2019 brought several notable cases impacting employment and labour law. We have put together a brief summary of 10 Canadian decisions we believe employers should be aware of as we head into 2020. 1. Ruston v Keddco MFG (2011) Ltd, 2019 ONCA 125 Ontario Court of Appeal provides an important lesson that overly aggressive tactics […]
The termination of a long-term employee without cause can result in a significant liability for an employer. Employers can reduce their liability by having a signed employment contract that limits the amount of notice, or pay in lieu, an employee is entitled to in the event of a termination without cause. However, a signed employment […]
On January 1, 2018, the Province of New Brunswick repealed the Municipalities Act and replaced it with the Local Governance Act.
Local and global data breaches remain headline news. From Facebook’s disclosure of its sharing of millions of users’ profiles (without their consent) to the recent data breach involving the Nova Scotia government’s Internal Services website, awareness is growing about privacy rights, how people share data, and how personal information is protected.
Contrary to the perception that lawyers thrive in loopholes, when a dispute arises, the concepts of fair and reasonable are consistent. It is on that basis that most parties are able to work through disputes without commencing litigation.
From the employer’s perspective, one of the most beneficial terms in an employment contract is a prescribed notice period in the event of a “without cause” termination.
Under the common law, an employee who is terminated without cause is entitled to reasonable notice of termination, or pay in lieu thereof. That entitlement is not free of conditions.
A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court, McLeod v 1274458 Ontario Inc., 2017 ONSC 4073, confirms that working notice does not apply where an employee is unable to work due to a medical leave of absence.
In recent years, there have been many decisions on the enforceability and interpretation of termination clauses in employment contracts – which employers and their legal counsel read with both interest and apprehension.
An employee in Ontario was awarded bonus payments for the applicable reasonable notice period following a without cause termination despite the bonus plan’s express terms that personal and company objectives must be met and the employee must be actively employed.