Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) refused the union’s leave application in Suncor Energy Inc v Unifor Local 707A, 2017 ABCA 313 (Suncor ) thereby leaving the Alberta Court of Appeal’s (ABCA) ruling intact. The ABCA had held that evidence of substance-related safety risks across an employer’s workforce (including both union and non-union workers) may be taken into account when assessing the permissibility of random testing of unionized workers.

Suncor  is a favourable result for employers because it is in step with taking a holistic approach to workplace safety. But it is by no means a green light for drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. With the legalization of recreational use of cannabis fast approaching, we outline the current state of the law and key best practices for workplace impairment testing. Continue Reading Legalization Draws Near, Where are We Now on Employee Testing?

We’re pleased to share an informative article, “Know the Joint Employer Risks Where You Operate“, authored by our colleagues Will Woods and Emily Harbison. The article outlines key developments in joint employer liability for franchisors operating in Australia, Canada and Mexico and describes a proactive approach to help mitigate against risk. It was published in the September 2018 edition of Franchising World. Follow this link for further information about how we can assist employers in this area.

Ontario universities and publicly-funded colleges are now required to develop and publicly post a free speech policy by January 1, 2019. No Bill has yet been introduced to detail these requirements. However, the government outlined the minimum standard for the policy and related requirements in a communication issued by the Office of the Premier on August 30, 2018. Continue Reading Ontario Moves to Protect Free Speech on Campus: Universities and Colleges Must Develop Free Speech Policy

Recreational cannabis is very much in the spotlight as the date for legalization approaches. Yet issues related to employee use of medical cannabis are still front and centre for many employers, as demonstrated by a pair of recent arbitration decisions: Re IBEW, Local 1620 and Lower Churchill Transmission Construction Employers Assn. Inc. (Uprichard) (2017), 281 LAC (4th) 246 (“Lower Churchill 1”) and Re Lower Churchill Transmission Construction Employers Assn. Inc. and IBEW, Local 1620 (Tizzard) 2018 Carswell Nfld 198 (“Lower Churchill 2”). Continue Reading Inability to Monitor Residual Impairment From Medical Cannabis May Constitute Undue Hardship

On August 2, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada refused the plaintiff’s leave application in Krishnamoorthy v Olympus Canada Inc, 2017 ONCA 873. As such, the Ontario Court of Appeal’s ruling still stands. The ONCA held that a purchaser of assets of a business is free to offer employment on new terms to employees of the vendor and can rely on the resulting written employment agreement as binding – the employment offer constitutes sufficient consideration for the employee agreeing to the new terms. See here for more information about the case.

Nonetheless employers who seek to add or revise a termination clause should involve legal counsel in drafting the clause since such provisions must still comply with local employment standards legislation to be enforceable.

MEXICO

 

Since NAFTA came into force in 1994, many Canadian companies established or expanded their business interests in Mexico, including Bombardier, Apotex and McCain, to name a few. With the forthcoming change in Mexico’s administration, Canadian companies with cross-border operations and domestic companies are likewise wondering what the future holds in terms of labour policy. Our colleague in Mexico City, Salvador Pasquel Villegas, sheds light on what to expect here.

This is the second article in our two-part series in which we highlight changes under Quebec’s Bill 176, An Act to amend the Act respecting labour standards and other legislative provisions mainly to facilitate family-work balance.

In our first article, we outlined the new standard for directors’ and officers’ liability and several new compliance obligations for Quebec employers. Here we focus on changes to leave entitlements. Continue Reading “Sorry, I Need Time Off” ‒ Quebec Expands Employee Leave Entitlements

As promised in the 2015 election campaign, the federal government has introduced accessibility legislation. Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (Accessible Canada Act)  is the result of a cross-country consultation process with Canadians and received First Reading on June 20, 2018. Continue Reading Federal Accessibility Legislation in the Works

The National Assembly of Quebec has made wide-ranging changes to the province’s labour standards legislation. The amendments were enacted through Bill 176, An Act to amend the Act respecting labour standards and other legislative provisions mainly to facilitate family-work balance, which received Royal Assent on June 12, 2018. Employers with operations in Ontario and Alberta, should also be aware that these provinces also made significant changes to their respective employment standards legislation earlier this year.

This is the first of two articles summarizing the key changes in Quebec. This article outlines changes to the scope of liability for directors and officers and new compliance obligations for Quebec employers. The second article will outline changes to leave entitlements. Continue Reading Quebec Makes Broad Changes to its Workplace Standards

Further to our earlier post, the new Ontario government announced today that it has delayed the coming into force of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017, which officially came into force on July 1, 2018. The delay is intended to permit the government to assess the regulation of vaping in the province. The existing legislation, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2015, remains in effect in the interim.

We will continue to monitor the status of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017.