Workers Compensation Act to Address Bullying in the Workplace
With workplace bullying and harassment on the rise in British Columbia, and high profile harassment law suits very much in the news, the BC government ... Continued
Former Employees Ordered to Pay Significant Damages for Breach of Confidential Information
The recent decision of the BC Supreme Court, Service Corporation International (Canada) Ltd. (Graham Funeral Home Ltd.) v. Nunes-Pottinger Funeral Services & Crematorium Ltd., is ... Continued
The Costs of Defending Self Represented Litigant Claims
More and more individuals involved in civil litigation are representing themselves in Court proceedings. Often the reason is cost – many individuals simply cannot afford ... Continued
Implications of the New ‘Intrusion on Seclusion’ Tort for BC Organizations
The Canadian legal community has been abuzz about the January 2012 Jones v Tsige decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal, which recognized a new ... Continued
BC Minimum Wage Increases Effective May 1, 2012
The final round of minimum wage increases announced by the BC Government in March 2011 takes effect on May 1, 2012 (the first and second ... Continued
Lifetime Benefits’ are Benefits for Life
In an effort to sustain the viability and affordability of the benefit plans offered to its retired employees, an employer unilaterally reduces its contributions to ... Continued
Is a disrespectful and inflammatory letter enough to terminate?
An employee, unhappy with her employer’s criticism of her performance at work, retains legal counsel to write a letter on her behalf, demanding that the ... Continued
Disciplinary Action and the Timeliness of Warnings
Most employers know that it is not easy to fire or discipline an employee for just cause, especially if the reasons are due to performance ... Continued
Act to End Mandatory Retirement for Federally Regulated Employers Receives Royal Assent
Bill C-13, Keeping Canada’s Economy and Jobs Growing Act, has now received Royal Assent by Parliament. This omnibus legislation implements amendments to various acts, including ... Continued
New Privacy Guidelines for the Use of Social Media for Background Checks
Given the large amount of potential sources of information about individuals on social media1, it is not surprising that many employers have, or have considered, ... Continued
CPP Changes in Effect January 1, 2012
On January 1, 2012, previously announced changes to Canada Pension Plan (CPP) came into force. Prior to this year, employers had to stop deducting CPP ... Continued
2012 Automobile Deduction Limits
The Department of Finance Canada has announced the following business expense deduction limits for automobile operating expense benefits, effective 2012: The upper limit on the ... Continued