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The legal working age in Ontario is defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (”OHSA”). It outlines different minimum ages for different industries and workplaces. It is not defined by the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”). What is the minimum legal age to work in Ontario? In Ontario, the minimum age to work for most jobs […]

There is no set retirement age in Ontario. This allows most employees, with specific exceptions, to continue working as long as they choose.  This freedom is protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”) that prohibits age-based discrimination. Age-based discrimination occurs when a workplace policy or action unfairly denies workplace opportunities to employees on

In the case of Stonham v. Recycling Worx Inc. [2023] A.J. No. 1149, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta reiterated the significance of clear and equivocal language in both employer policies and employee resignation. Background The plaintiff was employed as a commercial truck driver for the defendant when he experienced a workplace injury in

In December 2022, the Four-Day Work Week Act, otherwise known as Bill 55, passed its first reading. The preamble of the Four-Day Work Week Act sets out the rationale for the Act, stating that: “The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased worker burnout, leading to poor physical and mental health outcomes. The pandemic has also highlighted

If an employer is found guilty of discrimination, there are many different remedies which may be awarded to the person who received the discrimination. They may receive damages in the form of money. An employer may be asked to develop policies and training that seek to remedy the discrimination. An employer may also be asked

It would be great if the law had a snow day provision for adults. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Ontario. Suppose snow prevents you from getting to work on time or prevents you from getting to work altogether. In that case, your employer is certainly free to discipline you in whatever way they see

Employment Lawyer Walter Yoo explains: Employees often believe that their private social media accounts have no connection to the workplace, especially when the posts on those accounts are created outside of work hours. While the law does recognize that there’s a difference between on duty and off-duty conduct, where the contents of those social media

In Café La Foret Ltd. v. Cho, 2023 BCCA 354, the British Columbia Court of Appeal addresses whether a global award may be made for aggravated and punitive damages. The Court of Appeal found that aggravated and punitive damages should not be presented as global awards, but instead separated into distinct categories of analysis that

Employment Lawyer Miguel Mangalindan speaks about holiday events and some employment law tips regarding holiday parties: What role does employment law have in workplace social events and parties? First of all, happy holidays to everyone. As the holiday season approaches, many offices will want to throw office workplace parties, which I am all for and

Employment Lawyer Samantha Lucifora explains: If your employer is attempting to rely on an active employment clause to suggest that you should not get your bonus during the notice period, it should be looked at by a lawyer. Generally employees should be compensated for their bonus during the notice period, but it does depend on