Canadian Employment Law

New Brunswick Minimum Wage Increases September 1
April 15 2009 - A further increase of 25 cents per hour comes into effect on September 1, when the minimum wage rate will be $8.25 an hour.

Alberta - Minimum Wage Set to Increase April 1
March 4 2009 - Alberta's 20,000 minimum wage earners will receive a 40 cent per hour increase on April 1 when the rate goes up from $8.40 per hour to $8.80 per hour.

Manitoba - Minimum Wage Increase Announced
December 23, 2008 - On May 1, 2009, Manitoba’s minimum wage will increase by 25 cents to $8.75 an hour and, on Oct. 1, 2009, the rate will increase by another 25 cents to $9 an hour.

Manitoba Extends Workers Compensation Coverage
August 28 2008 - The number of industries covered by the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board will be increased from January 1, 2009.

Ontario Minimum Wage Increases
March 29 2008 - On Monday, March 31 2008 Ontario's minimum wage rises to CDN$8.75.

Manitoba - Further Protection For Whistleblowers
October 4, 2007 - The second stage of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act covering employees reporting wrongdoings in the public service is now in effect.

Human Rights Protection For First Nations
July 26 2007 - The new Canadian government intends to move two amendments to Bill C-44 that calls for the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This has prevented First Nations, mainly living on reserves, from full protection under an Act that has been in force for 30 years.

Saskatchewan Minimum Wage Increases To $7.95
February 28, 2007 - Saskatchewan’s minimum wage will increase by 40 cents an hour March 1, 2007.

News Release - Lear Corporation Canada Ltd. fined $125,000 for health and safety violation (May 23 2006)

News Release - (Ontario) Government Enhancing Protection For Workers In Confined Spaces (May 19 2006)

News Release - Countdown to a Smoke-Free Ontario (May 1 2006)

News Release - CFIB: WSIB Mandatory coverage "an attack on small construction firms" (March 28 2006)

Ontario Government Should Pay Attention to Workplace Violence
March 9 2006 - One of the largest unions in Ontario has asked for workplace violence to be covered by the province's health and safety legislation.

New Confined Spaces Regulation (Ontario)
January 25 2006 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour has updated and amended the confined space requirements in the existing Industrial, Construction, Health Care and Mining Regulations to develop a separate, stand-alone Confined Spaces Regulation

Amendments to Workers Compensation Act come into effect in Manitoba
January 5 2006 - Amendments intended to improve benefits, increase prevention, and strengthen accountability and governance measures came into effect January 1 2006.

Health and Safety Guidelines for Computer Operators
September 15 2005 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Division has prepared a Health and Safety guideline for computer operators.

New Anti-Smoking Bill Targets Workplaces and Public Spaces
August 2 2005 - (Quebec) On June 17, 2005, Bill 112 received Royal Assent and will come into force on May 31, 2006 with exceptions. Employers should start developing an agenda for effective compliance with the new requirements.

Restrictions on the Employment of Minors
July 6 2005 - (Alberta) Additional guidelines regarding hiring of employees between the ages of 12 to 14 in the Food and Restaurant industry

Amendments to Labour Relations Act Receives Royal Assent
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) Bill 144 was passed on the last day of the Parliamentary session, and was the focus of harsh criticism from the labour movement.

Legislation to Ban Mandatory Retirement Introduced
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) When enacted, the legislation will reverse workplace policies and collective agreements that allow businesses and unions to discriminate against older employees and force them to leave their jobs when they turn 65.

Province Wide Smoking Ban Adopted
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) The new legislation establishes a province-wide smoking ban in all enclosed public places in Ontario, including workplaces.

Saskatchewan - Proposed Amendments to the Trade Union Act Passed
May 31 2005 - Employees and employers now have a mechanism to ensure first collective greements are settled in a timely fashion.

Saskatchewan - Improved Whistleblower Protection Passed
May 31 2005 - Employees who report wrongdoing now have even stronger protection following amendments to the Labour Standards Act introduced by the Saskatchewan government on November 19, 2004.

Nova Scotia - Increase to the Minimum Wage Effective October 1
May 30 2005 - The Nova Scotia government announced that the minimum wage rate will increase by 30 cents on October 1, 2005, to $6.80 per hour.

Attendance Management Human Rights Versus Lean Operations - Lessons Learned from Keays v. Honda Canada Inc.
May 19 2005 - Attendance management is a perennial problem for human resource managers. The problem is compounded when the employee purports to have a medical condition that is poorly understood, hard to prove (or disprove) and is intermittently absent. Honda Canada Inc. made some terrible mistakes in the case of one of its employees, Kevin Keays. A trial judge awarded the employee two years notice and $500,000 in punitive damages.

Ontario Court of Appeal Overturns ESA Severance Exclusion for Disabled
May 18 2005 - On May 4, 2005, in a precedent-setting decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a provision in the Employment Standards Act that allows employers to deny severance packages to disabled workers who can no longer continue in their jobs because of an illness or injury that "frustrates" the employment contract.

New Safety Programs for Employers
May 18 2005 - Nova Scotia has one of the highest workplace injury rates in Canada.

Upcoming Changes to Pension Plans
May 18 2005 - On May 5, 2005, the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity for Quebec tabled proposed legislation, Bill 102, An Act Respecting the Funding of Certain Pension Plans, to temporarily relax certain rules relating to the funding of defined benefit pension plans and defined benefit contribution plans.

Employee Rights During Bankruptcies
May 1 2005 - There are roughly 10,000 bankruptcies per year, many of which leave behind employees who are owed back wages, benefits and pension contributions.

Disciplinary Probation
April 21 2005 - Disciplinary probation is a process for addressing employee misconduct.

Amendments Proposed to Workers' Compensation Act
April 21 2005 - On March 9, 2005, the Alberta government tabled Bill 15, the Workers' Compensation Amendment Act.