In Ontario, bereavement leave allows employees to take up to two days of unpaid leave from work each calendar year because of the death of certain relatives.  Bereavement leave is enshrined in section 50.0.2(1) of the Employment Standards Act, meaning it is a minimum standard that employers must provide no matter what.  The actual text of …

Are employers allowed to collect, deduct and distribute tips? Subject to certain protections for workers, yes, employers are permitted to collect, deduct and distribute tips. Ontario’s Employment Standards Act gives employers the right to pool tips or distribute them among other staff and make other withholdings and deductions. Nevertheless, subject to a few caveats discussed …

Inevitably, some employees will find themselves in the difficult position of having to attend a disciplinary or investigatory meeting with a supervisor or HR. Many workers in this difficult position are wondering, “can I secretly record the meeting in Canada? Is it legal to record a conversation without everyone’s consent in Canada?” Likewise, some employees …

Yes, you do have to give notice of your resignation in Canada. The common law imposes a duty to provide notice of resignation on all employees. However, you don’t have to give two weeks’ notice of your resignation in Canada per se. Rather, you have to give a “reasonable” amount of notice of your resignation, …

What is a cease and desist letter? A cease and desist letter is a communication someone sends an individual or company to stop performing a specific action and to not do the action ever again. “Cease” means stop. “Desist” means don’t do it again. Accordingly, a cease and desist letter is telling someone to “stop” …

In Ontario, what is defamation? What are the elements of defamation? What are the defences to defamation? Find out by reading this article! In this article, ‘plaintiff’ refers to the person suing for defamation and ‘defendant’ refers to the person accused of defamation.  What is Defamation? Defamation is a statement that injures a third party’s …

The Ontario government is permitting many kinds of businesses to reopen as COVID-19 conditions improve. The full list of businesses that can open in Ontario and when they can open is located here. With news that some businesses can reopen in Ontario, many employers are wondering: This article discusses the legal framework for employers to …

What is a resignation letter? A resignation letter is a written notice to your employer that you are planning to leave your job on a specified date. Resignation letters are a form of professional courtesy so that your soon-to-be former employer has an opportunity to find a replacement. A formal resignation letter may also be …

Layoff and termination difference What is the difference between a “layoff” and a “termination”? Is there are any difference between being “laid off” vs being “terminated”? Yes, there is a big difference between being “laid off” vs being “terminated”. A layoff is a temporary stoppage of work while termination is a permanent stoppage of work. …

Updated August 13, 2020 On May 1, 2020, in response to changing COVID-19 conditions, Premier Ford announced that certain Ontario businesses can reopen if they comply with strict public health measures (i.e. rules about social distancing and hygiene, etc.) Over time, the list of businesses that can be opened back up in Ontario will be …