Labour & Employment

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (the “WSIA”) is the cornerstone of Ontario’s workers’ compensation system. The basic principle of the WSIA is the “historic compromise” between employees and employers: in exchange for the benefit of no-fault insurance benefits for workplace injuries an…

Some employers are wary about providing references for former employees, fearing a defamation lawsuit. However, a recent decision of the Divisional Court suggests that negative references that are substantially true and provided without malice may not be defamatory. In the trial decision of …

Under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”), employers must post a copy of the most recent employment standards poster (“ESA Poster”) prepared by the Ministry of Labour in a “conspicuous place” in the workplace. The Ministry of Labour has just released a new version of the ESA Poster, w…

The news media has widely reported the Ontario Court of Appeal’s January 3, 2019 decision allowing a class-action by Uber drivers to proceed. The decision does not answer the question of whether Uber (and UberEATS) drivers should be considered employees or independent contractors (a conclusi…

With the start of a new year comes the opportunity to reflect on your business’s labour relations and start tackling those items on your “to-do” list. Here are three sample New Year’s resolutions that may benefit your business: 1. Revise your template employment contract, if necessary One of…

It is a basic principle of employment law in Ontario that employees terminated without cause are presumed to be entitled to common law reasonable notice of termination unless the parties clearly agreed to a different notice period, typically through a termination clause in an employment agre…

The legislation governing unionized workplaces in Ontario, the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (the “LRA”) will be amended by the Ontario government if the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 (“Bill 47”) passes in its current form.  Expected changes will include the following: Repeal of Un…

Many businesses that are provincially-regulated employers in Ontario have spent the better part of last year changing their workplace policies to ensure compliance with the labour reforms implemented by the Wynne government in the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act (“Bill 148”). However, such …

Premier Doug Ford was quoted yesterday (Tuesday October 2, 2018) in the legislature as saying, “We’re getting rid of Bill 148. We’re going to make sure we protect the front-line workers.” His Economic Development Minister Jim Wilson was quick to slow down the move, saying, “There are parts t…

On September 26, the government of Ontario announced that Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) premium rates for employers will be reduced due to a steep reduction in the WSIB’s Insurance Fund’s unfunded liability. In the announcement, the provincial government stated that “the WSIB…