Workplace Policy | MacLeod Law Firm

Employment Law Update: Electronic Monitoring Policy

MacLeod Law Firm — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:00:31 +0000

A new amendment to the Employment Standards Act requires employers with 25 or more employees on January 1st of a given year to put in place a written policy regarding any electronic monitoring processes they use to monitor employees. The deadline for 2022 is October 11, 2022. As electronic monitoring practices vary widely between businesses and different industries, the specific practices of…

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Will the Pay Transparency Act Narrow the Gender Pay Gap? Bill 57 Halts our Chance to Find Out

Doug MacLeod — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 14:54:53 +0000

Despite pay equity and anti-discrimination laws, female workers in Ontario earn less than their male counterparts. To address this gender wage gap, shortly before 2018 provincial election the Liberal government passed the Pay Transparency Act (“PTA”), putting the onus on employers to publicly report gender pay to build fairer workplaces. It was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2019.

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Doug’s Top 10 Employment Law Stories of 2018

Doug MacLeod — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 14:49:23 +0000

In 2018 there were many new developments in the employment law world. Here are my top 10 stories of the year: 1. Bill 148 Bit the Dust Ontario’s Employment Standards Act received its last major update in 2000. During the last three years, the Liberal provincial government consulted widely and introduced comprehensive changes to this law by way of Bill 148. After this year’s spring election…

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Workplace Investigations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act

MacLeod Law Firm — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 14:46:07 +0000

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) imposes several obligations on employers to investigate complaints of workplace harassment. When there is an incident or complaint of workplace harassment, OHSA requires the employer to conduct an investigation that is appropriate in the circumstances. An employer has a legal obligation to make the workplace safe so if there is any indication of…

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Arbitrator Finds Undue Hardship for Employer to Hire an Employee with a Medical Cannabis Prescription in a Safety-Sensitive Workplace

MacLeod Law Firm — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 14:43:40 +0000

With the recent legalization of recreational cannabis across Canada, employers are increasingly worried about its impact on safety-sensitive workplaces. Even though medical cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2001, similar concerns continue to exist about how to accommodate an employee where they hold a safety-sensitive position. In a 2018 arbitration decision, Arbitrator Roil dealt with this…

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Why Employers need a Discrimination-Free Workplace Policy

MacLeod Law Firm — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 14:38:39 +0000

Although a workplace anti-discrimination policy is not mandatory in Ontario, we recommend it. If a complaint about discrimination is brought forward, employers can rely on the policy to help address the issue and follow predetermined steps. This type of policy can protect an employer if litigation is commenced by an employee about discrimination. Employer discrimination policies are reviewed and…

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Cannabis Legalization: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors

Doug MacLeod — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 13:44:03 +0000

Whether you’ve been looking forward to this day – October 17, 2018 – or whether you’ve been dreading it, the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is officially here. Although employers have had over a year and a half to prepare for legalization, a recent Ipsos poll found that managers and employees are not on the same page when it comes to their respective expectations concerning the…

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Investigating Workplace Harassment Complaints: Get Ready for Changes to the OHSA

Doug MacLeod — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:20:11 +0000

“Bob is harassing me.” Your spidey senses should be tingling. Because some kind of investigation should be taking place soon. If not, consider what happened when an employee at CBC complained about Jian Ghomeshi and was ignored or when an employee at the TO2015 Pan American games complained about David Peterson and her complaint was allegedly not taken seriously. Immediately after you are told…

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AODA Update: New Regulation Taking Effect July 1, 2016

Doug MacLeod — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 03:56:03 +0000

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 the top of my lungs. Employment Standards Regulation: January 1, 2017 The most important amendment to AODA that applies to employers with 1 to 49 employees takes effect on January 1, 2017.

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