Workplace harassment has been at the forefront of labour and employment law over the past several years, particularly in relation to the employer’s duty to investigate.  The trend continues with the Ontario Government’s recent introduction of Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment), 2016. Bill 132 amends various pieces of legislation including the workplace harassment provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”).

Bill 132 fills in the gaps left by its predecessor, Bill 168. The existing workplace harassment provisions of the OHSA were a result of the Bill 168 amendments in 2010. Most of the Bill 168 requirements pertained to workplace violence. Although Bill 168 also imposed some requirements with respect to workplace harassment, these were much more limited in scope. Bill 168 required employers to put in place policies with respect to workplace harassment that include … Continue reading “No room left for doubt: Ontario introduces new workplace harassment obligations #learnthelatest”