On August 20, 2021, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health (TMOH) issued a statement effectively mandating that local employers institute a workplace vaccination policy (WVP) to protect their employees and the public from...more
On August 13, 2021, Canada announced that, as early as the end of September, it will require COVID-19 vaccination across the federal public service. Accommodations or alternative measures (e.g., testing or screening) for the...more
8/24/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Public Employees ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
British Columbia recently announced new public health requirements regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for those working at long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities. In the announcement, Dr. Bonnie Henry, British...more
8/20/2021
/ Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) ,
Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On August 17, 2021, Ontario announced that COVID-19 vaccination policies would be mandatory in high-risk settings, and the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen would be put on hold. Therefore, until further notice,...more
8/20/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Ontario ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On August 19, 2021, the City of Toronto announced that: -
All members of the Toronto Public Service will be required to disclose and provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status by September 13, 2021...more
On August 11, 2021, in the context of the vaccine roll-out and emerging COVID-19 variants of concern, Ontario released COVID-19 Fully Immunized and Previously Positive Individuals: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management...more
British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) recently released A human rights approach to proof of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic (Guidance), which offers general advice on how employers and...more
8/17/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Rights ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On July 30, 21, Ontario filed O. Reg. 541/21 (Regulation), which adds a new “Roadmap Exit Step” to the Rules for Areas at Step 3 of its Roadmap to Reopen (Roadmap). ...more
8/6/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Ontario ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Workplace Safety
In EllisDon Construction Ltd. v. Labourers’ International Union of North America, Local 183, 2021 CanLII 50159, an Arbitrator in Ontario decided that when the intrusiveness of an employer’s compulsory Rapid COVID-19 Antigen...more
7/14/2021
/ Arbitration ,
Canada ,
Collective Agreements ,
Construction Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On July 9, 2021, Ontario announced that with improvements in key indicators relating to public health and health care, and the provincewide vaccination rate surpassing targets, it will be moving all Ontario regional health...more
On June 24, 2021, Ontario announced that with improvements in key indicators relating to public health and health care, and the provincewide vaccination rate surpassing targets, it will be moving to Step Two of its Roadmap to...more
6/29/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Ontario ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Seating ,
Workplace Safety
Punitive damages are awarded against an employer in favour of an employee only if the employer engaged in wrongful acts that are outrageous, reprehensible, and offensive to ordinary standards of decent conduct in the...more
Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, Ontario has announced that it will enter Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen (Roadmap) on June 11 rather...more
On May 25, 2021, British Columbia released a four-step COVID-19 reopening plan, Restart: A plan to bring us back together. To move through the steps, British Columbia looks for...more
6/4/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On May 25, 2021, Alberta released its Open for Summer Plan (Opening Plan), which eases COVID-19 restrictions in three stages. Each stage is reached as COVID-19 vaccination targets are reached and hospitalizations decline. ...more
6/4/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Public Gatherings ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Workplace Safety
Employees in Canada who want to get vaccinated but lack a contractual or statutory right to paid time off to do so may be unable to afford the reduction in income that would ensue if they took time off work to get...more
On April 23, 2021, Ontario filed Regulations 313/21, 314/21 and 315/21 under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. The Regulations create new requirements relating to the temporary removal of...more
On April 16, 2021, Ontario announced a two-week extension of its third declaration of emergency and its second Stay-at-Home order, and that in response to the rapid increase of COVID-19 case rates and pressure on the health...more
On April 13, 2021, Ontario announced that in Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan it will provide vaccines to those 18 and over via mass immunization clinics, mobile teams, and pop-up clinics in highly impacted...more
In Sharma v. Toronto (City), 2020 HRTO 949, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) provides a roadmap for how employers should determine whether they are required to accommodate employees and customers who seek...more
4/8/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Rights Code ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Masks ,
Ontario ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Workplace Safety
In a News Release dated March 17, 2021, Ontario announced it was removing regulatory restrictions to make it easier for organizations to conduct on-site COVID-19 testing in the workplace. Asymptomatic employees can now...more
Posting: Employment Standards Act, 2000 -
The poster is prepared by the Minister of Labour to help ensure employers understand their minimum obligations and employees know their rights.
...more
In its January 2021 newsletter, What’s New, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development provides new and updated guidance for businesses that are required to have a written safety plan, including all...more
On January 4, 2021, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health issued Toronto Public Health Instructions for Workplaces (Instructions), addressed to “All Employers and Persons Responsible for a Business or Organization in the City...more
1/11/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Employees ,
Workplace Safety
In Christian Labour Association of Canada v. Caressant Care Nursing & Retirement Homes (D. Randall), a union filed a group grievance on behalf of a number of its members working at an Ontario retirement home to challenge the...more
1/7/2021
/ Canada ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Arbitration ,
Ontario ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety