Last August, an arbitrator ruled on a dispute in the context of which accommodation measures were sought for the benefit of a person who had in excess of ten years of seniority and no longer held her position, having been absent for nearly three years for physiological reasons.The arbitration (…)
The Pay Equity Act (hereinafter the “Act”) celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. To mark the occasion, the Commission de l’équité salariale took stock of what had been achieved. After completing this analysis, on May 27, 2009, the National Assembly passed Bill 25, which made (…)
Passed into law on June 10, 2009, Bill 35 makes significant amendments to the modification of a method of levying assessments under the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases, the convertion of certain allowances and benefits, a gradual increase in the fines levied under the (…)
On October 27th, the Minister of Finance announced an important plan to reform federally regulated pension plans. According to the Minister, the Government is proposing “a balanced package of measures for the benefit of pension plan sponsors, plan members and retirees.”Other recent news: (…)
Under the Tobacco Act, employers must prohibit their employees from smoking inside their establishments. However, the Act is mute on no smoking outside, on the company’s land.Can an employer be stricter than the Tobacco Act by implementing a no smoking policy intended to entirely ban smoking (…)
The Peoples and BCE decisions have shed considerable light upon the parameters and criteria for the exercise of directors’ duties in Canada.The purpose of this bulletin is to provide an update on: the nature and scope of directors’ duties and obligations; the identity of the (…)
Facebook can build an individual’s biography provided enough personal information is uploaded to the user’s profile. Since a user’s private life may be displayed on its site, what are Facebook’s obligations in terms of the protection of personal information?
In 2002, the Québec Court of Appeal acknowledged the importance of sureties in a dispute between a construction company and a supplier. The Court noted that the construction company's losses had been exacerbated by the withdrawal of its surety facility.More recently, the Québec Superior Court (…)
Much has been and continues to be written about applications for cost-sharing under section 329 of An Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases (the "AIAOD").The purpose of this provision, which is regularly used by employers, is to counterbalance the consequences of (…)
Introduced in 1979, the Quebec Stock Savings Plan (QSSP) was enormously successful in the 1980s, encouraging the emergence of numerous Quebec SMES. The SME Growth Stock Plan, which replaced the QSSP in 2005, achieved a more mixed success. The 2009-2010 provincial budget attempts to remedy this (…)
On September 24, 2008, the Court of Appeal reversed a decision by the Superior Court that had allowed an insured’s claim against its insurer for damages caused as a result of the removal of a product manufactured by the insured.The Court of Appeal ruled that a multi-peril civil liability (…)
The Supreme Court of Canada ended a lengthy legal saga on November 20th, 2008 when it ordered St.Lawrence Cement Inc. to compensate residents of Beauport living near its cement plant. Comments on prescription, the assessment of damages and the granting of future damages.The Supreme Court's decision (…)