Employers can expect surge of claims linked to long-haul coronavirus, remote work injuries: lawyers
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 […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: LSO accredits mindfulness meditation training for lawyers; New CEO at Arbitration Place; Calling a man “a bald c***” is sexual harassment; Bennett Jones provides scholarships for Indigenous, Black and first-generation law students; Top 5 law firm bulletins
By Julius Melnitzer | June 6, 2022 LSO ACCREDITS MINDFULNESS MEDITATION COURSE In a nod to the growing recognition of well-being’s importance to the profession, The Law Society of Ontario has accredited a mindfulness training course, Toronto Method Mindfulness, developed and led by Ari Kaplan of Kaplan Law. Kaplan, one of Canada’s leading pension law […]
Legal decisions on mandatory coronavirus vaccination policies favouring employers
By Julius Melnitzer | April 12, 2022 As arbitral decisions relating to the reasonableness of mandatory coronavirus vaccination policies emerge, employers have clearly gained the upper hand. “The overall box score shows that, for the most part, arbitrators have upheld mandatory vaccination policies as reasonable,” said George Vassos, a labour and employment partner at Littler […]
Ontario court refuses appeal over workers’ right to sue for wrongful dismissal in cases of chronic stress
By Julius Melnitzer | February 22, 2022 The Ontario Court of Appeal has refused to consider an appeal from an Ontario Divisional Court judgement that affirmed employees’ right to sue for wrongful and constructive dismissal in the civil courts in cases of chronic mental stress arising from workplace harassment. “The case makes it very difficult for […]
Labour-hungry manufacturing sector has a message for young people: think sci-fi, not smokestacks
By Julius Melnitzer | February 18, 2022 NGen has launched an initiative to educate young Canadians on the sector and showcase the wealth of opportunities available “Out-of-date” is rarely associated with the young — except, it turns out, when they’re thinking about the manufacturing sector. Research by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), the advanced manufacturing […]
Energy workers switch to other professions in droves as work dries up in once booming sector
Beset by layoffs, Canada’s energy and mining workers have been bucking tradition and seeking opportunities in other sectors — quite successfully, by all accounts. “The cyclical changes in the resource sector are giving way to structural changes,” said Jeanette Sutherland, director of the multi-stakeholder Energy to Digital Growth Education and Upskilling Project (EDGE UP) at […]
Share transfers to executives, employees are income not capital gains: appeal court
By Julius Melnitzer | December 23, 2021 A Federal Court of Appeal ruling will make it very difficult for executives and employees to treat share transfers from their companies as capital gains rather than income. The decision involved Kitchener, Ont.-based D2L Corp., whose intention was to distribute appreciated shares of the company, held in a […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: OCA reverses heroin trafficker’s conviction after judge delays reasons for 4 years | Woman lawyers working 100 more hours than men | 90% of UK lawyers resisting return to office | EU pushes gig workers’ rights | Top 5 law firm bulletins & webinars
By Julius Melnitzer | December 6, 2021 JUDGE TAKES FOUR YEARS TO DELIVER REASONS AFTER THREE-DAY TRIAL The trial involved only three days of evidence. But Judge Kofi Barnes of the Ontario Superior Court took four years to deliver reasons. And that was some 31 months after Shane Artis appealed his conviction and 10-year sentence […]
Employee who didn’t read terms of stock option agreement has case overturned
By Julius Melnitzer | November 28, 2021 The Ontario Court of Appeal has overturned a Superior Court decision that allowed an employee to receive his stock option awards throughout his 24 months of reasonable notice on the grounds that the employer had failed to provide adequate notice of termination. “The decision gives important guidance to […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: BLG to manage Ivanhoé Cambridge leasing legal services | Study: junior counsel beat senior counsel as often as seniors beat them | Litigation funding fees capped | Judges need safety too | Top law firm bulletins
By Julius Melnitzer | November 11, 2021 IVANHOé CAMBRIDGE IN-HOUSE LAWYERS MOVE TO BLG “In-house” gets new meaning as part of Ivanhoé Cambridge’s (IC) law department moves to Borden Ladner Gervais LLP offices in Montreal and Toronto. All this pursuant to an agreement for BLG to manage legal services for shopping centres owned by IC, […]