Labour & Employment
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May 16, 2025
Ontario bill ‘does a good job’ of creating certainty in home, infrastructure construction: lawyer
Ontario legislators are considering a bill aimed at speeding up construction of new homes and transit, and observers are saying the changes are welcome — but note there are a number of things that legal practitioners need to keep an eye out for as a result of the legislation.
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May 16, 2025
Major immigration policy challenges for Carney government
As Mark Carney begins his term as prime minister, the government faces numerous immigration-related challenges. From the growing influx of international students, rising refugee claims, immigration fraud, ongoing delays in application processing, and mounting backlogs, each issue demands thoughtful, strategic solutions. Addressing these pressing concerns will be key to shaping a more efficient, fair and sustainable immigration system.
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May 15, 2025
Related but distinct: The different evidentiary thresholds for pursuing future loss claims at trial
In a jury trial, a question is only put to the jury if there is reasonable evidence upon which a jury properly instructed in the law could make a finding on that issue. When it comes to claims for future losses, the plaintiff must only establish that there is a real and substantial risk those losses will occur. It is on that basis that the court must look at the evidence and determine whether it is sufficient and can be put to the jury.
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May 15, 2025
Alberta severance award for COVID vaccine non-compliance may be a first, lawyer says
An Alberta judge has awarded a former WestJet employee just over $65,000 for wrongful dismissal in a decision that one lawyer involved says breaks new ground in Canadian jurisprudence.
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May 15, 2025
Women in the practice of law
We as a profession are quite rightly proud of the influx of women to the practice of law. The small minority of women in my graduating class in the 1970s has given way to equality of numbers or better in today’s graduating classes. But, as my daughter points out, that is not the test. The test is retention: how women in the profession are treated and how their different needs are addressed.
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May 14, 2025
New federal Cabinet ministers talk tax cuts, lowering trade barriers, work-life balance and Gaza
Newly minted federal Cabinet ministers spoke for the first time about their portfolios with Hill media on May 14, as Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed that the Liberals’ promised “middle-class” tax cut will be in place by July 1, 2025, and Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne disclosed that the minority Liberal government has no plans for a federal budget this year — but intends to deliver an economic statement on an unspecified date in fall 2025.
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May 14, 2025
Ontario, Manitoba sign MOU to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers
On May 14, the premiers of Ontario and Manitoba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to remove “barriers to trade” between the two provinces.
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May 14, 2025
Worker co-ops offer new access to $10-million capital gains exemption under Budget 2024
Succession strategies have evolved to offer more adaptability and possible financial gain
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May 14, 2025
Cause for discipline, but not just cause for dismissal
“Just cause is not a lost cause … but the threshold is high.” That is something I often say, be it in my book on summary dismissal, when speaking with clients or when I am acting as a mediator. There are many cases every year in which summary dismissal is upheld; contrary to what some think, it’s not impossible to fire someone in Canada.
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May 14, 2025
Termination of employee following return from medical leave not discriminatory
In a recent Alberta Human Rights Commission case, Amies v. Lethbridge Family Services, 2025 AHRC 19, the complainant alleged that her termination on the day she returned from medical leave was discriminatory and in contravention of the Alberta Human Rights Act.