A Star is Rising: Stephanie Sheppard

Employees used to gather around the water cooler to share views on controversial issues, discuss co-workers and complain about their employer.…

While the December 2021 Bill C-223, An Act to Develop a National Framework for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income seems to have died in both…

The benefits to employees, and often to employers, of remote work has made it a staple of today’s workplace. But the move to remote work…

On February 15, 2023, an adjudicator ordered an employer to pay what could be the “largest employment compensation” ever awarded in New…

Immigration continues to play a key role in addressing Canada’s labour and skills shortage. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada…

On March 21, 2023, the Nova Scotia Minister of Health and Wellness introduced Bill 256, Patient Access to Care Act. If passed, Bill 256 will…

On February 15, 2023, a New Brunswick adjudicator awarded Dr. John Dornan, the suddenly dismissed CEO of N.B. Health Authority, what might be…

2022 left important lasting implications for employers. With 2023 here, it’s time to look ahead to key issues that will affect employers in…

Many Canadian employers continue to be challenged not only with hiring the right number of people, but with finding candidates with the right…

2022 is in the rearview mirror, but the past year left lasting implications for employers. Here’s a retrospective on five of the key 2022…

The COVID-19 pandemic drove remote work to unprecedented heights. Employee calls for greater flexibility, and cost savings for employers, have…

When Prime Minister Trudeau announced that September 19, 2022 would be a National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, the Atlantic provinces…

The current labour crunch is only strengthening the business case for building a workplace that’s welcoming to diverse employee pools –…

Effective June 1, 2022, Bill 119 amended the P.E.I. Employment Standards Act to add new pay transparency provisions. One of the first of its…

The COVID-19 pandemic is (arguably) gone but the pre-pandemic labour crunch - for both white and blue collar workers - is back. And there’s no…

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of the workplace for good – but pre-pandemic labour shortages isn’t one of them. While the…

While the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) has ended, the focus on the concept of a universal or guaranteed basic income the COVID-19…

COVID-19 public health restrictions are coming to an end, even though the COVID-19 virus is not. Employers face reconstructing their workplace…

In February 2022, thousands of people led by a convoy of trucks (many displaying company logos) from across Canada congregated in Ottawa and…

As the Omicron wave wanes, and COVID-19 moves from pandemic to endemic, provincial governments have quickly pivoted to loosening – some even…

This publication has been updated as at December 15, 2022. On May 17, 2022, the P.E.I. Non-disclosure Agreements Act took effect,…

Since COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out, employers have grappled with workplace COVID-19  vaccination policies, with little guidance from courts…

This publication has been updated as at January 26, 2022. Since COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out, employers have been grappling with how to…

As COVID-19 continues, many workplaces have morphed from remote work arrangements into hybrid arrangements for many employees. By necessity,…

COVID-19 forced many employers to make temporary, and even permanent, changes to the terms of employees’ employment, from scheduling and…

On October 22, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada, in Northern Regional Health Authority v. Horrocks, clarified that labour arbitrators have…

This publication has been updated as at December 14, 2022. COVID-19 has been changing Canadian workplaces for 18 months. For some employees,…

Many now agree: it’s imperative that workplaces be both diverse and inclusive. Perhaps the most often-quoted (and definitely most succinct)…

As of January 1, 2021, federally regulated employers (such as banks, telephone and cable systems, most federal Crown corporations,…

This publication has been updated as at August 27, 2021. With the COVID-19 vaccine widely available, and the COVID pandemic continuing,…

Close to five million Canadians who didn’t usually work from home, did so in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as public health…

The COVID-19 Pandemic has focused more attention on the concept of a universal or guaranteed basic income that at any other time in modern…

This publication has been updated as at September 17, 2021. Employers across the country – including the federal government, some…

Well-drafted, properly implemented written employment contracts are a key tool to avoiding or resolving disputes during and at the end of…

Termination clauses, particularly “without cause” ones, are among the most important clauses to include in any employment agreement. But the…

This publication has been updated as at July 9, 2021. For some time, every Prince Edward Island employer has been required to comply with…

On October 9, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered its decision in Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. on whether a former employee…

This publication has been updated as of May 5, 2021. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led many employees to continue working from home, by…

