A Guide for Employers during COVID-19
This Guide
sets out the key employment law issues to consider, as well as the government’s financial relief options to explore to get through this deep economic crisis. (Last Updated June 19, 2020).
Further free resources can be found here.
Should you need legal advice on how to manage your workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak, please get in touch.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and in the midst of protests and heightened awareness of anti-black racism across the world, two prominent Canadians have been “cancelled.”
Earlier this month Sasha Exeter, lifestyle blogger and influencer, called out Jessica Mulroney for “textbook white privilege.” Exeter explained, calling out Mulroney by name, that Mulroney took offence to her call to action for people with large public followings to use their platforms to address racial inequality and then proceeded to threaten Exeter and her brand. Soon after Mulroney’s reality show, “I Do, Redo” had been cancelled by CTV, and Cityline, Good Morning America, Hudson’s Bay and apparently Meghan Markle, had all cut their ties with the star.
Continue Reading Cancel Culture at Work: Terminating Employees for Inappropriate Behaviour
Employers faced with an employee who has suddenly landed in jail are typically paralyzed with what the heck to do next. It’s easy to see how criminal and employment legal issues start to commingle in that case, but there are many other situations less dramatic where an employer needs to navigate through the tricky world of criminal law.
And then add in a global pandemic where the courts are largely on pause. Here are some tips on how to handle a criminal law matter in your workplace.
Continue Reading My Employee Was Charged with a Criminal Offence. What now?
A Guide for Employers during COVID-19
This Guide sets out the key employment law issues to consider, as well as the government’s financial relief options to explore to get through this deep economic crisis. (Last Updated June 3, 2020).
Further free resources can be found here.
Should you need legal advice on how to manage your workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak, please get in touch.
Outraged protesters took to the streets across the US to demonstrate against the unnecessary loss of life and the complete lack of empathy shown by police officers for a Black man pleading to hold on to his life. George Floyd’s death could have been prevented if there were stricter policies limiting police use of force in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis police are allowed to use chokeholds and that’s how George Floyd was killed. A 30-year study examining police use of force shows that a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds results in 22% fewer police killings.
Continue Reading The Deaths of George Floyd & Regis Korchinski-Paquet
We are super excited to share that our founder Lisa Stam has been nominated for a Canadian Lawyer Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers “Changemakers Award”! Lisa has always made it a top priority to make legal services relevant, easy to access & more affordable through tech smarts!
We’d sure appreciate it if you could cast a vote for her – anyone can vote! Please click here. Voting ends this Friday, June 5. Thanks so much!
Continue Reading Cast Your Vote! Lisa Stam Nominated for a Changemakers Award!
As many of our readers and clients know, we have been cautioning that the legality of certain layoffs and job changes necessitated by COVID-19 is uncertain. Generally, layoffs are only legal if the employment contract gives the employer the right to layoff, and many other job changes, such as reductions in hours or pay, raise the risk of constructive dismissal. We anticipated that at some point the Ontario government may weigh in and change the law – on Friday they did.
Ontario potentially has another new COVID-19 related law on the horizon, this time related to worker’s compensation. On May 19, Bill 191, Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act (Presumption Respecting COVID-19), 2020 passed first reading in the Ontario Legislature.
COVID-19 a Presumptive Occupational Disease for Essential Workers
If the Bill is passed, it will amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 to add a presumption that COVID-19 is an occupational disease for workers working for essential businesses as deemed by an Order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
Continue Reading COVID-19 and Proposed Amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
A Guide for Employers during COVID-19
This Guide sets out the key employment law issues to consider, as well as the government’s financial relief options to explore to get through this deep economic crisis. (Last Updated May 22, 2020).
Further free resources can be found here.
Should you need legal advice on how to manage your workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak, please get in touch.
This week in Ontario many businesses are re-opening. Employers and employees alike have questions about going back to work and the intersection of re-starting businesses with the various government subsidies that have been tiding many people over.
Bringing Employees Back to Work Using the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
Many employers have laid off a good portion of their workforce and now with re-opening are looking to bring some of those workers back. Businesses that have been hit hard financially may be able to take advantage of the CEWS while earnings are still uncertain as business ramps back up. Getting the CEWS for employees who have been laid off is a little complicated because of the definition of an eligible employee. But first, let’s look at eligible employers.
Continue Reading Government Benefits and Bringing Employees Back: The CERB and CEWS