Employment Law

Employees beware: The perils of posting on Facebook

October 25th, 2012 by Priya Sarin

The dramatic growth of social media use in Canada on such sites as Facebook has raised novel legal issues for employers and employees. One such issue is whether or not an employee’s off-duty conduct online (i.e. posting personal status updates, photos or comments on Facebook at home) can get that employee fired. In short, the answer is yes.

Many Canadians still erroneously believe that what they post on their personal Facebook page is private. They feel little hesitation in coming home after a difficult day at work and griping publicly about their company, boss, co‑workers or quality of work. While it is important to protect freedom of expression and healthy discourse on labour relations issues, posting this type of content online may have serious consequences.

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Reporting Deadline under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act for Organizations with 20 or more Employees Nears

October 18th, 2012 by Shelina Ali

As of January 1, 2012 all organizations that provide goods and services to members of the public and that have at least one employee in Ontario are required to comply with the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service regulation (the Regulation) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.  In addition, if your organization has 20 employees or more, it must file an online report with the Ministry of Community and Social Services regarding  its compliance with the Regulation by December 31, 2012. Please visit the Ministry of Community and Social Service website for more information about filing you Customer Service Accessibility Compliance Report.

For more information on the requirements of the legislation, see our previous post on the topic.

Construction and employment updates

October 16th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

Many of our clients blend the roles of developer, owner and employer in construction projects.  For those of you who wear these hats, there are some updates in the law that might interest you.

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An erosion of labour rights in Canada? It’s starting to look that way

May 31st, 2012 by Priya Sarin

Over the past 12 months, a number of pundits, academics and pollsters have suggested that support for unions and the labour movement is on the decline in Canada. Capitalizing on this perceived shift in attitude, Conservative members of both federal and provincial legislatures have taken the opportunity to advance their own agenda and arguably weaken the bargaining power of Canadian unions relative to employers. Some actions, such as repeated use of back-to-work legislation by Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt have left many wondering what the future of collective bargaining will look like in Canada and whether or not workers will have a “right to strike” going forward.

Read more on rabble.ca

New Human Rights Legislation in Ontario: Is Your Organization Accessible to Individuals with Disabilities?

January 24th, 2012 by Priya Sarin

Recognizing the barriers that individuals with disabilities face in obtaining access to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment and buildings or premises, the Ontario legislature enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).

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Duty to accommodate in Small Workplaces: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

August 9th, 2011 by Iler Campbell LLP

Small, non-profit employers frequently come to us with the impression that human rights laws do not apply to them. All employers, no matter how small or underfunded, have a duty not to discriminate and to accommodate individuals who may be experiencing discrimination in the workplace.

Continue reading “Duty to accommodate in Small Workplaces: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”