Labour & Employment
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August 14, 2024
Canada to launch study permit pilot program to boost Francophone immigration
A new immigration pilot program that aims to provide study permits for up to 2,300 Francophones from abroad to study in Canada over the next year launches Aug. 26, 2024.
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August 13, 2024
Will C-suite executives be replaced by AI? Not so fast!
A recent New York Times article, “If A.I. Can Do Your Job, Maybe It Can Also Replace Your C.E.O.,” posited that the apparent wave of development into artificial intelligence could lead to the outsourcing of a significant portion of C-suite duties. However, unlike previous concerns of the moving of work overseas, this article suggests that this outsourcing would instead be an “uploading” to machine artificial intelligence (AI). That said, the article clearly suggests that AI is a potential threat to some executives. And it got this executive employment lawyer thinking.
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August 12, 2024
New human rights chief ‘steps down’ following law firm probe of his history & hiring
Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani has accepted Birju Dattani stepping down as the chief federal human rights watchdog, following a report from an independent law firm that the recently hired head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), among other things, failed to disclose during the hiring process his sometime-use of an alternative name “Mujahid Dattani” on Twitter (now known as X) and in other public fora.
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August 12, 2024
It started with a tattoo: Is your independent contractor really an employee?
The British Columbia Supreme Court decision in Dibble v. Creative Music Therapy Solutions Inc., 2024 BCSC 1066, reiterates the “if it walks like a duck” analysis when determining when an employee is really an independent contractor or the “intermediate classification” of dependent contractor. The “independent contractor,” Christine Dibble, was a music therapist who began working for Creative Music Therapy Solutions Inc. (CMTS) in 2010 pursuant to a written contract.
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August 09, 2024
Canada sanctions Belarusian judges complicit in Lukashenko regime’s jailing of political prisoners
Canada and its allies have imposed asset freezes and immigration bans on certain Belarusian judges and others who facilitate repression and violations of human rights in their country, including jailing hundreds of political prisoners at the behest of President Alexander Lukashenko’s illegitimate regime.
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August 09, 2024
N.B. Crowns reach labour deal with province
A “catastrophic” situation has been avoided in New Brunswick now that its Crown prosecutors voted in favour of a new collective agreement with the provincial government.
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August 09, 2024
New partner joins Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark
A recent news release announced that Caroline Spindler joined Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP as a partner in the firm’s offices in Halifax, N.S., and Fredericton, N.B.
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August 08, 2024
Canada Post union seeking government intervention in contract negotiations
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has announced that it has filed two notices of dispute with the minister of labour for its largest bargaining units, Urban Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers, as negotiations have not been reached.
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August 08, 2024
Employer’s conduct found to repudiate otherwise valid contract
The recent decision in Klyn v. Pentax Canada Inc., 2024 BCSC 372, (Klyn) from the Supreme Court of British Columbia should cause even further intestinal discomfort for employers as it demonstrates the court’s ever-growing protection of employees. As I noted a few months ago, the line of cases stemming from Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc., 2020 ONCA 391, and Dufault v. The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, 2024 ONSC 1029, appear to be a cautionary beacon for all employers to not only have proper contracts in place to properly protect them but to also act in accordance with those contracts in a good faith manner.
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August 08, 2024
Why workcations could be the redefining moment for maintaining a work-life balance
In today's evolving work environment, the concept of “workcations” — blending work with vacation — has gained significant popularity as more employees seek the flexibility to work remotely from vacation destinations.