Category: Northern Exposure

Employment law articles for U.S. companies with employees in Canada. Written by the attorneys at Fasken Martineau law firm.

New voluntary standards for psychological health in the workplace

By Marc Rodrigue Increasing public attention has been given to mental health awareness. And Canadian employers are not exempt. Today’s employers have many employees who are affected by, directly or indirectly, psychological illness or are at risk of psychological hazards on the job. Sometimes these hazards can create human resources challenges, including extended employee absences […]

U.S.-Canada visa and immigration information-sharing agreement

by Jesse Goldstein The U.S. and Canadian governments recently announced the signing of a visa and immigration information-sharing agreement between the United States and Canada. It will enable both countries to share information from third-country nationals who apply for a visa or permit to travel to either country.

Personal liability of managers for workplace harassment

By Marisa Victor and Lydia de Guzman Canadian employers, like those in the United States, are required to deal effectively with sexual harassment in the workplace. But managers have usually been personally liable only in the worst cases. A new decision may signal a change in this. The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario decision in […]

The irony of irreparable harm

By Bruce Grist Conventional wisdom suggests that because a nonsolicitation clause is more likely than a noncompete clause to be enforced by a Canadian court, why bother including a noncompete clause in an employment agreement? The British Columbia Court of Appeal’s decision in Edward Jones v. Voldeng suggests that there is still value in including […]

Slapping incident not enough to terminate employee for cause

By Karen Sargeant We all know proving cause for termination in Canada is difficult. Poor performance rarely equates to cause. And employees seem to be entitled to warnings in most cases. But surely it is cause if an employee slaps another. Not so, according to one Ontario judge in Shakur v. Mitchell Plastics.

Even more mysteries of mitigation

By Michel Bellemare Last fall, we reported on the mysteries of mitigation. Those articles (“When do employees have a duty to mitigate termination claim?” and “More mysteries of mitigation”) reported on the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Bowes v. Goss Power Products Ltd. that confirmed that the duty to mitigate doesn’t necessarily apply where […]

More changes in the Canadian immigration system

By Isabelle Dongier Winds of change keep blowing on Canadian immigration lands. In July 2012, we discussed several steps taken by the federal government relating to the rules and processes applicable to temporary and permanent immigration applications in Canada. More changes have been announced in the recent months. These changes aim to allow more foreigners […]

Lessons learned from NHL lockout

By Brian P. Smeenk Canadians love hockey like Americans love football or baseball. Maybe more. So the lockout of the players by the league’s owners has left a lot of Canadian hockey fans in withdrawal. It’s also led to much more reporting about labor negotiations than we would normally see in the media.