Wait times for worker complaints in B.C. unacceptable, advocates say By Maryse Zeidler, CBC News, January 16, 2020 The family of one BC woman has waited more than a year for the Employment Standards Branch to hear her case. Find out what Kent Employment Law’s David Mardiros had to say about the unacceptable wait times […]
Archive | Blog
Pronouns in the Workplace: It’s Easier Than You Think
By Kim Darling (she/her). The Courts of BC recently announced a requirement for all people in attendance to introduce themselves to the Court indicating their preferred pronouns and titles. I happened to be in court on the first day this was in effect. All three counsel, myself included, gave the Court our new form of […]
Can My Employer Require Me to Wear a Mask, Even if I’ve Been Vaccinated?
By Sean Marzinzik. As we approach the end of a tumultuous year, many Canadians have been eagerly watching the news regarding the development, approval and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, which represents the largest inoculation campaign in Canada’s history. Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, has commented that if plans go well, British Columbians could […]
Will Employers Be Able to Require COVID-19 Vaccination? (Stephanie Cousineau Quoted in Times Colonist)
Mandatory vaccination unlikely for workplaces; focus will be on education By Roxanne Egan-Elliott, Times Colonist, December 10, 2020 Once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, will employers be able to require that employees be immunized? Find out what Kent Employment Law’s Stephanie Cousineau had to say about mandatory vaccination in today’s Times Colonist article by Roxanne […]
Are Sustainable Employment and a Pandemic Mutually Exclusive?
By Wendy Woloshyn. We’ve spoken previously on our blog about the concept of sustainable employment and how employers can promote enduring workplace relationships based on principles like reciprocity, collaboration, and transparency. But we imagine that some of our readers may be asking whether it’s possible – or even appropriate – to talk about “sustainable” employment […]
How Can Employers Foster “Sustainable Employment”?
Sustainable employment refers to an employment relationship that is long-lasting and built on principles such as collaboration, transparency, and mutual benefit. How can employers foster sustainable employment in the workplace? One key way is through the terms of their employee contracts. The connection between sustainable employment and employment contracts derives from the concern for employee […]
Constructive Dismissal: “If You Don’t Like It, Quit!”
By Victoria Merritt, lawyer. In its recent decision in Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd., the Supreme Court of Canada considered the law surrounding constructive dismissal. For the background on that case, see the first blog post in this series on the employment law implications of Matthews. What is constructive dismissal? Constructive dismissal is a […]
Privilege: What Happens if Your Plus-One Joins the Conversation?
By Stephanie Cousineau, lawyer. How often in life do you feel like you’re having a conversation that’s really “in the vault”? Most of us have been burned by having our secrets leaked by friends and used against us, and maybe it’s too much to expect that our social connections will keep everything on the down-low. […]
The SCC’s Employment Law Refresher
By Victoria Merritt, lawyer. Employment law enthusiasts in Canada had one more thing to be thankful for this weekend: the unanimous decision released by the Supreme Court of Canada (the “SCC”) on October 9, 2020, Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd., 2020 SCC 26. The issue before the SCC related to the damages an employee […]
Frustration of Contract: COVID-19 and Lessons from the 1956 Suez Crisis
By Gurkirat Singh Dhillon, lawyer. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the performance of contracts, with employers in particular facing an unprecedented business downturn, finding themselves pushed to the wall in their attempts to meet their contractual obligations. Such parties, having suddenly found their contractual obligations turn into onerous nooses, may well […]
