September, 2012
September 28, 2012 Lauren Bride Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Recruiting and Hiring, Wages and Compensation,
The Law Commission of Ontario recently published their “Interim Report on Vulnerable Workers and Precarious Work”, a province-wide study that is designed to provoke public feedback on or before October 1, 2012. In response to the feedback gathered, the LCO intends to release a culminating report in the winter of 2012.
economic stability, employment law, employment security, Law Commission of Ontario, low wages, nature of employment types, precarious work, vulnerable workers
September 27, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations,
The three most viewed articles in this week’s HRinfodesk newsletter deal with the new EI benefit for parents with critically ill children, constructive dismissal and benefits for workers who work past 65 years of age…
balance work and family responsibilities, Canada labour Code, collective agreement, constructive dismissal, contract of employment, EI, EI benefit, EI parental benefits, employee benefits, Employer provided benefits, Employment Insurance Act, employment law, Federal Income Support, Helping Families in Need Act, HRinfodesk, Income Tax Act, repudiation of employment contract, repudiation of the employment relationship, sickness benefits
September 27, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Health and Safety, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits,
A recent Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench decided that an injured worker should have his case heard on its merit to determine if his medical marijuana should be paid for by workers’ compensation.
employment law, Health Canada, Injured worker, medical marijuana, medical marijuana therapy, Saskatchewan, WCB benefits, WCB policy, workers compensation
September 27, 2012 Amery Boyer Employee Relations, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Union Relations,
On July 9, 2012, the Nova Scotia Labour Board filed an interim order certifying Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 972, the combination of three previously separate bargaining units, namely the Mill Division, Clerical Division and the Woodlands Division, as the bargaining unit for employees of the NewPage pulp and paper plant in Port Hawkesbury NS.
bargaining units, collective agreement, collective agreements, Collective Bargaining, employment, employment contract, HR issues, Jobs, Labour Law, Nova Scotia Labour Board, productivity, union, union certification, Union negociations, unionized workplaces, Unions
September 26, 2012 David Hyde Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development, Union Relations,
Under Canadian Occupational Health and Safety legislation, employers are obligated to take all reasonable steps to maintain a safe work environment. In many Provinces (e.g., Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta) as well as the Federal jurisdiction, employers are statutorily obligated to put in place a workplace violence prevention and intervention program (i.e., measures and procedures designed to mitigate the risk of harm from work-related violence)…
active threats, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Canadian Occupational Health and Safety legislation, critical incident management, critical incident response plan, critical workplace violence incidents, employment law, indirect critical incidents, physical assaults, risk of violence, safe work environment, sexual assaults, violence prevention, work-related violence, workplace violence, workplace violence prevention and intervention program
September 25, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Union Relations,
The Ministry of Labour in Ontario is putting in place several enforcement measures to ensure compliance with Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety, including proactive and increased inspections of workplaces.
"Health and Safety at Work – Prevention Starts Here", employment law, employment standards act, Employment Standards Officers, enforcement strategy, health and safety rights and responsibilities, Industrial Establishments Regulation, inspection blitz, Ministry of Labour, MOL, MOL inspections, occupational health and safety act, occupational health and safety poster, OHS poster, policies, practices and procedures, proactive inspections of workplaces, Safe at Work Ontario, targeted proactive inspection, violence and harassment prevention
September 24, 2012 Alison J. Bird Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources,
A recent case from Ontario is cautioning employers to think twice before relying on a release from an employee to shield them from a future wrongful dismissal claim.
common law, employment law, execution of a release, legal advice, relying on a release, statutory rights, termination, terminations, unconscionable agreement, unfair release, wrongful dismissal action, wrongful dismissal claim
September 21, 2012 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation,
In a previous FR Talks post, we discussed alleged poor working conditions found at Apple Inc.’s factories in China. Since then, at the request of certain parties, the Fair Labour Association (FLA) got involved and proceeded to audit these factories which resulted in an investigation report in March, 2012 and a verification status report in August 2012, substantiating the claims of poor work conditions in said factories.
