February 2017

In a recent case, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a substantial award of moral damages to an employee subjected to long-term sexual harassment, after she made a formal complaint to her manager. Unfortunately, such behavior from employers continues to persist despite the present anti-discrimination laws, and hopefully cases like these set a trend of strong enforcement, which would serve as a more effective deterrent to employers. In this case, the employee worked for the employer for almost a decade, and was the only woman in the workplace at the time she was fired. The employee was subjected to continuous…

As a new parent, you are entitled to take unpaid time off work for up to 37 weeks to take care of your newborn child. This right applies to both parents, and the employer is legally required to provide you with your old job at the end of the leave. The employer is also not permitted to retaliate, or punish you in any way, for taking the time off to spend with your family. Unfortunately employers often consciously violate these rights and returning employees frequently find that either they no longer have a job, or that the job responsibilities or…