Labour and Employment Law Blog

Many employers establish policies that they expect their employees to follow, but a policy is not likely to be followed if there are no consequences for an employee who chooses not to do so.  If an employer wants to use the stick of discipline and possible termination of employment for cause for a breach of policy, the employer should take note of the following guidance.

In order ...

Further to our previous blog post on paid sick days, the British Columbia government has just announced amendments to paid sick days under the Employment Standards Act. The amendments are:

• Calendar Year: The current language in the Act says that employees are entitled to five paid sick days in “each employment year.” This was administratively burdensome for employers ...

Employers commonly seek our advice on issues related to maternity and parental leave. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions:

Q: Can I ask a candidate for employment whether or not they are pregnant, or whether they are planning on starting a family? I need to know to minimize disruption to my small business.

A: It is generally inadvisable to ask such questions ...

Did you know that businesses are protected from being sued for COVID-19 transmission, in certain circumstances, in British Columbia?

In the summer of 2020, the British Columbia government enacted the COVID-19 Related Measures Act and the Covid-19 (Limits on Actions and Proceedings) Regulation to support B.C.’s restart plan for the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the ...

Last year, we published a blog about things an employer should do before they terminate the employment of an employee. In recent years, employers are facing increasing claims for aggravated damages arising out of the manner in which the employer has carried out the termination of an employee’s employment.  In order to minimize the possibility that aggravated damages ...

Terminating the employment of an employee is never easy. There are many things to consider from both a practical and legal perspective. The more prepared you can be the better. While not exhaustive, set out below are some questions every employer should be asking themselves before they terminate the employment of any non-union employee on a “without cause” basis.

• What ...

The B.C. Employment Standards Branch (“ESB”) has recently published guidance on how business closures and staffing reductions related to the COVID-19 pandemic may exempt British Columbia employers from the obligation to provide employees with statutory termination notice or pay in lieu of notice.

The B.C. Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) sets out the minimum ...

On April 6, 2020, the Alberta government issued a Ministerial Order to enact temporary changes to the province’s employment standards legislation, with the stated intention of providing job protection for workers and flexibility for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alberta has been in a state of public health emergency since March 17, 2020. On March 17, 2020 ...

On March 23, 2020, the British Columbia government passed two amendments to the B.C. Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c. 113. There are now two new unpaid, job-protected leaves of absence for eligible B.C. employees: sick leave and COVID-19 related leave. Unfortunately, the changes do not provide much relief to B.C. employers. In particular, B.C.’s inflexible ...

There have been several developments across the country since our previous blog post (Keeping Cool: An Employer’s Guide to COVID-19 in the Workplace). On March 17, 2020, British Columbia declared a state of emergency. It is initially in effect for 14 days, but may be extended or rescinded as necessary. Other provincial governments across the country are taking similar ...