On June 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released Uber Technologies Inc. v. Heller, a much-awaited decision regarding the enforceability of…

This publication has been updated as of April 23, 2021. Employers that hire and employ temporary foreign workers must comply with many and…

While the world is still reeling from ongoing COVID-19 concerns, many provinces have announced plans to relax public health restrictions put in…

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting more than Canada’s domestic workforce. It’s also disrupting Canadian employers’ access to temporary…

The COVID-19 novel coronavirus has evolved rapidly, and so have the workplace issues employers are facing – and the questions employers were…

The havoc that COVID-19 (a.k.a. “novel coronavirus” or SARS-CoV-2) is wreaking around the globe – and around workplaces – is about to…

“Do the unexpected. Take 20 minutes out of your day, do what young people all over the world are dying to do: vote.” Rick Mercer (hailing…

This publication has been updated as at July 9, 2021. Violence and harassment is an unfortunate reality of society – and of the workplace.…

Like it or not, Canadians live life online. More people - and more employees - are sharing more information, images and opinions with more…

Growing a business takes people. In early days, many startups have just one “employee”: the founder. At some point, the founder might retain…

This publication has been updated as at July 9, 2021. As of April 1, 2019, employers of New Brunswick employees must comply with new…

As of April 1, 2019, employers of New Brunswick employees must comply with new occupational health and safety law requirements specific to…

On December 13, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that a third party can’t waive a person’s right to privacy or their rights under…

On December 18, 2018, the maximum sentence possible for impaired driving (among other things) will increase as the result of amendments to…

This publication has been updated as of October 15, 2020. Canada became only the second country in the world to legalize cannabis (or…

Immigration is one of the key solutions to looming (and current) worker shortages in Canada. But an employer that hires a foreign worker must…

Immigration is one of the key solutions to the looming (or in some cases, current) worker shortage in Canada. In her article, The Top 5…

Every parent knows that a lot can happen in 18 months. Many employers agree. The federal government’s extension of employment insurance…

The legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is imminent. Employers are feeling the heat to prepare – even as they continue efforts to…

This publication has been updated as of September 28, 2020. In the last few years, many employers have been focused on preparing for and…

This article has been updated as of January 19, 2022. It can be challenging for employers to fulfill their legal duty to accommodate an…

The N.S. Court of Appeal has reached two decisions ending one employee’s quest for coverage of the costs of his medical marijuana – at least…

Workplace sexual harassment isn’t a new issue, nor is it limited to any one industry or country – but it's one that far more women than men…

Equity compensation plans are a valuable and versatile tool for many corporations, from early-stage startups to established blue-chips.…

We updated this publication on March 11, 2020. The #metoo and #timesup movements drove workplace sexual harassment to the front and center of…

Many employers use written workplace policies as a day-to-day workplace management tool; common examples include attendance management policies,…

Insurers have generally been leery of coverage for medical cannabis in both the health benefit claims and in cost of care claims in the personal…

The answer to the question, “What’s employers’ rationale for implementing workplace drug and alcohol testing?” is pretty…

This article has been updated as of December 2, 2021. For many people, the holiday season now upon us is a fun-filled time of the year. But…

Intellectual Property (IP) can be a valuable asset – even the most valuable asset – of a business. So it’s worth making sure the business…

Canada’s most important trading relationship is – in all likelihood – about to change: the current U.S. administration has put the future…

This publication has been updated as at January 13, 2022. An increasing number of employees are struggling to meet the challenge of the…

After years of low interest rates, and correspondingly high solvency liabilities, there’s growing recognition that the solvency funding model…

This publication has been updated as of October 14, 2020. On June 19, 2017, Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the…

This publication has been updated as at June 10, 2022.  The rapid rise in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles has increased…

More employees are seeking flexible work arrangements as a new way of working to better juggle their family and personal responsibilities. In…

Investigations are a vital - but difficult - part of workplace management. The value of a proper investigation can’t be overstated: it plays a…

Recreational cannabis isn’t legal yet: Canada’s federal government has proposed legislation to legalize and regulate access to recreational…

On April 13, 2017, Canada’s federal government introduced legislation that, if passed into law, will legalize recreational cannabis in Canada.…

Recreational cannabis isn’t legal yet - but much of the associated stigma is already gone, usage is up and employers are feeling the workplace…

