It has been several months since Covid-19 forced many people to suddenly shift to working from home. One major benefit of this arrangement is the potential for employers to save on considerable overhead expenses – for example rent and internet connectivity in office buildings. It is important to ask, however, whether these costs are being eliminated, or simply shifted to ...
On August 20, 2020, the Government announced that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) will be extended an additional four weeks and then will transition to a simplified Employment Insurance (“EI”) program. The Government also introduced a suite of new temporary benefits to support workers.
Changes to EI
Effective September 27, 2020, the Government ...
As discussed in prior blog posts, the Employment Standards Regulation was previously amended to extend the temporary layoff period due to COVID-19 to a maximum of 24 weeks in a period of 28 consecutive weeks provided the layoff started before June 1, 2020 and ended by August 30, 2020. Employers wishing to extend the temporary layoff period beyond 24 weeks must apply for a ...
Human Rights Tribunal Dismisses Complaint that Work Shift Change was Family Status Discrimination
Many parents are familiar with the challenges of finding suitable childcare, and the further difficulty of balancing their childcare needs with their work schedules. The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal (the “Tribunal”) recently addressed this challenge in Ziegler v ...
You can find our previous blog post on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy here and the first extension details here.
On July 27, 2020, Bill C-20, “An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures” (the “Bill”) received Royal Assent. The substantial changes introduced by the Bill include an extension of the CEWS and revisions to the calculation of the subsidy that ...
As we have outlined in Part 1 and Part 2 of our blog series, ‘Returning the Workplace to Safe Operation’, employers have a duty to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace as much as reasonably practical. Consequently, employers may determine it is appropriate to conduct certain active screening, such as questionnaires, temperature screening, and testing ...
The B.C. government has announced that the allowable length of a temporary layoff period under the Employment Standards Act will be further extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 16 weeks (within a 20 week consecutive period) to a maximum of 24 weeks. The text of the amended legislation has not yet been released. Read the government news release here.
Our previous blog ...
In our earlier two blog posts, Returning the Workplace to Safe Operation: Part 1, Part 2, we addressed the occupational health and safety issues surrounding returning the workplace to safe operation. This blog post addresses the employment issues related to managing the return of employees to the workplace from temporary layoff or working from home. Beyond advising ...
This is the second in a two part series on ‘Returning the Workplace to Safe Operation’. This part deals with the renewed significance of existing OH&S requirements in the context of COVID-19. Before considering these OH&S requirements, we will first provide an update on Part 1 of this two part series issued on May 14, 2020.
Part 1: Updates on the requirement for a Safe ...
You can find our previous blog post on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy here.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced today that the 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “Wage Subsidy”) will be extended for an additional 12 weeks to August 29, 2020. It was originally set to expire on June 6, 2020. The announcement indicates that the Government will be consulting with ...
About Us
Lawson Lundell's Labour and Employment Law Blog provides updates on the most recent legal developments impacting the Canadian workplace and offers practical tips for employers. We cover a range of topics, including labour relations, employment law, collective bargaining, human rights, employment standards, employment equity, workers' compensation, business immigration, privacy, occupational health and safety and pensions and employee benefits.
Legal Disclaimer: The information made available on this webpage is for information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied on as such. Please contact our firm if you need legal advice or have questions about the content of this webpage.