Frustrated Contracts and Frustrated Employees What is a frustrated contract? Employment contracts are “frustrated” when an unforeseeable event occurs which makes it impossible for one or both parties to a contract to fulfill its terms. The most common...
Severance Pay Versus Termination Pay When an employee is fired without cause, the employer is generally required to give notice or pay the employee in lieu of notice. Most of the time an employee is terminated without notice and given a severance package. Termination...
Occupational Health and Safety Act Amendments – Health and Safety Training is Now Mandatory The Occupational Health and Safety Act’s new regulation mandates basic safety awareness training for all Ontario workers and supervisors – with a specific focus on...
Accommodating Transgender and Transsexual Employees As other provinces amend their human rights legislation to include gender identity and gender expression, they will undoubtedly be examining Ontario’s approach. The Ontario Human Rights Code (“Code”) protects...
The Dangers of Alcohol at Work – How Employers Can Avoid Disaster With the upcoming holidays, drinking alcohol or being impaired at work is an issue that will be considered by many employers. Although people generally agree that alcohol and work don’t mix, the...
Constructive Dismissal – Have changes at work forced a resignation? Many of us experience variations in our work and working conditions. However, certain changes may be significant enough to amount to constructive dismissal. This article addresses the changes to...
Can the Senate of Canada Fire Pamela Wallin? Under the Constitution Act, 1867 (the Act), Pamela Wallin was appointed by the Governor General to fill one of 6 Senate seats from Saskatchewan. Under section 29 of the Act, her appointment is until age 75 unless she is...
Harassment and Violence at Work The Bill 168 changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA / the Act”) were lauded as proactive legislation to combat harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. However, three years after the changes to OHSA, the...