Tag: disabled employees

Supreme Court of Canada Helps Employers with Duty to Accommodate Disabilities

by Rachel Ravary McCarthy Tetrault Last week’s decision in Hydro Québec v. Syndicat des employé-e-s de techniques professionnelles et de bureau d’Hydro-Québec 2008 SCC 43 is good news for employers – finally there is a clear limit to your duty to accommodate employees who are chronically absent from work. Not only did the Supreme Court […]

McDonald’s Fails to Accommodate Employee Unable to Wash Hands

by Daniel Pugen and Earl G. Phillips McCarthy Tetrault In Canada, human rights legislation provides that employers have a duty to accommodate disabled workers unless such accommodation would cause “undue hardship” on the employer. A recent case involving McDonald’s Restaurants before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal illustrates the high standard of accommodation expected of […]

From the Editor

Welcome to the first issue of Diversity Insight. The topic of workplace diversity has never been more important than it is right now. Employers across the country are struggling to manage a new workforce that is becoming increasingly diverse and complex. As a result, HR is required to settle differences between ethnic groups, bring peace […]

Biometric Hand Scanners vs. Religious Beliefs: What Does the Law Say?

by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault Biometric hand scanners vs. religious beliefs: What does the law say? In Canada, employers must accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs to the point of “undue hardship” for the employer. But what if you don’t consider an employee’s religious beliefs “mainstream”? That doesn’t matter, according to a recent decision by an […]