Do Labour & Employment Laws Protect Gig Workers?
As many as 20% to 30% of all Canadian workers engage in some form of “gig work,” like driving, freelance writing, developing websites and even pet-sittting. So, it’s only a […]
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Tips For Hiring Seasonal Employees
It is that time of year: the temperatures are rising and the end of the school year is around the corner – seasonal employers are preparing to hire summer employees. There […]
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Employment Protections for Gig Workers – Know The Laws Of Your Province
Gig workers can unionize in some provinces but lack ESA and OHS protections in most of Canada. As many as 20% to 30% of all Canadian workers engage in some form […]
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New Ontario Law Gives Gig Workers Employment Standards Rights
Bill 88 provides new employment protections for “digital platform workers”. As many as 20% to 30% of all Canadian workers engage in some form of “gig work,” like driving, freelance writing, […]
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BC Makes It Easier for Unions to Get Certified
The 2 things HR managers need to know about Bill 10 On June 2, 2022, BC passed Bill 10 making significant changes to the Labour Relations Code that make it easier […]
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Cut in Work Hours Is Not Constructive Dismissal
A dental hygienist quit her job and sued for constructive dismissal after the practice cut her hours from 3 to 2 shifts per week. The Ontario court tossed the claim […]
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High Court Upholds Decision Not to Enforce Overly Broad Non-Compete Clause
The Employee agrees that during the Employee’s employment with the Company and during the one year period following the termination of the Employee’s employment with the Company, for any reason […]
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Deducting Employee’s Training Costs Violates ESC
A skin care center agreed to provide free training to estheticians, provided that they stay at least 24 months; if not, they had to repay the center’s training costs. In […]
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Can I Fire An Employee For Breaking Our Policy?
Many employers establish policies that they expect their employees to follow, but a policy is not likely to be followed if there are no consequences for an employee who chooses […]
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Know The Laws Of Your Province on Minimum Age Requirements
All jurisdictions impose age restrictions to protect young workers from being hired for jobs that may harm their health, safety or welfare. Here’s a rundown of the minimum age requirements […]
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Bill-10: Unbalanced Changes To The BC Labour Relations Code – A Step Backwards For BC
Introduction On April 6, 2022, the BC Government tabled Bill 10, the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, introducing changes to the certification process. The Bill passed Third Reading on May 17, 2022, and […]
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HR, incentives and retention issues in Merger & Acquisition transactions
This article is an extract from GTDT Private M&A 2022. Click here for the full guide. In this chapter, we consider some of the key HR, incentives and retention issues from an […]
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Video Surveillance Policy
Closed circuit television and other surveillance equipment can help you keep your work facility safe and secure. But it can also violate the personal privacy of individuals who are monitored. […]
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Choosing One Of Your Adult Children As Your RRSP/RRIF/TFSA Beneficiary? Think-And Act-Carefully
It's an increasingly common story. A widow has several children, all of them adults. She makes a will that leaves her assets to all her children equally. The widow, however, decides to […]
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Apple Faces Backlash on Return to Work Policy
APPLE MINI-REVOLT SHOWS DANGERS OF MAKING REMOTE EMPLOYEES RETURN TO WORK Having gotten used to working from home, many employees are reluctant to heed the call to return to the office. […]
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Accommodation: What You Should Know In Less Than Two Minutes
You just received a request to accommodate childcare obligations, or to accommodate an injury. How do you respond? Do you need some form of accommodation and are unsure how to proceed? Whether you are […]
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Mental Health – Lets Talk About It
The increase of anxiety and depression has been directly linked to lower productivity and higher absenteeism in the workplace... Whether you have been isolated in a remote workspace or exhausted on […]
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Alberta, Canada Human Rights Tribunal Reminds Employees They Have Duties In The Workplace Accommodation Process
In Zupcic v Saputo Foods Limited, 2022 AHRC 13 (Saputo), the Human Rights Tribunal of Alberta (Tribunal) dismissed an employee's complaint that that she was discriminated against in employment on the ground […]
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An Update On Paid Leave For Illness And Injury Under The Employment Standards Act In British Columbia
Recently, the BC Government passed Bill 19 to make further changes to paid and unpaid leave for personal illness or injury under the Employment Standards Act (the "Act") Background Five days of paid leave […]
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How Can Employers Overcome Labour Shortages In Québec And Across Canada?
The repercussions of a global pandemic have left the province of Québec, and, in fact, all of Canada facing longlasting labour shortage issues with thousands of unfilled jobs. According to […]
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The 5 Mistakes HR Managers Make in Workplace Wellness Programs (and How to Fix Them).
Thought: Remember that it is possible to achieve positive ROI in any organisation through a wellness program so if your program isn’t doing that, it means that you need to either […]
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You Make the Call—Employee or Independent Contractor?
One of the trickiest challenges faced by payroll is distinguishing between employees and independent contractors. Here’s a scenario illustrating the factors that apply in the context of determining whether employment […]
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It Takes Two To Tango: Employee Obligations And Workplace Accommodation
Workplace accommodation is a challenging process, often without easy answers. Employers know they have to be proactive when assessing and implementing accommodation plans to ensure compliance with human rights legislation. What […]
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Paying Employees With Your Favourite Things? Court Permits Giving Equipment As Severance
Money may buy matching diamonds, but can an employer then pay its employees with those diamonds when money is running low? A recent decision in Alberta, Hubbard v. 651398 British Columbia […]
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COVID-19 Vaccination Policies: Early Employer Successes In Round Two
A number of arbitration awards dealing with COVID-19 vaccination policies were released in late 2021 and early 2022. While most of these policies were upheld, it remained to be seen […]
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Arbitrator Decides Employer Could Terminate Employee Who Refused Government-Ordered Vaccination
On April 4, 2022, in Fraser Health Authority v British Columbia General Employees' Union, 2022 CanLII 25560, Arbitrator Koml Kandola of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board dismissed the union's grievance respecting […]
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At a Glance: Termination of Employment in Canada
Termination of employment Grounds for termination May an employer dismiss an employee for any reason or must there be ‘cause’? How is cause defined under the applicable statute or regulation? In most jurisdictions, […]
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Spring Cleaning for Employment Contracts
Employment Law is ever changing. Just when we think we have a good handle on how a court will decide an issue, a court releases a decision that revises previously […]
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The Right to Disconnect
Never has it been more difficult for Canadian workers to achieve a proper balance between life and work. With labour in short supply, employees are being pressured to work longer hours; […]
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