Labour & Employment

  • March 19, 2026

    New Brunswick introduces pay transparency law and expands illness leave benefits

    New Brunswick has introduced legislation that is set to increase pay transparency and require employers to provide up to 27 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for workers recovering from illness or injury.

  • March 19, 2026

    Employees must use full process in lodging safety concerns before alleging reprisal: lawyer

    Those who accuse their employer of reprisal for raising safety concerns must exhaust all necessary steps in the process before lodging such a complaint, says a lawyer of a case involving a Nova Scotia teacher alleging her school punished her for complaining about the air quality in her classroom.  

  • March 18, 2026

    The mask of professionalism: Stress of maintaining the ‘good lawyer’ image

    In the first part of this two-part series (see link below), I wrote that in addition to actual legal work, most lawyers are also expected to act, speak and dress in certain ways. This added layer of effort can feel like a performance. It requires constantly monitoring yourself to maintain the image of a “good lawyer,” and it is exhausting. Here, I turn to what can be done to reduce the stress associated with all this extra labour.

  • March 17, 2026

    SCC heard more cases in 2025 but still fewer than pre-pandemic; number expected to rise in 2026

    The Supreme Court of Canada heard more appeals last year than in 2024 and delivered its reserved judgments more quickly, but its hearings and output in 2025 were not yet up to pre-pandemic levels, according to the top court, which states it “expects to hear even more cases in 2026.”

  • March 17, 2026

    N.W.T. releases feedback on changes to union rules for public sector workers

    The Northwest Territories has released feedback on possible legislative changes around how unionized public servants are represented.

  • March 17, 2026

    Immigration petitions: Premium processing vs. ‘regular’ adjudication

    These days, to get a timely adjudication on any U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) petition, filers need to be looking at the possibility of paying the extra US$2,965 to the U.S. government for expedited adjudication, under the agency’s “Premium Processing” option. This is because “regular” adjudication typically takes months — and in some cases, years — for most case types. This means your entire immigrant or nonimmigrant process, and accordant status, can be held up by lengthy adjudication times, limiting work options and/or the ability to travel in the meantime.

  • March 16, 2026

    FCA orders RCMP review body to decide delayed appeals within 6 months

    The Federal Court of Appeal has ordered the RCMP External Review Committee (ERC) to issue findings in long-delayed disciplinary appeals within six months, ruling that the Federal Court erred in denying mandamus relief after concluding the delay was not unreasonable.

  • March 16, 2026

    Court of Appeal for Ontario confirms stay where enforcement sought against non-party to arbitration

    In Sociedad Concesionaria Metropolitana de Salud S.A. v. Webuild S.p.A., 2026 ONCA 28, the Court of Appeal confirmed that enforcement proceedings in Ontario should be stayed based on forum non conveniens.

  • March 16, 2026

    Employers ignore mental health issues at their peril

    Employers who think they are being clever by rushing to dismiss an employee, or quickly accepting a resignation before the employee explicitly raises mental health accommodation, often create liability for themselves.

  • March 13, 2026

    Feds reboot new police powers, obligations to give police & CSIS ‘lawful access’ to digital data

    Following public outcry and stiff political opposition to its sweeping “strong borders” omnibus bill (Bill C-2), the minority Liberal government has migrated the expanded “lawful access” powers and new obligations for electronic service providers to assist police and CSIS investigators from C-2 into standalone legislation (Bill C-22).

  • March 13, 2026

    Feds announce new immigration measure in Quebec under International Mobility Program

    The federal government has announced a new “temporary measure” to assist the Government of Quebec retain skilled workers on “their pathway to permanent residence.”

  • March 13, 2026

    Cross-border clarity: How U.S. franchise reform could affect Canadian brands

    The American Franchise Act (AFA), a bipartisan bill currently moving through U.S. Congress, could help bring clarity to franchising as a business model, with implications for Canadian operators.

  • March 12, 2026

    Sound of silence sinks deal: Settlement agreements need sharper drafting

    The Ontario Superior Court’s decision in Cross v. Cooling Tower Maintenance Inc., 2025 ONSC 7203 is a useful reminder that settlement agreements must be drafted with care, especially where salary continuance, mitigation obligations and repayment provisions are involved. If counsel intend a breach to trigger serious consequences, those consequences must be set out clearly. Courts will enforce the agreement the parties made, not the one that one side later wishes it had drafted.

