How much weight are judges to give other wrongful dismissal decisions? According to a recent decision from the Court of Appeal for Ontario, while other decisions from the same level of court can be persuasive, they are not binding. The principle of stare decisis requires that courts render decisions that are consistent with the previous decisions of higher courts.
How long do you have to sue an insurance company after they deny you long-term disability (“LTD”) benefits? According to a now-reversed decision from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, if the benefits are provided as part of a group benefits plan, as most employee benefits are, it can be as little time as the insurance company says.
In a decision released in March of 2014, Kassburg v. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2014 ONSC 1523 (CanLII), the Honourable Justice M. Gregory Ellies of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that a group policy of insurance, issued by an insurance company to an employer, was a “business agreement” under the law and accordingly the usual limitation period governing such policies of insurance did might not apply.
However, on December 29, 2014, the Court of Appeal for Ontario reversed Justice Ellies' decision, finding that such policies of insurance are not "business agreements" and that the time limit applicable to such claims is two years from the date such claims are "discovered." For a summary of the Court of Appeal's decision see: Court of Appeal says Group LTD Policies not "Business Agreements".
In a decision released earlier this week, the Court of Appeal for Ontario reduced an award of punitive damages against a Wal-Mart manager from $150,000 to $10,000, and against Wal-Mart itself from $1,000,000 to $100,000. In the same decision, however, the court upheld the award of $100,000 in damages for intentional infliction of mental suffering against the manager, and the award of $200,000 in aggravated damages against Wal-Mart.
In a decision released today, the Supreme Court of Canada has held that British Columbia’s Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c. 210 does not apply to equity partners in law firms.
Being July 1st, 2014, every employer in the province of Ontario will need to comply with the Ministry of Labour’s new Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training Regulation (O. Reg. 297/13) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
As first mentioned by fellow Kelly Santini LLP employment lawyer Shawn O’Connor on the firm’s business law blog Start Up. Build Up. Sell Up. in the post All Employers Required to Train Staff Under New Health & Safety Act, this new legislation may catch many employers off-guard. Past training requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) have resulted in employers focusing on employees involved in physical work and the resulting risk of injury. The new legislation states that all employees must receive the minimum required training, including white collar and clerical staff, whom employers might not have associated with having a risk of injury in the workplace.
If you live in Ontario, but move to Alberta for work, can you sue for wrongful dismissal in Ontario if you get fired and then move back? That, essentially, was the question posed in the case of Christmas v. Fort McKay, 2014 ONSC 373 (CanLII).
Has an employee who is ‘walked to the door’ by his employer been fired or has he simply been subjected to a fundamental change in employment?
What if the employee was provided with “working notice” before being escorted to the door? Can someone be both: (a) escorted out of the building, told not to return, and announced as having “left the company”; and (b) an employee of that company at the same time? Or are those two positions mutually exclusive? Those were the question the Court of Appeal for British Columbia was asked to answer in the case of Allen v. Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd., 2013 BCCA 271 (CanLII).
A common misconception among both employers and employees is that anyone who is fired from his or her job in Ontario is entitled to severance pay; that simply is not the case. However, saying that a dismissed employee is not necessarily entitled to “severance” pay does not mean that the employee is not entitled to anything. What employees are entitled to varies.
Can someone who gets fired shortly after returning from maternity leave receive Employment Insurance (EI) benefits?
The short answer is currently “no.” Although the answer depends on how long after returning to work the employee finds herself suddenly unemployed. (While it is legally permissible for men to take parental leave and while it is possible for those men to lose their job shortly after doing so, the reality is that this situation is far more common for women than it is for men. While the law is gender neutral and men can be effected by this law in the same way that women are, this post will be written from the perspective of new mothers.)
Is having the flu a “disability” under the Ontario Human Rights Code? According to a decision from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the body responsible for enforcing Ontario’s Human Rights Code, the answer is no.
