In a May 2019 exclusive, Global News reporter Jane Gerster revealed her findings of an alleged RCMP campaign to dismiss members with disabilities. Ms. Gerster spoke with various officers affected, as well as several lawyers with special expertise in the areas of human rights and workplace accommodations. One of these legal experts was KEL’s Erin […]
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Calculating Severance: What Do the Courts Say?
By David Brown. While the creation and destruction of jobs is essential to our economy and workplaces, people affected by job loss are nonetheless dealing with a particular form of personal tragedy. After all, a job is not only a source of income; ideally, it contributes to our overall well-being and is an important part […]
Important Changes to BC Labour and Employment Laws
By David Brown. While it has been understood for some time that British Columbia’s NDP government was looking to modernize labour and employment laws, the extent of these amendments was not clear. Well, the wait is over. This week, the provincial government formally announced its planned changes to the Employment Standards Act and to the Labour Relations Code […]
Parents’ Rights: Richard Writes for Parent Support Services Society of BC
Choosing career or family. Parents, caregivers, human rights and the law. Things are changing in very positive ways and addressing the historical parenting quagmire: whether to choose career or family. Making employees choose between employment or family is no longer acceptable. It can actually be illegal to force employees to make that choice. In this […]
Offering Referrals to Clients: A Cautionary Tale
By Richard Johnson. Those of us in the legal profession have been happy to guide clients toward other service providers as and when appropriate when an aspect of the client’s needs falls outside the scope of our practice. In a world of ever-increasing specialization, the need for referrals to those with particular areas expertise will only […]
Does a 4-Day Work Week Work for Your Business?
By David Brown. Businesses are increasingly looking at ways to attract, retain and motivate talent. But for all the talk of ping-pong tables, bean chairs and remote offices, could one solution be as simple as restructuring the typical work week? In his most recent post, David Brown considers the possibilities and practicalities of moving your business […]
The Story of Uber and the Arbitration Clause
By Paula Krawus. It’s no secret that that Uber is an innovator. Their simple business model – connecting drivers with riders through an online platform – has spread to every corner of the globe in just a decade. But the company’s success hasn’t come without some major problems. The latest of these is a class […]
Why does the court process take so DAMN LONG? Actually, it doesn’t have to…
By David Brown. “Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.” -William Shakespeare As Bill Shakespeare suggests, deferring and delaying are not without consequences, and when it comes to litigation, these consequences almost always mean more cost, more stress and a compromised client experience. But do lawsuits really need to be long, expensive and stressful? Not […]
Employer Reference Letters: What Are You Afraid Of?
(Originally published January 2015, updated with video March 2019.) When it comes to writing reference letters, the current employer mindset seems to be “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all” – also known as Thumper’s Rule. Some employment lawyers have echoed this advice. It seems that an almost paralyzing fear of […]
Suen v. Envirocon: The Last Word on Family Status in BC?
By Erin Brandt. In November 2017, we applauded a forward-thinking BC Human Rights Tribunal decision (Suen v. Envirocon) that offered hope for a change in the law relating to family status discrimination. In that case, Mr. Suen argued that his dismissal for refusing to accept a temporary work transfer to Manitoba, which would have taken […]
