It is March 2022. Every single covid restriction in Ontario will be lifted very soon. And with that, many employers have recalled some of their employees back to the office.  Is this legal? Can an employer make an employee go back to the office?  It largely depends on what the employment contract says. However, obviously, …

🛑 Severance in Ontario is not complicated 🛑. The following 🔟 simple principles will help everyone understand what severance is, who gets severance, and how much severance is worth: Most employment law firms that focus on employee-side cases will provide a free phone consultation to calculate how much severance someone is owed.

The Ontario government will introduce new legislation later in March 2022 that would require employers to tell their workers if and how they are being monitored electronically. If passed, Ontario would become the first province to require electronic monitoring policies forcing employers to be transparent on how employees’ use of computers, cell phones, GPS systems and …

Employers have broad discretion to assign an employee’s vacation time under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000. In other words, yes! Employers can make an employee take vacation time. ☑Although the Employment Standards Act (“the Act”) does not specifically say an employer can force an employee to take a vacation, there is nothing in the Act that says employers cannot force an employee …

Employers who were reluctant to send their employees on international travel can breathe a sigh of relief.  Today, the Government of Canada announced that beginning February 28, 2022, the following travel changes will occur: Rapid Antigen Tests instead of PCR tests will be accepted for entry into Canada if taken within 24 hours before departure …

Today the Ontario Government announced that it was ending vaccination requirements for all businesses effective on March 1, 2022. The Ontario Government also announced today that it was moving up the date that businesses could increase capacity limits. “Given how well Ontario has done in the Omicron wave we are able to fast track our …

Various news outlets ran an article over the weekend titled, “Workplace vaccine mandates being upheld as challenges largely tossed out, experts say.”  As more and more of these headlines come out, it is important to provide Canadians clarity on what is really happening concerning workplace vaccine mandates because some of these headlines can be confusing. …

Does an employer have a right to issue a policy that says it can fire an employee with just cause for refusing the Covid-19 booster shot? In most cases, likely no. However, keep in mind, like for any other reason, an employer can unquestionably fire an employee without cause for refusing a mandated booster except for the extremely rare …

How much should an employer give an employee to reimburse them for the work-use of their personal vehicle? It is up to the employer to decide and for the employee to agree.  No law requires or sets a rate for the reimbursement of personal vehicle mileage expenses. There is no minimum or maximum vehicle reimbursement …

With remote work as common as it is today, many employees and employers are still wondering, is slacking off or running an errand during the workday time theft?  The law is still unclear about remote work. Working from home only became the norm for office workers less than two years ago and it takes years …