#WorkLawWednesday: La contribution « matérielle » demeure le critère applicable pour déterminer s’il y a maladie professionnelle
Récemment, Dominic Caron de Pink Larkin a argüé avec succès devant le Tribunal d’appel des accidents du travail du Nouveau-Brunswick que la Commission de la santé, de la sécurité et de l’indemnisation des accidents au travail (ci-après la « Commission ») avait erré en refusant…
#WorkLawWednesday: A brief introduction – Issues facing trans people in the workplace, and the human rights obligations of employers
Workplaces must be inclusive, respectful, and welcoming to trans people. Trans people are employees, employers, clients, and customers, and for many people working to create trans-inclusive workplaces, they are also our friends, partners, and family members. In the dominant culture, sex and gender…
#WorkLawWednesday: Damages for Mental Distress – Does an Employee Need to Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis?
Employees who are wrongfully dismissed may be entitled to damages for mental distress if they can show that the manner of dismissal caused them mental distress that was in the contemplation of the parties. Such damages may arise where the employer attacks the…
#WorkLawWednesday: Generous Gift or Contracted Compensation? Reasonable Notice and Employee Incentive Plans
When an employer terminates the employment relationship without just cause, the employee is entitled to a reasonable period of working notice or pay in lieu of notice. Judges have asked, “What is a reasonable period of time that it would take for this employee…
#WorkLawWednesday: Conversational Intelligence in the Workplace
We often say you get what you pay for. From this it follows that if you want employees to show up on time and to work harder you have to pay for it. Though offering monetary awards for achieving goals and targets makes…
#WorkLawWednesday: The Medicinal Marijuana Hype
A quick Internet search on the topic of medicinal marijuana in the workplace produces a raft of catchy headings: “Vaporizing the stigma”, “A joint effort”, “Comfortably numb at work”, to mention but a few. As of 2013, over 37,000 Canadians held an “Authorization…
#WorkLawWednesday: Challenge to Construction Project Collective Agreements has no “Merit”
The latest attempt by Merit Contractors Association to challenge union security clauses in construction collective agreements has fallen short. Merit Contractors represents non-union contractors who advocate for open shop contracting in the construction industry. In Barry Millen, et al. v. Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board et al (February…
#WorkLawWednesday: Is Nova Scotia Heritage Day a Holiday with Pay for Me?
As of February 2015, the Labour Standards Code, RSNS 1989, c 246 recognizes Nova Scotia Heritage Day as a statutory holiday. With some exceptions, statutory holidays entitle employees to a day off with pay. This year, Heritage Day falls on Monday, February…
Improper Access: Key considerations when challenging discipline for privacy policy breaches
Whether it’s in healthcare, law enforcement, or government, all sorts of work requires that employees have access to confidential information. As the breadth and scope of information-gathering increases, so too does the public’s concern with privacy. Both employers and employees play a role…
#WorkLawWednesday: Le contrat d’emploi écrit – les dangers et dérives
Le contrat d’emploi écrit – les dangers et dérives[1] Dans une décision datée du 13 octobre 2016[2], la Cour suprême a rejeté une demande en autorisation d’appel de la décision de la Cour d’appel de l’Ontario dans l’affaire Howard c. Benson Group Inc….