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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised new issues relating to insurance and the home building industry. Following a total project suspension, construction has slowly resumed in Ontario, albeit with reduced crews and strained supply chains. These constraints raise increasingly important questions of whether delays can support extensions for home builders, and what impact home builders […]

In light of the ongoing pandemic, the Federal Government has extended the following COVID-19 supports: Employment Insurance The number of weeks of EI regular benefits available has been extended by up to 24 weeks to a maximum of 50 weeks for claims that are made between September 27, 2020, and September 25, 2021. Canada Recovery […]

On April 29, 2021, the COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, 2021 (the “Act”) received Royal Assent in Ontario. The Act amends the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to require provincially-regulated employers in Ontario to provide employees with up to three days of paid leave for reasons related to COVID-19, including that the employee is: Employers will be […]

Workplace vaccination policies adopted as health and safety measures in response to COVID-19, typically contained exemptions for medical or other grounds protected by human rights legislation. The most common “other ground” was creed or religion. In two recent awards, arbitrators found certain exemption requests were based on practices and beliefs that were protected by creed […]

British Columbia continues to take steps toward relaxing COVID-19 workplace safety requirements and returning employees to the office, in keeping with recent trends among provincial governments in Canada. On March 11, 2022, the B.C. Provincial Health Officer lifted mandatory face-cover requirements in the workplace. These changes followed the lifting of other COVID-19 workplace safety requirements […]

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to the construction industry as a whole. Backlogs in supply, commodity pricing, local market disruption, and an increase in demand and labour costs, have all resulted in a significant rise in construction costs and sometimes construction disruptions.  These disruptions and rising construction costs are critical variables for […]

The Alberta Government has passed legislation amending the Employment Standards Code to provide employees with up to three hours of paid, job-protected leave to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The amendment applies to all full-time and part-time employees regardless of length of employment. The amendment took effect on April 21, 2021. Alberta is the second Canadian […]

The Nova Scotia Government has announced a COVID-19 paid sick leave program that will launch on May 26, 2021. Under this program, employees who need to take time off work because of COVID-19 may qualify for up to four paid sick days, including those who need to take time off because they are: Eligible employees […]

UPDATE:  This amendment to the Guide was removed following publication of this article.   When dealing with employees who fail or refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine, employers in Ontario may wish to consider, among other things, whether such employee(s) should be placed on an infectious disease emergency leave. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 provides […]

In a trio of decisions, all released on February 6, 2021, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (“ICRC” or the “Committee”) of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (“CPSO”) ordered a physician to attend to be cautioned in person in relation to COVID-19 related content on her Twitter account. At the time of […]