Court of appeal finds single incident of touching not wilful misconduct, but just cause for dismissal
In Render v ThyssenKrupp Elevator (Canada) Limited Group, the Ontario Court of Appeal clarified the threshold to establish willful misconduct under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 and provided guidance on how sexual harassment should be assessed in the workplace. Importantly, the Court found that while a single incident of inappropriate touching did not amount to willful misconduct as it was not preplanned, the employee's dismissal for cause was a proportionate response.
