Labour & Employment
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February 14, 2025
Unifor members win ‘historic’ $15 million arbitration award in severance pay dispute
Unifor has announced it has won what it calls a “historic arbitration award” of about $15 million for 200 of its union members who worked at Wingham, Ont.-based automotive exhaust manufacturer Wescast Industries. The union and the company were involved in a nearly two-year dispute regarding severance and termination pay.
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February 14, 2025
Alberta Court of Appeal upholds decision limiting profit sharing damages for wrongful dismissal
The Alberta Court of Appeal has upheld an order requiring an employer to pay a terminated employee payments under a shareholder profit sharing program (SHPS) until the former employee was required to sell the shares back to the company.
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February 14, 2025
Feds launch 2025 pre-budget consultations amid tariff uncertainty
The federal government has launched pre-budget consultations amid the looming threat of the U.S. potentially imposing tariffs on Canadian imports.
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February 14, 2025
Navigating the complexity of workplace romances
Workplace romances are not uncommon. In fact, studies show that approximately one-third of Canadians have been romantically involved with a colleague at some point in their careers. These relationships can sometimes bring positive outcomes, such as increased employee engagement and improved morale, but they also present a variety of challenges for employers.
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February 13, 2025
CBA urges new funding as Federal Court’s massive budget shortfall threatens drastic service cuts
The Liberal government’s underfunding of the Federal Court could “drastically” reduce service to litigants, its chief justice warns, spurring the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) to call for urgent “off-cycle” federal funding to address the national trial court’s chronic multi-million-dollar budgetary shortfalls.
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February 13, 2025
CFIB says small businesses facing cancelled, delayed orders amid Canada-U.S. tariff threat
According to new data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB), almost one in five small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are facing delayed or cancelled orders caused by ongoing uncertainty over a potential Canada-U.S. trade war.
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February 13, 2025
Europe’s revenge: They may hit back harder | Hodine Williams
The imposition of tariffs by the United States on European Union goods has long been a crossroads in transatlantic trade relations. Historically, the U.S. has used tariffs to protect domestic industries, often citing national security or unfair trade practices as justification — yawn. The most notable recent example was the Trump administration’s 2018, decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium imports from the EU under s. 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows tariffs for national security reasons. The EU responded swiftly with retaliatory tariffs on iconic American products like alcohol, motorcycles and jeans. But as tensions grow, the question remains: how will the EU respond to U.S. tariffs, and what tools does it have at its disposal?
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February 13, 2025
Reflections on a setback | David Peters
Some soul searching was in order. I was clearly not excelling in my career, but I didn’t know why. I had the education and background to succeed, but things weren’t clicking. I knew the reason may be linked to viewing my job only as a means to an end — saving enough to retire — instead of as a vocation, an end in itself, as a meaningful part of life to be enjoyed not hurried through. In short, something to be passionate about. As I reflected upon the role I played in my dilemma, I knew I must change. I like to read and learn, so I sought answers in books. Maybe, after all, I would find something useful. I did.
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February 13, 2025
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING - Certification - Appropriate bargaining unit - Management
Appeal by Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP) of a judicial review of a Labour Relations Board (Board) decision about whether Disability Care Managers (DCMs) at Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority (ERIHA) were “employees” for the purpose of Public Service Collective Bargaining Act (Act). ERIHA restructured and created a new position, DCM, which was classified as a non-bargaining unit position.
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February 12, 2025
Workforce reductions, layoffs already underway in response to tariff threat, says lawyer
The impending threat of hefty U.S. tariffs is already prompting some worried employers to illegally lay off employees or reduce their hours, says a veteran Toronto employment and labour lawyer.