Apple, Audits, China labour laws, code of conduct, employment law, employment relationship, Fair Labour Association, Foxconn, hours of work, Labour Law, labour monitoring organizations, Poor working conditions, violation of labour laws
September 20, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security,
The Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner is calling on organizations to make privacy a part of their corporate culture. Dr. Ann Cavoukian, says it is not enough for organizations to have a privacy policy in place – they must take steps on an ongoing basis to make sure it is reflected in every aspect of their operations.
employment law, Make privacy part of your corporate culture, privacy law, privacy policy, Privacy practices and procedures, private-sector privacy laws
September 20, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources,
The three most viewed articles in this week HRinfodesk newsletter deals with assessing a probationary employee, dismissing an employee based on a serious misconduct and the upcoming workplace mental health standard…
Assessment, Dismissal, employment law, HRinfodesk, Job performance, misconduct, Notice of termination, performance review, probation, probationary, probationary employee, psychological health and safety, reasonable notice of termination, terminated without notice, termination, workplace mental health standard, workplace performance
September 19, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Corporate Immigration, Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation,
According to a published report titled “Made in Canada: How the Law Constructs Migrant Workers’ Insecurity” by the Metcalf Foundation, Canada’s reliance on low-wage migrant workers with temporary immigration status is growing but the employment and labour laws of the country make them vulnerable to abuse.
employment law, exploitation, Foreign workers, Immigration Law, Labour Law, labour migration cycle, low-wage migrant workers, migrant workers, migrant workforce, overworked and denied basic rights, temporary foreign workers, temporary immigration status, temporary migration stream, underpaid, vulnerable workers
September 18, 2012 Simon Heath Human Resources, Human Rights,
Since Ontario eliminated mandatory retirement back in 2006, age has become one of the most often cited ground for discrimination in human rights case law. In Zholudev v. EMC Corporation of Canada, 2012 HRTO 626, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal scrutinized an employee’s allegations of age discrimination in the context of the employer’s promotion and termination practices.
age discrimination, discrimination, discrimination based on age, employment law, human rights code, job promotion, mandatory retirement, outsourcing, promotion and termination practices, reasonable prospect of success, termination
September 17, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring, Standard for Employment,
On Thursday, September 13, 2012, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released Minds That Matter: Report on the consultation on human rights, mental health and addictions, which is the result of what they heard from the consultation across the province and sets out a number of key recommendations and commitments to address human rights issues that affect people with mental health disabilities or addictions.
accessibility, AODA, Disability, discrimination, employment law, exclusion, harassment, marginalization, medical information, mental health and addictions, mental health disabilities or addictions, Minds That Matter: Report on the consultation on human rights, OHRC, Ontario human rights commission
September 14, 2012 Suzanne Cohen Share Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Standard for Transportation,
In the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, there is the Standard for Transportation. Under this standard there is a section about courtesy seating in vehicles, specifically…
accessibility, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, communication strategy, conventional and specialized transportation service, courtesy seating, Disability, Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, people with disabilities, priority seating, public education campaign, sign about vacating courtesy seating, transit authorities, transportation, vehicles
September 13, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation,
The three most viewed articles in this week HRinfodesk newsletter deals with salary projections for 2013, taxability of fitness memberships and discipline linked to terminations.
2013 salary projection, compensation, Disciplinary measures, discipline, employers, employment law, fitness membership, HR, pay increase, Salary increase projections for 2013, suspension, taxable benefit, termination, terminations
I believe smoking (i.e., nicotine) is recognized as an addiction, as Simon mentions, which would engage the question of discrimination. – Jun 18, 9:40 PM
Even though as a non-smoking employer I support the actions of Momentous Corp, I am surprised they have even attempted to take this position, given... – Jun 17, 5:46 PM
Where in Human Rights does it say that smokers are now protected under one of the grounds and if so which ground are they protected... – Jun 17, 3:28 PM
