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Employment Law

  • December 12, 2019
  • Photo: "Eid Mubarak Greeting Cards" by Rimana Zaman is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This time of year, many of us are busy preparing for the upcoming holiday season. It is important to remember that the two biggest holidays of the year – Christmas and Easter- arise from one faith tradition. Of course, not everyone shares...

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  • November 20, 2019
  • Photo, Pexels: woman-sleeping-935777
The B.C. Court of Appeal recently released a decision in which justice was done in a very sad case.  The case involved a woman named Ms. Tanious. Just before starting a new job in 2005, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis...

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  • November 12, 2019
  • Photo: "Don Cherry" by mark6mauno is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Don Cherry was notoriously loud, outspoken and colourful, both in what he said and in what he wore. He was a permanent fixture on the Canadian hockey scene. That came to an end this past Monday, Remembrance Day 2019. After making a...

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  • October 31, 2019
  • Photo: Pixabay, courtesy of Pexels
There is a somewhat new kid on the insurance block in Canada. Employment Practices Liability insurance, or EPL for short.  It is more popular in the United States, but in recent years, has been making inroads in Canada. In the United...

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  • September 16, 2019
  • The New Westminster courthouse at night. "courthouse steps" by Graham Ballantyne is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
It happens even to law firms.  An employer who fails to handle a dismissal with great care risks being on the wrong side of a stinging judicial decision. This recently happened to a Vancouver based law firm which specializes in “driving law.” The...

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  • August 29, 2019
  • Photo: "Canada" by Michel MARIE is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Amendments to the Canada Labour Code become effective on September 1, 2019.  The Canada Labour Code applies to employers in federally regulated industries. This includes banks, telecommunications, and transportation traveling outside provincial boundaries. The amendments arise from Bill C-63, the Budget...

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  • August 4, 2019
  • Impage: courtesy of pexels
There is no doubt about it. Losing your job sucks. It can be one of life’s major turning points. Courts acknowledge that it is normal to feel a certain amount of distress and hurt feelings when losing one’s job.  Sometimes, though, an...

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  • July 27, 2019
  • Photo Credit: "unemployed (222/365)" by LeRamz is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Many employers assume that if work slows down, they can simply “lay off” workers temporarily until things pick up again. Some employees in this situation may wonder if they have been dismissed. Under the B.C. Employment Standards Act (ESA), a “temporary layoff”...

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  • July 14, 2019
Many organizations have policy manuals. They are a collection of policies which set out how certain issues are to be handled within the organization.  Examples include vacation, job protected leaves such as maternity or parental leave, dress codes, hours of...

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  • July 14, 2019
  • "Canadian Bills/Coins" by anitakhart is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
When is an employer able to make deductions from a British Columbian employee’s wages?    Section 21 of the British Columbia Employment Standards Act (ESA) states that except as permitted by provincial or federal legislation,  “an employer must not, directly or...

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