In order to receive an award of wrongful dismissal damages, a dismissed employee must prove that he or she suffered damages as a result of his or her dismissal from employment. While that statement of law may seem simple and straightforward, it was the primary reason the Ontario Divisional Court set aside a $21,475 Small Claims judgment in a recent decision: Garcia v. 1162540 Ontario Inc., 2013 ONSC 6574 (CanLII)
After four years of waiting, the Supreme Court of Canada has weighed in on the proper interpretation and approach to Ontario’s Summary Judgment procedure. The decision is a game-changer for litigation.
In its unanimous decision in Hryniak v. Mauldin, 2014 SCC 7 (CanLII), authored by the Honourable Justice Karakatsanis, the Court has clearly said that the preferred route for disposition of lawsuits is not the trial as we know it.
For the reasons set out below, it is this author’s opinion that this decision will undoubtedly have a positive influence on the resolution of cases for the suddenly unemployed.
(c) istock/BrianAJackson
Can your employer, a long-term disability insurer, or the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) legally reject your doctor’s note?
That is one of the most common questions asked by those employees who find themselves suddenly unemployed or without benefits. It is also a source of incredible anxiety and frustration. The answer is very complicated, and like everything in law, the correct answer is “it depends.”
Should the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”) have the legal ability to award legal costs? Some people think so, including the Member of Provincial Parliament for Lanark--Frontenac--Lennox and Addington, the Hon. Randy Hillier.
On December 4, 2013, Bill 147 Human Rights Code Amendment Act (Awarding of Costs), 2013 passed first reading in the Ontario legislature. If passed, the amendment would grant the HRTO the discretionary ability to award legal costs of the proceeding.
Earlier this week the Ontario Medical Association made an announcement saying that it would discourage employers from continuing to ask their employees to produce a doctor's note every time they were absent from work.
However, despite the Ontario Medical Association’s (OMA) recent statement that sick employees should not be required to provide employers with a notes from a doctor, this requirement remains at the sole discretion of each employer. So long as the sick note policy is not discriminatory in any way, (see this post from May 2013 on a Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruling) employers can continue to require that sick employees provide notes from doctors. Each company’s sick note policy must be specified in the company's employment policies. These policies should be explained to employees when joining the company and be easily accessible in print or electronic format.
The statement from the OMA is likely to cause some confusion amongst employees who may now feel that a sick note is no longer required. Employers who wish to continue their sick note policy should take steps to remind all employees of the policy requirements in order to avoid future disputes with staff.
--As always, everyone’s situation is different. The above is not intended to be legal advice for any particular situation and it is always prudent to seek professional legal advice before taking any decisions on one’s own case.
Sean Bawden, publisher
of the law blog for the suddenly unemployed, can be
reached by email at sbawden@kellysantin
i.com or by phone at 613.238.6321.
Sean P. Bawden is an Ottawa, Ontario employment lawyer and wrongful dismissal lawyer practicing with Kelly Santini LLP, and part-time professor at Algonquin College teaching Trial Advocacy for Paralegals and Small Claims Court Practice. He is a trustee of the County of Carleton Law Association.
Will the Ontario courts enforce a non-competition agreement and grant an injunction if the employee signs an agreement without legal advice? In one of the first cases released in 2014, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has said yes.
How long does an employee have to sue for unpaid commission payments in Ontario? Simple; two years. Two years from what date? That was the question that the Court of Appeal for Ontario was recently asked to resolve in the case of Ali v. O-Two Medical Technologies Inc., 2013 ONCA 733 (CanLII).
A frequent question asked of this Ottawa employment lawyer is "how much does it cost to retain an employment lawyer?" While the true answer is "it depends," often an equally true answer is "a lot less than not retaining one."
Demonstrating that sometimes the adage 'you get what you pay for' is true is the story in the Toronto Star of two employees suing the Ontario Ministry of Labour ('the Labour Board') after receiving some free employment information about their rights following termination.
