Your holiday spirit might be suppressed this year with all that has occurred in 2020. The pandemic ensured this was indeed the year to be fired and we expect job losses to continue. It is very important for employees to understand their employment rights and we hope this series of COVID-19 related blogs help you navigate your workplace matters.
The pandemic appears to have brought out the worst in some employers, as illegal layoffs start to grow in Ontario. Some employees remain at a higher risk for this type of bad faith treatment.
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), implemented by the government at the beginning of the pandemic to provide Canadians with temporary income replacement, ended on October 3, 2020. Recipients can now transition to EI and other programs.
Layoffs and terminations are frequently used interchangeably and erroneously in the media. If you have lost your job due to the COVID-19 emergency measures, you must understand which one applies to you because your rights vary greatly, depending on which one it is.
Ontario is open for business following the COVID-19 emergency lock down. But employees have questions about their health and safety, as well as job status and security. Here are answers to the top ten return-to-work questions we receive from employees.
The COVID-19 crisis has put a glaring spotlight on the matter of sick leave. Will you manage financially if you have to take extended time off from work to recover? National short-term disability benefits would dovetail perfectly with the long-held Canadian tradition of universal healthcare. And implementing it would require nothing more than simple modifications to existing programs.
On June 1, 2020, the Ford government introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act (ESA). The changes primarily accommodate employers and their present-day financial woes. At a glance, this will come as a terrible blow and a step backwards for employee rights in Ontario. However, Ontario’s employment laws still remain pro-employee. Here’s why.
CERB was introduced with great haste in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Ordinarily, such programs take months and years to design. While it has temporarily replaced the EI benefits program, the government has not presently clarified how CERB will be treated against severance pay. The CRA may require you to pay it back.
COVID-19 exposes employees to hazardous conditions not encountered before. This blog will help employees understand health and safety provisions that offer you the right to refuse unsafe work.
Anyone facing a layoff due to COVID-19 should understand how to apply for federal government assistance through the Employment Insurance program, and know your rights if the pandemic persists and the economy slides into a recession.