construction

Long-term construction employees may be entitled to reasonable notice of termination

June 26, 2017 Jeff Dutton, Dutton Employment Law Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

Generally, construction employees are not entitled to termination or severance pay under the Employment Standards Act (the “Act”). Section 1 of Ontario Regulation 288/01 of the Act explicitly exempts them from such minimum employment standards. However, a long-term construction employee may still be entitled to common law reasonable notice, which is much more lucrative than what the Act provides for anyway. Nevertheless, how much notice a construction employee is entitled to under the common law remains an unsettled test in Ontario.

construction, construction employee, employment law, employment standards act, ESA, reasonable notice, Regulation 285/01, termination

Is 15 years old too young to work construction?

July 30, 2014 Christina Catenacci Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development, Union Relations

A very sad story was recently published in the Globe and Mail about a 15-year-old boy who was working at a gravel-crushing site in Alberta, when he became entangled in a conveyor belt and was killed. It leaves one wondering whether the age of 15 is an appropriate age for young persons to be working in the construction industry.

Adolescent workers, age restrictions, Alberta, construction, death at work, Director of Employment Standards, employers have rights and responsibilities, employment law, employment standards and occupational health and safety legislation, fatality, hazard assessment, Is 15 years old too young to work construction?, may not be employed during normal school hours, minimum age, parent or guardian may jointly apply for a permit, parent’s or guardian’s written consent to the employment, School Act, supervision and training, Young persons