The minimum wage for employees in British Columbia has increased $.75 from $13.85 to $14.60 per hour effective June 1, 2020. Minimum wage applies regardless of how employees are paid – hourly, salary, commission or
Continue Reading Minimum wage increase effective June 1, 2020 in B.C.
British Columbia has mandated COVID-19 Safety Plans for businesses and employers in the province as part of its COVID-19 Restart Plan. Although Safety Plans do not need to be submitted to WorkSafeBC as a condition
Continue Reading BC Safety Plan update
Today, BC announced it is extending the Employment Standards Act temporary layoff period to a maximum of 16 weeks in any period of 20 consecutive weeks for layoffs connected to the COVID-19 emergency.
The increased
Continue Reading BC extends temporary layoffs related to COVID-19
On April 6, 2020, the Alberta government announced additional changes to Alberta’s Employment Standards Code (the “Code”) in an effort to ease hardships caused by COVID-19. The changes include the following:
Continue Reading Alberta government extends temporary leave for employees
The Office of the Premier of Ontario announced the launch of a toll-free phone line to respond to inquiries from businesses concerning the Province of Ontario’s emergency order requiring all “non-essential” / “at-risk” workplaces to
Continue Reading Ontario launches “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 information hotline
On March 23, 2020, the Employment Standards Amendment Act (No. 2), 2020 came into force. It amends the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The amendments introduced two types of unpaid
Continue Reading Protecting Jobs in an Emergency – Amendments to BC Employment Standards Act
On March 17, 2020, the Alberta Employment Standards Code was amended by an Order in Council, to provide for a new 14 day unpaid leave for employees under quarantine (“Quarantine Leave”), which
Continue Reading Alberta Employment Standards Code amended to provide 14 day Quarantine Leave
In the Ontario Labour Relation Board’s (“OLRB”) first decision concerning workers in the “gig economy”, the OLRB held that Foodora Inc. (“Foodora”) couriers are “dependent contractors” under the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”). As dependent
Continue Reading The rubber hits the road: the Ontario Labour Relations Board holds that Foodora couriers are dependent contractors
For years employment standards legislation has provided a variety of statutory leaves, such as maternity and parental leave, jury duty, and bereavement leave. However, those leaves were always unpaid; the Employer’s obligation was limited to
Continue Reading B.C. Government introduces first mandatory paid leave
Many think Canadian courts award relatively modest damage awards in tort cases, especially when compared to our U.S. neighbours. However, a recent case, Rook v Halcrow, shows that Canadian courts will award significant damages
Continue Reading Canadian court awards significant defamation damages — are online platforms immune?
