Labour & Employment
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August 19, 2025
Feds announce probe into unpaid airline work in light of Air Canada flight attendant strike
As Air Canada flight attendants have reached a tentative deal to end their strike, the federal government has announced it is launching consultations regarding unpaid work in the airline sector. Meanwhile, labour unions are calling for an end to the “unconstitutional” section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
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August 19, 2025
Binding arbitration vs. the right to strike: A transatlantic tussle over labour rights
If you’ve been keeping a keen eye on things in the backyard, you’ll have undoubtedly caught wind of the rather sticky wicket that Air Canada and its flight attendants have found themselves in. It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as organized labour: the delicate dance between workers’ rights and economic stability.
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August 15, 2025
Beyond the bar: When nobility rings hollow
I recently sat for the New York “bar exam” (also known as the Uniform Bar Exam or UBE), which is a gruelling and high-stakes test that marks the gateway to practising law in the United States. On the second day of this 12-hour exam, a tragic and jarring incident occurred: a fellow examinee collapsed from cardiac arrest while the test continued unabated.
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August 14, 2025
DEI dilemma: U.S. state bars grapple with DEI programs, language amid legal threats
State bar leaders across the U.S. are wrestling with whether to stand firm on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or quietly rework programs and language as they face rising political pressure and potential legal challenges.
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August 14, 2025
Yukon looking at public, professional feedback on amending Health Professions Act
Yukon will use feedback from the public and other stakeholders to guide “policy and regulatory development” in revamping legislation governing health care professionals.
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August 14, 2025
Bar ramps up campaign to end ‘Zoom-only’ policy & get intervener counsel back into SCC’s courtroom
Prominent intervener groups are telling the Supreme Court of Canada that its 2022 practice direction confining their counsel to Zoom and barring intervener lawyers from making submissions in person before the judges is hurting their advocacy and restricting access to justice for public interest groups. However, the top court says it’s sticking with its current policy since “virtual appearances have proven to be an effective means of supporting equal access.”
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August 14, 2025
Requirements for U.S. companies ‘carrying on business’ in Ontario
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shift toward remote work. Now, in the current environment of tariffs and anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S., many Canadians working in the U.S. for U.S. companies are returning to Canada while continuing to be employed by their U.S. employer. This has resulted in many U.S. companies setting up shop in Ontario without necessarily setting up a brick-and-mortar location in the province. This raises questions as to what obligations and liabilities companies have if their employees are working in Ontario, but the company is not registered in Ontario.
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August 12, 2025
Maggie Williams new associate at Roper Greyell
After her 2025 call to the British Columbia bar, Maggie Williams has been named an associate at labour and employment law experts Roper Greyell.
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August 12, 2025
Employers suing employees for negligence
Whether acting as counsel, mediator or arbitrator, I almost always tell employers the same thing: do not sue your employee just because they did a bad job. The law makes it very difficult to succeed and the attempt can backfire badly. Some courts have even awarded bad faith damages when a counterclaim was seen as nothing more than retaliation (e.g. “He has the nerve to sue us? Well, we are going to file a counterclaim!”).
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August 11, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal overturns lower court ruling related to temporary foreign worker class action
In a split decision, the B.C. Court of Appeal has rejected a lower court ruling that found one of Canada’s largest convenience store chains was vicariously liable for illegal fees that an immigration consultant hired by Mac’s Convenience Stores Inc. charged to hundreds of temporary foreign workers who were recruited for jobs at the chain, now known as Circle K.