Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018
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 businesses should be aware that Ontario’s recently elected Progressive Conservative government has...
Continue reading the post titled Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018More Regulation for Geothermal Heat Pumps
The Ministry of the Environment moved swiftly this spring to increase regulation of geothermal (ground-sourced) heat pump installations, because of an urgent risk of releasing hazardous underground gases. Ontario revoked the old regulation governing Ground Source Heat Pumps and replaced it with O. Reg. 98/12.
Continue reading the post titled More Regulation for Geothermal Heat PumpsNew hope for brain injuries: Pituitary gland testing
At a medical conference I attended a few years ago, I recall one of the guest speakers said the only cure for a brain injury is avoidance. He of course was referring to the school of thought that for the most part, neurons don’t recover after a brain injury. While that may be open to...
Continue reading the post titled New hope for brain injuries: Pituitary gland testingErickson decision: wind turbines can be built in Ontario
The debate should not be simplified to one about whether wind turbines can cause harm to humans. The evidence presented to the Tribunal demonstrates that they can, if facilities are placed too close to residents. The debate has now evolved to one of degree. The question that should be asked is: What protections, such as permissible noise levels or setback distances, are appropriate to protect human health?
Continue reading the post titled Erickson decision: wind turbines can be built in OntarioDivisional Court rejects anti-wind constitutional claim
Special Environmental Protection Act rules for approval of renewable energy projects, including wind farms, do not contravene the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Continue reading the post titled Divisional Court rejects anti-wind constitutional claimBanman v Ontario, the preferable procedure requirement, and institutional abuse litigation
The first stage of a class proceeding is the certification stage. Certification is a procedural step, the purpose of which is to screen out cases that are not appropriate to be dealt with on a class-wide basis. In Ontario, an action is certified if it passes the five-step test outlined in section 5 of the...
Continue reading the post titled Banman v Ontario, the preferable procedure requirement, and institutional abuse litigationWill mandatory vaccination policies be enforceable in unionized workplaces?
Employers across the world are discussing the risks and merits of imposing mandatory vaccination policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is still no certainty about the enforceability of these policies, decisions from labour arbitrators give us some idea of the principles to be applied in unionized workplaces. My colleague, Jennifer Costin has...
Continue reading the post titled Will mandatory vaccination policies be enforceable in unionized workplaces?New environmental laws in Ontario
It was a big week for new environmental laws in Ontario. Last week, on November 3, a trio of environmental laws–each of which has suffered a tortured history of introduction, death, and re-incarnation–finally received royal assent and came into effect: the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015, Invasive Species Act, 2015, and the Protection of Public Participation Act, 2015....
Continue reading the post titled New environmental laws in OntarioSkytruth: a great site
Skytruth.org is a great site for seeing what is really happening in big environmental problems, like the BP oil spill, and fast-growing oil and gas production fields. They collect and publish up to date aerial photos. That’s another good thing about Google, the web and social media: it’s getting harder and harder to hide things...
Continue reading the post titled Skytruth: a great siteCOVID-19 in Ontario: essential places of business
These past four weeks have been turbulent for Ontario businesses, to say the least. On March 17, 2020, Ontario declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By March 23, Premier Ford ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses (the “Order”), and on April 3, the Order was revised to shorten the...
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