Blog Posts
Ed Canning
Jun 08, 2020
As things open up I am expecting to be able to bring employees back to work as soon as the government allows. We have a production work environment in which it is impossible to always remain 6 feet distant. Can I require employees to wear masks at work?
Ed Canning
Jun 08, 2020
I have been laid off for 10 weeks without benefits continuation. My understanding was that in 3 more weeks if I was not called back I would be deemed terminated and entitled to termination pay and severance pay under the Employment Standards Act. How will the Ontario Government’s changes to the Act affect that?
Ed Canning
Jun 06, 2020
Race discrimination can be a challenge to prove.
Ed Canning
May 22, 2020
This article originally appeared in the Hamilton Spectator.
Ed Canning
Mar 22, 2020
I own a small business which is in the personal service industry. Unfortunately we are already being impacted by the pandemic. It is clear that things are going to get worse before they get better. I have some very long term employees who have never been before laid off. If I lay them off as a result of a shortage of work, are they going to be able to claim that I constructively dismissed them?
Ed Canning
Dec 28, 2019
Question: I have been off work on disability for 8 months. Once a month my doctor fills out a form for the disability insurer. I contacted the employer last week to discuss the fact that my doctor will probably allow me to return to work in the new year and they seemed to be taken off guard. They said they would have to talk to the disability insurer to find out what was going on and told me I would have to get a doctor’s report. When I talked about some accommodations my doctor was recommending they wouldn’t discuss it at all. What is going on?
Ed Canning
Dec 28, 2019
Question: Every Spring I take my vacation time to go visit my daughter in England. Happily this year she will have a new baby a few weeks before my usual trip. I usually go for 3 weeks but my employer will only approve one this year. For staffing reasons, they say that they just can’t afford to be shorthanded at that time. I am going to see my first grandchild this spring. What are my options?
Ed Canning
Dec 14, 2019
Wrongful Dismissal lawsuits are rarely about whether the employer had a good reason to terminate an employee. Unless an employer is claiming that the employee did something so awful they deserve no notice or payment, the reasons for the termination are not the issue.
Ed Canning
Nov 30, 2019
Bruce had lived at a men’s shelter of last resort for a number of years. He was 75 years old and had been a boxer in his youth. Whether it was as a result of his past career or dementia, Bruce was easily confused and agitated.
Ed Canning
Oct 26, 2019
Question: I feel like I’m getting bullied by a co-worker. One example is that recently a new cell phone for her, that it was my job to order, did not arrive as scheduled. She came to my desk, stood about one foot away looking down at me and in an angry raised voice asked where her new cell phone was as if I reported to her. This is only one of many examples I could give. How should I deal with this?