Legislation

Accessibility is a major issue for so many Ontarians; recent estimates are that 1 in 7 people are living with a disability. The government of Ontario is committed to making our province more accessible and have developed a 20 year plan with the goal of implementing the changes needed in […]

When the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Customer Service Standard was introduced prior to the compliance deadline of January 2013, I remember discussing with my colleagues how we, as HR professionals, would ensure that our clients would meet the requirements. Unlike other legislation that we had been dealing […]

When the Workplace Violence law, Bill 168, came into force in June 2010, there was some confusion about employers’ responsibilities, especially when it came to how the private worlds of a company’s staff now carried over into the public workplace, while simultaneously preserving a commitment to employee privacy and confidentiality. […]

Less then two years after Bill 168 – what seemed like the biggest employment law undertaking in recent history – Ontario employers are once again faced with an even more broad sweeping law that is coming in force in just a few months, The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act […]

Long weekends mean more time at the cottage, on the ski hill or reading a book, but no matter how you choose to spend your time, there is no doubt that everyone enjoys statutory holidays. If you are a human resources or payroll person, your view of statutory holidays can […]

Last month I wrote about a wrongful dismissal case in which an employee was harassed by his co-workers over a period of several months. When the company failed to act on his complaints, he successfully sued his employer for constructive dismissal for failing to provide him with a workplace free […]

There has always been a clear understanding that employers are held responsible for the actions of their managers and supervisors in matters concerning harassment in the workplace. Whether an employer knew that there was harassment going or not, if they do not take action upon learning of the complaint, they […]

You might not have heard about Bill 168 yet, but businesses in Ontario will be hearing a lot about this amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 2010.  The Bill, which just received Royal Assent and will go into law on June 15th, defines and addresses workplace violence […]

The cellphone ban has been in effect in Ontario for little over a month now, and maybe its just me but I’ve had a lot less road rage.  Drivers seem to be more attentive, and those chatting on their cellphones sure are getting a lot of dirty looks – this […]