  • March 11, 2026

    CFIB warns 1.3M expiring work permits will increase labour challenges

    The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is warning that more than 1.3 million work permits, including those for temporary foreign workers (TFWs), are set to expire by the end of 2026, which it says will significantly threaten economic and labour challenges.

  • March 11, 2026

    Ottawa extends temporary work-sharing EI measures to help employers avert mass layoffs from tariffs

    The federal government is extending temporary special measures under the employment insurance work-sharing program until March 31, 2027, from March 6, 2026, to help employers facing unexpected slowdowns avoid layoffs and maintain stability for their workers.

  • March 11, 2026

    Silence isn’t golden: Employers must clearly communicate contractual changes

    In Comeau v. Valcom Consulting Ltd., 2025 NBKB 253, the Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick held that an employer’s attempt to unilaterally introduce new, more restrictive terms of employment in relation to a long-term employee who had worked under a series of fixed-term employment agreements constituted a constructive dismissal.

  • March 11, 2026

    The billable hour is running out of time

    Early in my career, I noticed a pattern I could not ignore. I would build rapport with clients, earn their trust and then watch everything fall apart the moment the invoice was sent. They were not upset with me personally, even though sometimes it felt that way. They were blindsided by a system that charged them in a way they found unfair. Even worse, I would get penalized if I found strategies to be fast and efficient to make it more fair.

  • March 10, 2026

    Ottawa, B.C. move ahead with anti-hate legislation to combat rising antisemitism, targeted violence

    As the federal and B.C. governments push ahead with new anti-hate measures, legal experts in the Jewish community advise that robust political leadership, specialized training for prosecutors and police, and new legal tools — bolstered by greater enforcement of the existing criminal law — are keys to fighting the explosion of antisemitism and hate in Canada since the terrorist massacre of hundreds of people in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

  • March 10, 2026

    Ontario, Canada invest $228M for workers in the province

    The Ontario government is expanding training and employment supports for those impacted by tariffs and global trade disruptions with a $228.8-million investment from the federal government over the next three years.

  • March 10, 2026

    Manitoba to require employers to provide menstrual products

    Manitoba will soon be the first province in Canada requiring employers to provide free menstrual products to their employees.

  • March 10, 2026

    Canadian cabotage and immigration rules for foreign trucking operations

    Foreign motor carriers delivering freight into Canada operate within a tightly regulated framework that governs both the use of their equipment and the activities of their drivers while in Canada. Canadian cabotage and immigration rules are designed to protect the domestic transportation market while allowing international trade to function efficiently.

  • March 10, 2026

    Keegstra in Bill C-9: An Act to Amend the Criminal Code: Hate propaganda, hate crime access

    More than three decades after the Supreme Court of Canada decided R. v. Keegstra, [1990] 3 S.C.R. 697, the case continues to shape how Canadians think about hate speech, free expression and the limits of the Charter. Yet, while legal analysis has focused intensely on constitutional doctrine, far less attention has been paid to the place that gave rise to the case: Eckville, a small rural community in central Alberta. Revisiting Keegstra today, particularly in light of renewed legislative debates surrounding Bill C-9, requires not only revisiting the court’s reasoning, but also reconsidering how Eckville and central Alberta itself has been constructed in media, academic and greater legal narratives.

  • March 09, 2026

    Ontario appoints first military defence representative

    The Ontario government has appointed its first military defence representative to promote the province’s defence industry in global markets and attract new defence investment while helping companies find opportunities to grow their export.

  • March 09, 2026

    Federal government commits $94.5M over five years to labour market data initiative

    The federal government is set to invest up to $94.5 million over five years to produce consistent, foundational labour market information across key sectors, according to a release issued on March 9.

  • March 09, 2026

    RCMP privacy breach class action stayed for pension review

    The Federal Court has stayed a proposed class action in which members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleged their right to privacy was violated by the RCMP and other agents of Canada during an organized crime investigation.

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