A third term for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau means some significant promises with the potential to impact employers and employees may soon become reality. During its campaign, the Liberal Party pledged to support workplace coronavirus vaccination mandates, a national childcare program, expanded public mental-health offerings and a right-to-disconnect policy. On vaccination mandates, the Liberals promised […]
Eighteen months into the coronavirus pandemic and counting, one of its hottest topics is still up for debate. Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work The lack of adequate and consistent paid sick leave constitutes a gaping hole in Canada’s public health and social security response to COVID-19. As public health […]
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made legislated bereavement leave policies top of mind for both employers and employees. As of Sept. 15, at least one in 1,376 Canadian residents have died from the coronavirus, for a total of 27,315 deaths, according to The New York Times. Bereavement leave is available for employees across most Canadian jurisdictions and some of […]
Ontario is extending a temporary paid sick leave program for workers until the end of this year. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced that the coronavirus pandemic program set to expire on Sept. 25 will be extended to Dec. 31, 2021. He said the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant prompted the move to give more […]
The federal government is taking steps to close the gender wage gap with the Pay Equity Act, which came into effect on Aug. 31. The legislation requires federally regulated public and private sector employers to ensure workers receive equal pay for work of equal value, according to a press release, which noted employers have three […]
Air Canada is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and to report their vaccination status by Oct. 30. While the company will accommodate employees who have valid exceptions, such as medical conditions, that prevent them from being vaccinated, failure to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 30 will have consequences — including unpaid leave or […]
Ontario’s temporary paid sick leave program is receiving less uptake than initially expected. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday that, as of July 21, a total of $13.2 million in claims have been made to the program, which is retroactive to April 19 and ends on Sept. 25. When the program was first launched this […]
The federal government says legislation meant to help close the gender wage gap will come into effect on Aug. 31 and be phased in over the next three years. The Pay Equity Act requires federally regulated employers to ensure workers receive equal pay for work of equal value and is meant to help women get […]
In hiring its first manager of accessibility, Rogers Communications Inc. isn’t only ensuring it’s compliant with federal legislation, the company is also integrating the practice into its diversity, equity and inclusion goals to remove barriers at a systemic level for employees with disabilities. “I myself am a person with a disability and so starting at […]
An arbitration clause that doesn’t explicitly prohibit a terminated employee from making a complaint to the Ministry of Labour doesn’t offend employment standards legislation, the Ontario Superior Court has ruled. “The ruling will give comfort to employers that Ontario courts will enforce arbitration clauses,” says David Vaillancourt of Toronto’s AGM LLP, who represented Dealnet Capital […]