête nationale, the province’s national holiday and celebration of French Canadian culture. All employees in Quebec are entitled to the holiday…
Act Respecting Labour Standards, Commission des Normes du Travail, employment law, Fete Nationale, National holiday, Public Holiday, Public Holiday Pay, Quebec, Religious holiday, St-Jean Baptiste Day, St. John the Baptist Day, statutory public holiday
June 23, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights
Since the economic burden of mental disorders in Canada has been estimated at $51-billion per year, with almost $20-billion of that coming from workplace losses, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has launched a collaborative project with the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) and the standards division of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Standards) to create a voluntary national standard for mentally healthy workplaces. The standard aims to…
Bureau de normalisation du Québec, Canadian Standards Association, corporate social responsibility, Disability, Employers facing a perfect storm of mental illness liability, employment law, Health Canada, HRSDC, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, mental health, Mental Health Commission of Canada, Mental Injury and the Law in Canada, national standard, psychological health and safety, Public Health Agency of Canada, Stress at Work, workplace mental health, workplace mental health standards initiative
June 23, 2011 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Human Resources
After I joined the board of directors at a not-for-profit arts organization, it didn’t take long for me to wonder how I’d balance my new obligations with the rest of my day-to-day life. I’d volunteered before, but only informally. Now I have regular responsibilities, mainly meetings and fundraising. I’ll probably invest 70 to 80 hours volunteering with the organization this year. It’s a worthy cause, but it’s also worthwhile to question the time commitment.
counselling, EAP, employee assistance program, employee communication, employee health, family commitments, HRPP, Human Resources PolicyPro, Legal Profession Assistance Conference, LPAC, morale, not-for-profit policypro, NPPP, productivity, stress, Thomas E. Ullyett, volunteer workers, volunteering, work-life balance
June 22, 2011 Suzanne Cohen Share Accessibility Standards, Standard for Customer Service
In Ontario there is a regulation called the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service. One of the requirements of this regulation is that persons with disabilities are allowed to enter your organization’s public premises with a service animal. A person should be able to remain with the animal unless otherwise excluded by law. If the animal is…
accessibility, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, accessibility standard for customer service, AODA, Business, Disability, employment law, goods or services, health and safety reasons, no-pets policy, ontario, people with disabilities, Service animals, trained animals, training
June 21, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development
A recent Reuters article entitled “Darfur kidnapping victim sues aids group that sent her” addresses an American lawsuit that has sparked a worldwide interest in the kidnapping industry. 2008 alone, Canada had five hostages taken in five months. A Canadian Government study assesses that terrorist groups will continue to attempt to kidnap Westerners, including Canadians, and that the greatest threat is to tourists, aid workers, journalists, business people and diplomats.
aid workers, business travellers, degree of risk, Department of Foreign Affairs, diplomats, higher probability of being kidnapped, journalists, kidnapping, Kidnapping is a booming global business, legal obligation to train and educate, mitigate the risk of international travel, response policy, Reuters, risk analysis, risk assessment, risks of working abroad, The Global Peace Index, tourists, travel risk warnings
June 21, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
This is the longest day of the year and marks the changing of seasons. It is also a very important day for Aboriginal people…
Canadian First Nations, changing of seasons, democracy, duty to accommodate, employment law, equality, First Nations Day, longest day of the year, Multiculturalism Day, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Public Holiday, Statutory Holiday
June 17, 2011 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Human Rights
I recently read an excellent case that sends a strong message to employers who attempt to abruptly change telecommuting arrangements, especially in the case where the employer had been previously accommodating the employee due to a physical disability. Simply put, it is a really bad idea, one that could cost at least $18,000.
accommodate disability, accommodating the employee due to a physical disability, discrimination on the ground of disability, employment law, environmental hypersensitivity, environmental sensitivities, environmental sensitivity, harassment, Physical disability, sick building syndrome, telecommuting, telecommuting arrangement
June 16, 2011 Henry J. Chang Corporate Immigration, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring
The Ontario Bar Association Citizenship and Immigration Section recently met with representatives of Opportunities Ontario, the province’s Provincial Nominee Program (“PNP”). During this meeting, they provided insight into the level of recruitment activities that would be expected from an employer who files a PNP application on behalf of a prospective employee.
Canadian citizens, Citizenship and Immigration, employment and training opportunities, foreign national, Foreign workers, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Labour Market Opinion, NAFTA, Ontario Bar Association, Opportunities Ontario, provincial nominee program, recruitment, Skilled Workers, training
June 15, 2011 Andrew Taillon Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
A recent case from the Alberta Court of Appeal suggests that Honda damages, previously known as Wallace damages, are becoming less of a threat for employers in wrongful dismissal suits.
Alberta Court of Appeal, award of aggravated damages, bad faith behaviour, bad faith dismissal, Elgert v. Home Hardware Stores, employment law, extension of the notice period, Hadley v. Baxendale, Honda damages, Honda v. Keays, manner in which the termination was carried out, misconduct, moral damages, notice period, risk of damages, Supreme Court of Canada, terminations, Wallace damanges, Wallace v. United Grain Growers, wrongful dismissal
June 14, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security
Internet communication through social networking (or social media), such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter, is fast becoming the most popular mode of communication in the 21st century, and has facilitated freedom of expression and speech, globalization of information and even popular revolutions. Many people enjoy posting their personal views, opinions and musings on blogs, chat rooms, newspaper and magazine articles, and other forums on all topics—artistic, philosophical, educational, social, political and legal.
Centre for Constitutional Studies, common law tort, cyber-libel, defamation, defamation law, defamation of character, defamatory statement, employment law, facebook, Internet, Internet communication, internet defamation, law, libel, online, slander, social media, social networking, twitter
Hi John, Thanks for your comment. Check out paragraph 67 of the decision: "Accordingly, none of what I have written above is to suggest or... – May 22, 4:38 PM
This is really spin doctoring the decision. My firm appeared at the Court of Appeal for an intervenor the University of Saskatchewan. Whatever the Supreme... – May 22, 1:00 AM
