On May 20, 2021, Ontario released its long-awaited Roadmap to Reopen (Roadmap), a three-step plan to safely and gradually reopen the province and loosen certain public health restrictions.
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 vaccinated.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and as new information has become available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local governments have continuously revised their isolation and quarantine requirements and recommendations.
A recent Ontario court ordered an employer to pay damages for reasonable notice at common law when it decided the employer repudiated its employment agreement for failing to comply with one of its termination provisions.
In Anderson v Total Instant Lawns Ltd, 2021 ONSC 2933 (Total Instant Lawns), an employee claimed her job was terminated and sought damages for wrongful dismissal.
In the Netherlands, employers are liable for harm suffered by employees during their work. This can include psychological damage due to sexual harassment.
Employers have been concerned about how layoffs and constructive dismissals that occur during the COVID-19 pandemic would be viewed by the courts under the common law.
On April 28, 2021, Ontario announced in a News Release that it will soon introduce legislation that, if passed, would require employers to pay employees up to $200 per day for up to three days if they miss work for reasons relating to COVID-19.
