Skip to main content

Latest Posts

  • September 11, 2020
  • Image: "Unemployed" by jronaldlee is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Earlier this summer, the British Columbia government extended the Employment Standards Act (ESA) temporary layoff provisions to a maximum of 24 weeks for cases in which the COVID-19 emergency is a cause of all or part of the layoff. That...

Read More

  • September 4, 2020
  • Photo: "construction zone" by granth is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Demand remains high for French immersion programs in Western Canada. Despite the high demand, many parents remain disappointed with the opportunities afforded to their children.  Constitutional Status The opportunity for children of Canadian citizens to study French, whether by attending a Francophone school...

Read More

  • August 21, 2020
  • Image: "Ping Pong Balls" by Peter Alfred Hess is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Alberta’s workplace legislation is starting to resemble a ping pong ball. After the NDP formed the Alberta government in 2013, it amended Alberta's workplace legislation, including Employment Standards Code and Labour Relations Code, to include  provisions consistent with those in other...

Read More

  • August 14, 2020
  • Image: "Plating DNA Samples" by kqedquest is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Is a Canadian employer permitted to fire an employee based on a genetic predisposition to develop a disability?  Can it defend WCB claims based on genetic predispositions? Can an employer require employees to submit to genetic testing? Can insurance companies deny...

Read More

  • July 31, 2020
On July 27, 2020,  Bill C-20, An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures, received royal assent. This legislation amends the Income Tax Act (Canada) to extend and expand the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) amid COVID-19.  It also released a backgrounder and...

Read More

  • July 24, 2020
Many employees off work amid COVID-19 are wondering about their rights. Employers who have curtailed operations are wondering what liabilities may be lurking if upon resuming normal operations they return some but not all employees to work. When Can Employers Lay off...

Read More

  • July 17, 2020
  • Impage: courtesy of pexels
Last week we began looking at the recently published federal Work Place Harassment and Violence Regulations (Regulations).   The Regulations contain requirements on federally regulated employers to comply with their obligations under the Canada Labour Code (CLC) harassment and violence prevention...

Read More

  • July 10, 2020
  • Image: Mad formal executive man yelling at camera, Andrea Piacquadio, courtesy Pexels
Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1, received Royal Assent on October 25, 2018. Bill C-65 will be force on...

Read More

  • July 3, 2020
  • Image: "uber" by stockcatalog is licensed under CC BY 2.0 ; https://www.flickr.com/photos/stockcatalog/40834812504/in/photostream/
The Supreme Court of Canada recently released a decision that considered whether a clause in Uber’s contracts is legally valid. Mr. David Heller, an Uber driver, challenged a provision in Uber’s contract. To become an Uber driver, Mr. Heller had to accept,...

Read More

  • June 25, 2020
  • Photo: "Snapshots of my whiteboard" by nilexuk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Last week, we looked at the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v. British Columbia. That decision confirmed that the Province of British Columbia unjustifiably infringed section 23(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights...

Read More