Labour & Employment

  • May 15, 2026

    Professional collaboration: Sleeping with dogs

    “Qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus sargent,” thus (perhaps) said Seneca: “If you lie down with dogs, you’ll arise with fleas.”

  • May 14, 2026

    Andréanne Foisy-Chrispin joins Langlois

    Langlois has added Andréanne Foisy-Chrispin as a lawyer in its labour and employment group.

  • May 14, 2026

    Unionized, but not united: Employees who seek third-party standing in arbitrations

    Third parties almost never get a seat at the arbitration table, but every so often an employee insists on weighing in against their own union — and is sometimes granted standing to speak or be represented, usually with respect to interests that may be against their union. However, the right to speak may (or may not) come with an obligation to pay arbitration costs.

  • May 13, 2026

    Federal Court orders third CRA review of teacher’s CERB eligibility

    In a case that has now twice been overturned, the Federal Court has remitted the matter of an individual’s eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) back to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for a third review.

  • May 13, 2026

    Ontario Appeal Court rejects health care workers’ broad COVID vaccine suit

    Ontario’s highest court has turned back a challenge by more than 400 current and former health care workers who were disciplined or dismissed because of their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The workers were challenging the dismissal of their claim by an Ontario Superior Court judge, who said it was both an abuse of process and disclosed no reasonable cause of action.

  • May 13, 2026

    Rubin & Co. LLP launches as new firm

    Toronto-based employment and workplace human rights law firm Rubin & Co. LLP has begun operating under its new name. The firm succeeds Rubin Thomlinson LLP, which ceased operating under that name on April 30 after more than 20 years in practice.

  • May 13, 2026

    Court rejects automatic EI disqualification for worker terminated due to incarceration

    The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a federal government appeal challenging employment insurance (EI) benefits for a worker who lost his job after being incarcerated, ruling that a claimant’s inability to fulfill a condition of employment is not, by itself, sufficient to disentitle them to EI benefits.

  • May 13, 2026

    Virtual mediation: Practical tips for better outcomes

    The vast majority of mediations in Ontario continue to take place virtually. Convenient and often cost-effective, virtual mediation is clearly here to stay — even if I personally would welcome a greater return to in-person mediations (more on that in an upcoming article). It is therefore worth thinking carefully about how virtual mediations can be structured to maximize effectiveness.

  • May 12, 2026

    Ontario nurses, health care workers fight law blocking strikes

    Ontario nurses have launched a constitutional challenge of a decades-old statute that prohibits them from taking job action. The lawsuit from the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), which represents more than 68,000 nurses and health care professionals, aims to strike down the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act (HLDAA).

  • May 11, 2026

    The National Interest Waiver path to a U.S. green card

    National Interest Waivers to obtain a green card (permanent residence) in the U.S. are getting a lot of attention these days. With large backlogs creating long waits for some people applying for green cards, applying with a request for a National Interest Waiver of the usual labor market testing requirement to complete the process can make green card processing much quicker — if you qualify.

  • May 11, 2026

    Coercion is not care: Canada headed in the wrong direction on substance use

    Three and a half years ago, I wrote in this column about the dangers of forcing treatment on people with serious mental health issues as a condition of keeping them living in the community.

  • May 08, 2026

    Canada commits $7M to global migration projects

    Canada has committed $7 million to eight international migration initiatives in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, while also announcing five new pledges aimed at strengthening global migration management systems at the United Nations’ International Migration Review Forum.

  • May 08, 2026

    Court finds city’s vaccination policy reasonable in unpaid leave case

    The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal relating to alleged wrongful dismissal of a city employee due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. 

  • May 08, 2026

    B.C. expanding midwives’ role in abortion and pregnancy care

    B.C. is making regulatory changes and expanding the role of midwives to include abortion and continuous pregnancy care, allowing them to provide additional reproductive health services.

  • May 08, 2026

    Matt Riskin joins McLennan Ross as partner in Edmonton

    McLennan Ross has added Matt Riskin as a partner in its Edmonton office.

  • May 08, 2026

    Privacy commissioner calls for permanent funding, prioritization of privacy

    In remarks delivered to the House of Commons, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada emphasized the “impact of a rapidly evolving technological environment,” called for modernization of federal privacy laws and advocated for permanent funding of his office.

  • May 08, 2026

    Better Call Saul and AI: Changing the perception of the ‘ideal lawyer’

    Spoiler Alert: The following contains plot details from Better Call Saul. Charles McGill, the decorated senior partner in the TV series Better Call Saul, is everything the legal profession tells itself it stands for: principled, authoritative, a guardian of the rule of law. His younger brother Jimmy — the poor, hustling, desperate Saul Goodman — represents everything the profession looks down on. But as artificial intelligence dismantles the gatekeeping function that long justified the legal profession’s self-image, it is worth asking: which one of them is a more accurate reflection of a lawyer?

  • May 07, 2026

    Ban on non-competes, new crypto-asset reporting framework are features of latest federal budget bill

    The Carney government has introduced its second omnibus implementation bill to implement a slew of measures it proposed in the federal budget last November.

  • May 06, 2026

    Exit on your terms succession planning for family business owners

    For many family businesses, especially those built across generations, the business is more than an asset. It represents decades of effort, risk-taking, and personal investment, which forms part of the family’s identity and legacy. Many family businesses are passed down among generations, with the ownership and management of such businesses often governed by family shareholder agreements. Yet, other family businesses may lack a clear succession plan when the next generation is not willing or capable of stepping into an owner-manager role.

  • May 06, 2026

    Interim post-graduation work authorization: The difference between ‘expiry’ and ‘invalidity’

    International graduates usually move from study to work through the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) program. A recurring legal uncertainty arises where a graduate completes their studies, more than 90 days pass, and the expiry date printed on the study permit has not yet arrived. If the graduate applies for a PGWP before that printed expiry date and receives an IMM 0127/WP-EXT for PGWP letter confirming work authorization under paragraph 186(w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227, can the graduate work?

  • May 05, 2026

    Former SCC justice Louise Arbour named Canada’s next governor general

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour will become Canada’s next governor general. Arbour will become the first former judge of the top court to take on the vice-regal role.

  • May 05, 2026

    B.C. court rejects First Nation chief's Indigenous law injunction defence

    B.C.’s top court has rejected the arguments from a First Nations chief that he was acting in accordance with his peoples’ traditional laws when violating a court injunction against impeding the construction of a natural gas pipeline, saying such a defence if it were to be recognized could only be raised as a last resort.

  • May 05, 2026

    Why success does not require sacrifice: The myth that’s costing law firm owners everything

    There is a story told quietly in the corridors of law firms, whispered between partners and etched into the culture of legal practice almost everywhere you look. It goes something like this: to be truly successful, you must give everything. Long hours, missed dinners, canceled holidays, chronic stress — these are not unfortunate side effects of a thriving legal career. They are, according to this story, the price of admission.

  • May 05, 2026

    Superior Court of Quebec annuls arbitration award over AI hallucinations

    In a decision on April 22, the Superior Court of Quebec (SCQ) annulled a 2025 award issued by an arbitrator in a domestic arbitration between the Osman Medical Clinic (Osman) in Quebec and the provincial health authority, Santé Québec-CCSMTL.

  • May 05, 2026

    How to avoid a health insurance audit: Top seven triggers

    An audit by an extended health benefits insurer can be an extremely invasive and stressful process for a health provider such as a health clinic or health professional. These audits also carry significant potential consequences, including demands for repayment, being delisted by the insurer and complaints to regulatory colleges.

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