Come join SpringLaw’s feisty, smart, all-woman, tech-forward team!

SpringLaw hiring 2 lawyersWe are looking for 2 innovative, tech-savvy lawyers with 3+ years of employment law experience, each with a slightly different focus:

  • A litigation-focused lawyer who loves getting on their virtual, digital and sometimes IRL feet, with an interest in criminal law as it intersects with workplace law.
  • A solicitor-focused lawyer who loves contracts, drafting, and advising employers in their day-to-day workplace law issues.
  • We want new ideas and experience to keep optimizing our unique client service experience, and embracing automation, technology and efficiencies so we can focus on personal and high-value interactions with our clients.
  • We’re looking for aligned souls to join us for the long run.
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SpringLaw is hiring!

SpringLaw hiring - we’re busy and need 2 more lawyers on deck!We’re busy and need 2 more lawyers on deck.  Apply by Friday, April 15, 2022.

SpringLaw is looking for 2 innovative, tech-savvy lawyers with 3+ years of employment law experience, each with a slightly different focus:

  • Litigation-focused lawyer who loves getting on her virtual, digital and sometimes IRL feet, with an interest in criminal law as it intersects with workplace law
  • Solicitor-focused lawyer who loves contracts, drafting, and advising employers in their day-to-day workplace law issues.
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Firing Employees with 2 Weeks of Notice May be Insufficient

We’ve written about terminations in several of our blog posts throughout the years. Some of our employer readers (and clients) may recall scrambling to update their employment contracts following the 2020 release of Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc. (2020 ONCA 391). Still, many employers who are seeking to terminate their indefinite-term employees on a without cause basis believe that as long as they provide their employees with 2 weeks of notice, or the period of notice set out in the Employment Standards Act, 2000, they are off the hook. More often than not, this notice period is legally insufficient. So, what is the applicable notice period? 

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Sexual Harassment and Assault at Work: Options for Legal Redress – Part I

Sexual Harassment and Assault at Work: Options for Legal Redress

Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash

Introduction – Part I

In the wake of the #MeToo era, a burgeoning consciousness has grown around the existence of and need to address sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace. Individuals of all genders and orientations have found the courage to come forward, and legislation in Ontario has made it mandatory for employers to sufficiently investigate these allegations in a timely and comprehensive manner. Trauma-informed Workplace Investigations inherently require a sound understanding of power dynamics and nuanced forms of sexual harassment. New hybrid work models pose unique obstacles for enforcing cyber-bullying and anti-discrimination/harassment policies, and have brought to the forefront the importance of building a workforce predicated on respect, plurality, accountability, legal compliance, and employee well-being. As part of this, employees who experience sexual assault and/or harassment in the workplace may have different legal options at their disposal. 

In Part 1, we begin here with a  review of three possible options. 

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Bill 27 – Working for Workers Act, 2021 and Disconnecting from Work Policies

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ontario’s labour market has experienced significant disruptions and a permanently shifted work landscape. Employers are grappling with redefined work locations, rapidly changing public health standards, and the need for economic revitalization. As part of the province’s recovery scheme, Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour Training and Skills Development, established the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee (OWRAC). The Committee’s mandate is to “provide recommendations to position Ontario as the best place in North America to recruit, retain and reward workers.” Its work centers around three pillars: economic recovery, strengthening Ontario’s competitive position, and supporting workers. Integral to the Committee’s work were community stakeholder consultations involving workers, employers, and unions, which invited submissions by July 31, 2021. 

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Time to Reconvene your Joint Health & Safety Committee

Once workers are back together in the workplace, employers will want to ensure that their health and safety policies and programs have been reviewed and account for all the changes and new ways of doing things. Your Joint Health and Safety Committee will play a role! 

What’s a Joint Health and Safety Committee?

In Ontario, one legal requirement of a compliant health and safety program (H&S Program) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is for workplaces that regularly employ 20 or more workers to establish a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). A JHSC is made up of employees and managers who meet on a regular basis to deal with health and safety issues in the workplace. The group is required to have a balanced number of employee representatives and management representatives. Employers must consult with the JHSC about their H&S Program and employees can directly approach their JHSC with any health and safety concerns. 

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