Month In Review – Saskatchewan
LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Laws
Mar 20: Key items in the provincial Budget affecting employment: $24.1 million for essential skills training; $23.0 million for pre-employment programs; $21.8 million for credentialed skills training delivered via post-secondary institutions; $1.5 million to create 250 new apprentice seats for construction-related trades; and $856,000 increase to support record high allocation of 8,000 Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program nominations.
New Laws
Mar 27: The Saskatchewan Assembly tabled legislation that would maintain the temporary reduction of the provincial small business corporate income tax rate reduction to 1% in place until June 30, 2025. The rate had been scheduled to return to 2% on July 1, 2024.
Accessibility
Mar 14: The government established a new committee to provide guidance, build public awareness and support implementation of The Accessible Saskatchewan Act that officially took effect on December 3, 2023.
Action Point: Find out more about accessibility laws across Canada
CASES
Accommodations: Government Can Sue Company for “Pattern of” Disability Discrimination
A SaskPower worker asked to transfer to a different location claimed he couldn’t perform the assigned work because of a work-related back injury he had suffered 12 years earlier and provided a doctor’s note to support his claim. After putting him on temporary and making several attempts to return him to work, the company terminated his employment. The worker sued for disability discrimination. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission got involved in the litigation. After the case was resolved, the Commission sued SaskPower for engaging in a “pattern or practice” disability discrimination and failure to accommodate employees with disabilities. The Court of King’s Bench dismissed the general claims and the Commission appealed to the province’s top court. Result: The Court of Appeal gave the Commission the green light to sue, finding that the human rights statute allows the government to bring “pattern or practice” discrimination. The Commission could also use the case brought by the worker as evidence even though SaskPower didn’t admit to any liability under the settlement [Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission v Saskatchewan Power Corporation, 2024 SKCA 13 (CanLII), February 13, 2024].
Action Point: Help managers avoid accommodations mistakes that can create discrimination liability