Can I layoff an employee? Ontario’s Employment Standards Act has a definition of a ‘temporary lay-off’ and provides when a “temporary lay-off” becomes a termination. Some of you may be surprised to learn that just because a layoff is defined as temporary by the...
The Perils of Dismissing a Disabled Employee On June 30, 2016 the Ontario Court of Appeal (the “OCA”) released its decision in a case involving the dismissal of a disabled employee who earned about $ 22 000 per year. I wrote about the trial decision in April (see here...
AODA Update: New Regulation Taking Effect July 1, 2016 The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) is constantly changing. So when there has been yet another change to AODA it takes all of my energy not to cover my ears and yell “LAH, LAH, LAH” at...
Why An Oral Employment Contract is a Bad Idea We’ve written before on the importance of requiring new hires to sign an employment contract which contains a termination clause. In a recent decision from British Columbia, one employer learned this lesson the hard way....
How much notice of resignation should I give my employer? Did you know that an employee is required to provide “reasonable” notice of resignation (unless you agree to a different notice period in an employment contract)? If you fail to do so, your former employer can...
Ontario Court of Appeal Upholds Decision to Reinstate Disabled Employee with 10 Years Back Pay: Will Human Rights Litigation Ever Be the Same Again? I predict a recent Ontario Court of Appeal (the “OCA”) decision will have a significant impact on human rights...
Is your employment contract enforceable? We’ve written before on the importance of termination clauses in employment contracts. A recent case from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice is a good example of not only including a termination clause in an employment...
Can you be terminated for missing work due to your caregiving responsibilities? We receive calls from parents who have been terminated, or whose continued employment has been threatened, due to their caregiving obligations to their children or parents. Under the...