The pandemic has led to massive lay-offs, economic instability and workers fearful for their financial future. Changes in laws, mandates and workplace policies can add to the confusion and anxiety many are facing on the job. With mandatory vaccine policies being rolled out in workplaces across the country, lawyers are being inundated with questions about […]
Many Canadian employees feel the security and comfort of having disability income protection included as part of their employment benefits package. Unfortunately, new hires are so enamored with the initial contract, usually described in a glossy benefits booklet that they do not bother to read the fine print. In so many cases, if tragedy strikes […]
The Ontario government will introduce proposed legislation on October 25, 2021, that would ban the practice of imposing non-competition clauses on employees, a growing trend that is often used to intimidate workers. The proposed changes, which would amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000, would still allow companies to forbid departing employees from using intellectual property […]
Service Canada has updated its website to include guidance for employers issuing a Record of Employment for any employee who refuses to comply with a mandatory vaccination policy which will, in turn, affect the employee’s right to collect Employment Insurance (“EI”) benefits in the event that their employment is terminated. The guidance does not outright […]
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 […]
At the beginning of the pandemic, a multitude of job losses following the emergency lockdown prompted the federal government to implement the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). CERB was set up to provide employed and self-employed Canadians who were affected by COVID-19 with financial support in the form of temporary income replacement. Eligible workers received […]
Canadian employers got a break on their benefits plan costs last year as employees largely stayed home and avoided in-person health practitioners. But experts say the full cost of COVID-19 may only start to show up in the coming year, as mental health challenges, pandemic-delayed treatment for various illnesses and the virus itself could prompt […]
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 […]
This is a very informative wrongful dismissal case that sheds light on the issue of CERB payments vis-à-vis severance, as well as notice entitlements for employees terminated during the pandemic. Plaintiff (Mr. Iriotakis) was successfully represented by our law firm. Mr. Iriotakis was terminated without cause on March 25, 2020. He was 56 years old […]
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.