On January 1, 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program became the permanent Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). Learn more at From Pilot to…

We updated this publication on April 5, 2023. The hiring process and the termination process are equally important stages of the employment…

Employers’ legal duty to accommodate employees seems to most frequently come up in the context of employees with disabilities. But that duty…

Canada’s most important trading relationship might undergo some change with the results of the 2016 U.S. election. Facilitating cross-border…

The employment contract is an exchange of labour for wages and other benefits, so employers are entitled to expect regular ongoing attendance…

Business owners wear many hats – including employer. Your employees may be your business’s greatest asset, but they could also be your…

Whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor has long caused employers a degree of angst. And the recent emergence of a new…

On July 14, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that the “Unjust Dismissal” sections of the Canada Labour Code ensure that…

As of June 25, 2016, provincially regulated workers and employers in Nova Scotia, Quebec, BC and Saskatchewan can participate in Pooled…

Employers are entitled to mandate dress codes in the workplace, and even to discipline employees who refuse to comply. But a workplace dress…

We updated this publication on May 8, 2023. “Due diligence” is a legal defence to many charges under occupational health and safety (OHS)…

On January 11, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sentenced a front-line supervisor to imprisonment for 3½ years for four counts of…

Employee tardiness is a significant problem for employers - and bad weather is one of the top three reasons that employees give for it according…

We updated this publication on April 13, 2023. A well drafted and properly implemented written employment contract can be instrumental to…

Violence has become an unfortunate reality in current society, and the workplace is not immune. With more people spending more time at work,…

The employment contract, at its core, is an exchange of work for compensation. So at a very basic level, employers are entitled to expect…

We updated this publication on May 9, 2023. Most people know a company itself has occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations and risks…

This publication has been updated as at June 24, 2021. Women make up close to half of the employed workforce: in 2019, Canadian women 15…

This publication has been updated as at January 26, 2022. With people spending so many of their waking hours at or connected to work these…

On January 30, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada decided that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom’s protection for freedom of…

In December 2014, the NL Supreme Court ordered an employer to pay its former employee $30,000 in moral damages to compensate him for the mental…

On December 11, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada continued its trend to recognize privacy rights – and develop the law to protect them –…

This article has been updated as of December 11, 2020. Employers host numerous events throughout the year – summer and holiday office…

Recently, the NS Court of Appeal confirmed that a union can be certified as the bargaining agent of employees based merely on their dependence…

Effective September 1, 2014 the NB government implemented five important changes to the NB Employment Standards Act – the minimum standards…

On June 20, 2014 the Federal Government announced a major overhaul of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. With stringent enforcement…

On March 28, 2014 the Federal Government tabled Bill C-31 to implement the 2014 Federal Budget – including broad authority to impose cash…

On December 31, 2013, amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and new Ministerial Instructions changing the Federal…

On November 7, 2013, the SCC decided police require specific authorization in a search warrant to search the data in a computer because of the…

On June 14, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 v. Irving Pulp…

Note: Effective December 31, 2013, the Federal Government made additional changes to the Federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Click here to…

On November 19, 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) unanimously ruled a B.C. public school system’s failure to provide adequate and…

On October 19, 2012 the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decided that a teacher criminally charged with possession of child pornography and…

Mr. Cole was a high school teacher with an employer owned and issued laptop computer.  He also used it for incidental personal purposes, which…

On March 16, 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) confirmed the decision of the N.S. Court of Appeal, reinstating the N.S. Human Rights…

As any Canadian knows, July 1st – Canada Day – is the first long weekend of the summer; or is it?  This year, July 1st falls on a Sunday. …

Social media represents a profound cultural shift and employers must adapt if they want to avoid unnecessarily – and potentially costly –…

Effective January 1, 2012, NS’s Human Rights Commission will receive, investigate and handle complaints under NS’s Human Rights Act under a…

In a decision with application to Atlantic Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal found that an employer’s multiple extensions of a terminated…

Note: On June 14, 2013 the Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 v.…

In March 2011, the Ontario Court of Appeal found that an employee had a limited expectation of privacy in the contents of a work computer. The…

In the midst of a sea of change, the Federal Government has enacted Regulatory changes significantly impacting employers who hire foreign…