On November 19, 2020, Ontario announced it had launched “inspection blitzes” to help stop the transmission of COVID-19 and keep workers safe. The inspections involve the deployment of provincial offences officers from...more
12/1/2020
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Failure to Comply ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Ontario ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Safety Inspections ,
Workplace Safety
On November 20, 2020, Ontario announced that in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, Toronto and Peel (including the cities of Mississauga and Brampton) will move to the maximum Lockdown level restrictions in the Keeping...more
On November 3, 2020, Ontario announced a new COVID-19 Response Framework, Keeping Ontario Safe and Open (New Framework) that will be approved by Cabinet on November 6, 2020. Public health units will be transitioned to the...more
11/9/2020
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Government Lockdown ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Ontario ,
Public Health ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Workplace Safety
On October 20, 2020, Ontario introduced Bill 218, Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020 (Bill 218) for First Reading. Bill 218, which would provide employers with a degree of liability protection...more
On October 2, 2020, the government of Ontario filed Ontario Regulation 546/20 (Regulation) made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. The Regulation came into force on October 3, 2020....more
10/9/2020
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Rights Code ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Masks ,
Ontario ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Workplace Safety
In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Ontario, the province has imposed health screening obligations on employers. On September 25, 2020, the province’s government filed Regulation 530/20, which was made...more
10/1/2020
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Ministry of Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Risk Management ,
Screening Procedures
Because the COVID-19 pandemic has made travel impossible or risky to one’s health, employers may face employee requests to delay vacation time. In this Insight, we help employers in Ontario understand their rights and...more
When the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the state of the world in March 2020 and made employees’ normal childcare arrangements generally unavailable, Canadian employees (other than some essential workers) began to...more
On May 27, 2020, Ontario updated its COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool (Tool), which was originally launched in March 2020. The interactive Tool requires users to respond to a series of questions and, based on their responses,...more
On March 16, 2020, Premier Doug Ford and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, announced that the Ontario government intends to introduce legislation that, if passed, would immediately provide...more
3/18/2020
/ Canada ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Safety
Given the rapid spread and implications of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), employers are confronting difficult questions regarding how to handle safety and health rules, travel restrictions, privacy of employees’ health...more
3/17/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Canada ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Health and Safety ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
At the time this Insight was prepared, there were eight reported cases of the coronavirus in Canada; three are in Ontario and five in British Columbia. The first of these cases was confirmed on January 25 and the last was...more
2/19/2020
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Best Practices ,
Canada ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Leave of Absence ,
Medical Leave ,
OHSA ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety