By Julius Melnitzer | August 30, 2022 An Alberta court has ruled that a Calgary grocery store worker placed on indefinite unpaid leave — for failure to comply with a mandatory mask policy — has resigned as opposed to being constructively dismissed and isn’t entitled to reasonable notice or compensation in lieu thereof. “This decision […]
By Julius Melnitzer | August 4, 2022 An arbitrator has ruled Public Health Sudbury violated the Ontario Human Rights Code prohibition against discrimination on the basis of creed when it terminated a nurse who refused a coronavirus vaccination because it was against her religious beliefs. “The decision is significant because the arbitrator, Robert Herman, is […]
By Julius Melnitzer | July 23, 2022 Aviation tends to get the public’s attention when it comes to the transportation sector and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but shipping, which is responsible for 2.9 per cent of emissions compared to aviation’s 2.4 per cent, is at least as much of a culprit. “Very few people understand […]
July 19, 2022 | By Julius Melnitzer With the international and domestic commercial landscape changing so rapidly of late, it’s perhaps no surprise that tax rules are changing as well. Here are three important developments in that sphere. Interest deductibility for foreign investors Under a proposed revamp of Canada’s interest deductibility regime, foreign investors who, […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 28, 2022 An Ontario Superior Court judge is awarding Brewers Retail Inc. $210,000 in costs against the Financial Service Regulatory Authority of Ontario. Justice Ed Morgan’s award followed his criticism of the regulator for defying a decision of its predecessor, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. One veteran pensions litigator — speaking […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 27, 2022 Utica Resources Inc. filed a lawsuit this week seeking to invalidate the Quebec government’s ban on hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, or obtain billions of dollars in compensation for what it claims is an expropriation, giving new life to critics’ claims that the legislation will hamper economic development and […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 24, 2022 UK COURTS FED UP WITH REMOTE SHENANIGANS A UK Magistrates Association report concludes that 76 percent of magistrates oppose continued remote hearings. Defendants appearing remotely, respondents said, appeared to take the process less seriously, as evidenced by their “appearing while in the bath, being half naked, smoking and […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 16, 2022 As the pandemic winds down, employers can expect to see an increase in disability claims related to long-haul coronavirus infections and compensation claims resulting from injuries incurred while working remotely, says Joshua Goldberg, a Toronto-based personal injury lawyer. The most common long-haul coronavirus symptoms are fatigue, shortness of […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 8, 2022 First Nations seeking to enforce treaty rights must commence their claims within the applicable limitation periods in provincial and federal legislation, even if the treaty rights arose before Aboriginal rights were enshrined in the Constitution Act of 1982, according to a Federal Court of Appeal ruling earlier this […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 7, 2022 Ontario Chief Justice George Strathy will retire on August 31, 2022, 11 months before his mandatory retirement date on his 75th birthday on July 23, 2023. Strathy advised his judicial colleagues of the decision at a Court of Appeal meeting on Friday, June 3. He followed up with […]