A Primer on IDEL Legislation. Wrongful Dismissal or Layoffs In response to the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ontario government introduced Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”) legislation on June 1, 2020. It allowed employees, who were affected by COVID-19 illness, to pursue a protected leave of absence while tending to their […]
A growing number of businesses in Ontario have begun implementing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their employees. Some employers are taking an all-or-nothing approach by firing employees who refuse to comply with a mandatory vaccination policy. Other businesses are offering an alternative whereby an employee who refuses to be vaccinated must submit to mandatory testing every […]
Refusing to work extra hours is risky business for managers. Like all regular employees, managers’ relationships with their employers are governed by Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (ESA). However, regulations under the Act also exempt those “whose work is supervisory or managerial in character” from the overtime provisions, which would otherwise entitle anyone to 1.5 times […]
On June 1, 2020, the Ford government introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act (ESA), the governing statutes that form Ontario’s employment laws. The amendments took the form of O. Reg. 228/20: Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”). IDEL was enacted by the Ontario government as a measure to furlough (e.g. “layoff”) employees who may or […]
The Supreme Court of Canada cemented legal protection for employees from harsh and punitive arbitration clauses they may have been forced to sign as a condition of employment. Read how Uber workers in Ontario made this possible.
Canadians and Americans may be culturally similar on some levels. However, in the arena of employment law, we could not be further apart. This is a legal environment that would make the likes of Donald Trump contrite and speechless. A recent ground-breaking case is sure to render many U.S-style employment contracts null and void in Ontario. Does yours pass the smell test?
In 2009, Kohler Company from the U.S. purchased Canac Kitchens, a Canadian cabinet manufacturer. Three years later, they shut down the manufacturing plant terminating jobs in a fashion that was as un-Canadian as it could get. They inadvertently ended up strengthening Ontario labour laws in the process.
Employment contracts are often one-sided and favour employers. In this podcast, Bram Lecker, Principal of Lecker & Associates and experienced employment lawyer, discusses how Ontario’s employment laws treat employment contracts.
Never sign your termination letter or release until an employment lawyer has vetted these legally binding documents. But what if you signed them already? Under rare circumstances, the executed documents can be nullified. Here’s how we successfully invalidated a signed release on behalf of our client.
Almost always, employers require a signed employment agreement as a condition of employment. If yours contains a non compete clause, seek legal advice before you sign, especially if you want to keep your options open about working for the competition.