Workplace fatalities have frequently attracted charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations. For the first time in New Brunswick, a supervisor has been found criminally liable, following a workplace fatality, for failing to follow safety rules and protocols during a work project. In His Majesty the King v Jason Andrew King, 2023 […]
It is no secret that over the past year the COVID-19 pandemic has been the subject of much discussion in the realm of employment and labour law. In 2021, we saw courts and administrative tribunals alike grapple with the question of how the pandemic has impacted, or not impacted, our established employment and labour standards. […]
The legalization of cannabis has heightened concern and awareness around impairment in the workplace. Legalization has certainly made cannabis more accessible. However, it is still generally understood that it is inappropriate to report to work impaired unless an employee is part of an agreed accommodation arrangement where some level of impairment is permitted, or the […]
As a result of the Cannabis Act, cannabis was legalized on October 17, 2018. Prior to that, cannabis was regulated under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. There was, however, a legal exemption for the medical use of cannabis. Despite the recent legalization of cannabis, a framework for access to cannabis for medical purposes still exists, but under new regulations passed under the authority of the Cannabis Act.
In a closely watched decision, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (the “Court”) recently upheld an arbitration decision that endorsed an employer’s decision to refuse employment on the basis of an individual’s medical cannabis use. In International Brotherhood Lower Churchill Transmission Construction Employers’ Assn. Inc. v IBEW, Local 1620 (Tizzard), Re, 2018 CarswellNfld 198, […]
New Brunswick has introduced new regulations under the General Regulations – Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) aimed at identifying and preventing workplace violence and harassment (the “New Regulations”). The New Regulations will take effect April 1, 2019. The New Regulations have been introduced to address problematic workplace conduct, including bullying, physical violence, verbal abuse, […]
Newfoundland and Labrador has recently announced upcoming revisions to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2012 (the “New Regulations”). The New Regulations follow similar changes made last year in New Brunswick and attempt to tackle the issues of workplace harassment and violence. New Brunswick’s regulations, initially scheduled to come into force last September, are now […]
The legalization of cannabis has been set for October 17, 2018. This transformation will have a significant impact on employers as well as the general public, and yet for many, the impending legalization is shrouded in uncertainty.
Pound v. iWave, 2017 PECA 17, a recent decision by the Prince Edward Island Court of Appeal, is a cautionary tale for employers about the legal issues that may arise when standard form employment policies are adopted without management fully understanding their obligations to employees in practice.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial police service, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (the “RNC”), has recently begun working with Calgary Police Service to change how investigations of workplace incidents will be instituted.