This year has seen a number of international and regional legislative efforts imposing human rights due diligence and transparency obligations on multinational employers.
A proposed bill would amend Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 and other statutes in the province to improve protection and support of workers and provide Ontario with a competitive advantage in attracting innovative global talent.
On October 22, 2021, Ontario announced the release of its phased plan to gradually lift all remaining public health and workplace safety measures by March 2022, as set out in A Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 for the Long Term.
On October 15, 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada updated its website with information for employers, to provide updated guidance regarding how employers should fill out Records of Employment.
Since September 22, 2021, patrons of restaurants and other specified businesses and organizations in Ontario have been required to provide proof of full vaccination status and identification at the entry point of applicable premises.
The Canadian federal government announced that federal public servants in the Core Public Administration as well as employees in the federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
On October 8, 2021, Ontario published Regulation 698/21 under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, which removes certain capacity limits and physical distancing requirements.
The Ontario Superior Court recently found that the Chamber of Commerce was justified in dismissing with cause a 75-year-old, long-term employee with no prior disciplinary record on account of her dishonesty, poor judgment, and other acts of misconduct.
With the Delta variant putting residents and staff in long-term care homes at risk of contracting COVID-19, on October 1, 2021, Ontario announced certain mandatory vaccination and randomized testing requirements.
In a recent decision, an Ontario court stated that an employee’s efforts to mitigate his losses arising from the alleged constructive dismissal did not toll the limitation period and were irrelevant to when the limitation period began to run.
