That time of year is now upon us when we send season’s greetings and well wishes for the New Year. The holidays present a wonderful opportunity to reach out to your customers and the general public alike to let them know that you are thankful for their business and give them a little “nudge” to remind them that their patronage is appreciated.
Early this year, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal chartered into new territory when it awarded an employee $150,000 in damages for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect that were caused by the employer’s egregious violation of the employee’s human rights.
The British Columbia Court of Appeal (the “BCCA”), in Frederickson v Newtech Dental Laboratory Inc., 2015 BCCA 357, overturned the trial judge’s finding that Frederickson had failed to mitigate her damages because she refused to accept an offer of re-employment from her employer, Newtech Dental Laboratory (“Newtech”).
Since 2012, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has adopted a restorative approach as the first option in addressing human rights complaints. If a complaint is referred to a Board of Inquiry, parties have the option to either proceed to a traditional hearing, or agree to a Restorative Board of Inquiry process.
In a recent decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal, Stewart v. Elk Valley Coal Corp., 2015 ABCA 225, it was held that the termination of an employee who tested positive for cocaine in a post-incident drug test was not discriminatory.
The distinction between an employee and independent contractor is not always clear as can be seen in the recent decision of Tetra Consulting v Continental Bank et al., 2015 ONSC 4610.
Insurance Litigation case law updates from across the region.
Grafton Connor Property Inc. v Murphy, 2015 NSSC 195
In 2007, the North-End Pub in Halifax was destroyed by fire. It was owned by Grafton Connor and insured by Lloyd’s of London Underwriters under an insurance policy that had been placed through Marsh Canada Limited.
The dismissal of a long-term employee who is entitled to common law reasonable notice can result in significant liability for an employer. As the determination of the appropriate notice period is contextual, it can be difficult for an employer to accurately assess their potential liability.
In March 2015, the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration launched a new provincial immigration stream – Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry.
The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. v. Structal Heavy Steel, 2015 SCC 43, on September 18, 2015 and clarified the interaction between lien claims and statutory trusts upon the filing of a lien bond. The Court found that filing a lien bond to remove a lien from property does not satisfy a contractor’s trust obligations.