Update: Some helpful clarifications from the LTB regarding evictions

April 9th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

As of April 2, 2020, the Landlord and Tenant Tribunal updated their website forms section to include the Request for Urgent Hearing Motion Form and Instructions for the Request for Urgent Motion Form. These forms are available to assist landlords, co-operatives and tenants in the event that a hearing is urgently required; for example:

  1. In exceptional and extremely urgent circumstances such as a threat to life or safety; or
  2. A serious illegal act.

The form includes a textbox where the applicant can provide details to support their request. An applicant should be aware that if they do not provide enough details of their request it may be denied. Supporting details include:

  1. Where the issue occurred
  2. Dates and times of the occurrences,
  3. Whether or not the issue is ongoing and who caused the issue(s).

Human rights in the time of COVID‑19

April 9th, 2020 by Karly Wilson

On April 2, 2020, the Ontario Human Rights Commission issued a policy directive for government bodies to enact a “human‑rights based approach” to managing the COVID‑19 pandemic.

What is the Ontario Human Rights Commission?

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (the OHRC) is a government agency that was created by the Human Rights Code to promote and advance human rights in Ontario. They provide information and direction for service providers, government agencies, lawyers, and the like. At Iler Campbell, we frequently refer our clients to their public education materials and often use their website as a starting point when researching issues for our clients.

Part of OHRC’s role is to make recommendations during situations of tension or conflict, an apt description for daily life since the start of the global COVID‑19 pandemic. All levels of government have been scrambling to make the necessary policy shifts to keep residents as safe as possible. The provincial government has enacted a series of urgent emergency measures, many of which we have discussed previously on this blog. As decisions are being made at a break‑neck pace, the OHRC has issued its policy directive to ensure that already vulnerable groups are not forgotten, further marginalized, or exploited by government decisions. Continue reading “Human rights in the time of COVID‑19”

Free webinar: Worker Co-ops and COVID-19

March 31st, 2020 by Iler Campbell

UPDATE: a recording of the webinar is now available here. Michael’s portion is from about minutes 14 – 35. Access CWCF’s COVID-19 resource page here.

Iler Campbell lawyer, Michael Hackl, is participating in a webinar hosted by the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation this Wednesday, April 1 from 2 – 3:30 ET.

Below is CWCF’s description of the webinar:

While focused on CWCF members (including worker co-ops & related types of co-ops, associate members, regional WC federations & their member co-ops, & developer (WCDN) members), this webinar is open to others too, space permitting. Notes from the webinar will be posted on our website. Continue reading “Free webinar: Worker Co-ops and COVID-19”

Free webinar: tenant and employee rights in COVID-19

March 30th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

UPDATE: Video of this workshop is online now. View it above or on YouTube here. 

Iler Campbell lawyer, Safia Lakhani, will be participating in a free webinar this Tuesday at 7pm titled “What next? Navigating your employment & housing rights in COVID-19.” Continue reading “Free webinar: tenant and employee rights in COVID-19”

Some helpful clarifications from the LTB regarding evictions

March 30th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

UPDATE Aug 5, 2020: See the latest info here.

Update: the LTB has updated their website forms section to include the Request for Urgent Hearing Motion Form and Instructions for the Request for Urgent Motion Form. See our update for full details.

You may have heard that the LTB has suspended hearings related to eviction applications as well as the issuance of eviction orders. A recently posted update on their website clarifies that while they’re not hearing arrears or N5 or N5C applications, they will continue to hear serious cases in which an N6, N6C, N7 or N7C was served. It is not entirely clear from the update whether they will be proceeding with all of these applications or just those that they deem to be urgent.

We will continue to post updates on our blog as they become available. Continue reading “Some helpful clarifications from the LTB regarding evictions”

Three things to think about as employers during the COVID-19 crisis

March 27th, 2020 by Michael Hackl

The COVID‑19 pandemic has led to significant changes in our daily lives as governments, businesses, and individuals all try to do what they can to slow the spread of the illness. ‘Social distancing’ has become a term that is familiar to all of us as we limit our physical interactions with one another, and adjust the ways we act when we do meet with others, all in an effort to respond to the advance of this illness.

One aspect of daily life that has changed dramatically for many of us as a result of the COVID‑19 crisis is the workplace. The provincial government has issued an order requiring all non‑essential workplaces to shut down, at least until early April and possibly beyond that. Even before that order was issued, many employers were shutting down their workplaces and requiring employees to work remotely. Further, many employers who are permitted to keep their workplaces open under the government order have nonetheless shut down their workplaces in favour of having employees work from home. And with the impact that COVID‑19 is having on many businesses, some employers are laying off employees.

For many employers, these steps will also raise legal questions and issues. As this whole situation is new to all of us, we expect that the responses to the crisis will raise novel legal questions that were not anticipated. But there are already some legal questions that are arising, and it would be wise for employers to give consideration to the legal implications of any measures they may take, as well as how to respond to questions or resistance from employees. With this in mind, we are setting out a few of the issues that we have already seen, so that you can consider them in making decisions on how to manage your employees through this crisis. This article is not meant to give you the answers as to how to address those issues – that is simply not possible in light of the many different circumstances that each different employer has to address. Instead, it is meant to give you an idea of some of the issues that you might face, to help you to be aware of what you might face, and to help you think about when you might seek professional advice about these issues. Continue reading “Three things to think about as employers during the COVID-19 crisis”