A company was ordered to provide WHMIS training to workers but failed to comply with this order. So it was hit with an administrative penalty of $1,000 [Extreme Coatings Inc., Govt. News Release, July 13, 2012].

It’s a sweet and sad story that began back in 1953, when pilot Len Fisher crashed his plane while spraying crops. Mr. Fisher didn’t know about workers’ comp. So he didn’t claim benefits for the 8 months he spent in the hospital. Figuring better late …

The Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench threw out a case by an accounting firm against an ex-management employee for allegedly stealing proprietary information and clients. The firm had no case for breach of fiduciary duty because while he had access to the books, there was …

Management briefing on Manitoba HR law
This briefing provides a broad overview of key legal changes and trends affecting HR laws in Manitoba. Use the links to get more information about the listed item. Use the briefing to prepare your annual report for management on the state of your HR program in terms of compliance.

Management briefing on Federal HR law
This briefing provides a broad overview of key legal changes and trends affecting federal HR law. Use the links to get more information about the listed item. Use the briefing to prepare your annual report for management on the state of your HR program in terms of compliance.

A court ruled that Manitoba Telecom used a plan surplus for contribution holidays after promising not to and ordered the company to return the $43 million deficit to the plan [Telecommunication Employees Assn. Of Manitoba Inc. v. Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., [2010] …

An arbitrator allowed an employer to use a secretly shot surveillance tape as evidence to show that an employee with a bad back wasn’t significantly impaired. The film shot by a private investigator showed the employee engaging in physical activities and toting …

An appeals court upheld the firing of a nurse for allegedly stealing the Visa card of a co-worker from the previous evening’s night shift. The evidence was thin but it was just enough to prove on a “balance of probabilities” that the …

Our favourite Manitoba case of 2010 was the grievance filed by nurses against a hospital for implementing a state of the art IT system for tracking workplace incidents. Although it improved safety, the new system required on already overworked nurses to enter …

A temp agency placed a building supervisor with Manitoba Housing. The assignment involved 40 hours a week and the supervisor hoped it would result in a permanent job. But he hurt his hand and by the time he was ready to return, the …

A bicycle courier filed an Employment Standards Code claim. His employer claimed the courier was an independent contractor. But the Board said he was an employee and awarded him $4,378 in vacation, holiday wages and termination notice. The courier owned the bike but …

A sales agent let go after 12 years of service sued the window company whose products he sold for wrongful dismissal. The Labour Board dismissed the case. The agent set his own hours, received no general salary, sold products under his own …

A nurse left her purse and Visa card at work after her night shift. The next day, somebody improperly charged $136 on the Visa card. The nurse accused the co-worker on duty with her during the night shift who had called in …

A hospital implemented a state of the art IT system to track workplace incidents that enabled it to eliminate hazards and cut injuries. But the union complained about the new duties it imposed on already overtaxed nurses. The arbitrator acknowledged that the …