First Reference Talks

Discussions on Human Resources, Employment Law, Payroll and Internal Controls

human rights code

By | 4 Minutes Read

Keeping criminal background checks in check: Privacy law limits on employee criminal background checks in B.C.

Criminal record checks are just one type of background check. Other background checks can include checks on identity, educational and professional qualifications, employment history, credit history, lawful entitlement to work in Canada and social media presence.

By | 3 Minutes Read

Discrimination based on sex (pregnancy) revisited

Tribunal case law has repeatedly demonstrated that discrimination may be direct or overt when an employer treats a woman differently due to pregnancy.

By | 2 Minutes Read

Smokers need not apply: can Ontario employers refuse to hire nicotine users?

As of February 1, 2020, U-Haul no longer hires nicotine users in 21 of the US states in which it operates. The company, which employs over 30,000 people across the US and Canada, announced this new policy late last year. While it may be easy to understand U-Haul’s stated rationale for introducing this anti-tobacco policy, to adopt the same in Ontario would likely expose the company to liability.

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