Resources
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Federal Government Introduces New Recovery Benefits Legislation
September 24, 2020
On the morning of September 24, 2020, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced the introduction of Bill C-2, to create three new benefits intended to take effect after the CERB program winds down – the Canada Recovery Benefit, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (the “Recovery Benefits”).
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If You Want to Collect and Use Employee Personal Information for Disciplinary Purposes, You Better Make Sure It’s Done Properly Or You Could Be Liable for Damages
September 17, 2020
In a preliminary decision, a B.C. arbitrator confirmed his authority to award damages for an employer’s breach of the provisions of B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) relating to the collection and use of employee personal information.
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Extension of the CERB, Changes to EI, and Introduction of New Recovery Benefits
August 24, 2020
On August 20, 2020, Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced: (a) the extension of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (the “CERB”); (b) upcoming changes to the Employment Insurance (“EI”) program; and (c) plans for three new benefits intended to take effect after the CERB program winds down.
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A New Framework for North American Labour Rights: The Future Impact of Chapter 23 of the USMCA
August 20, 2020
While Canadian businesses are still reacting to changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the coming into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (the “USMCA”) on July 1st, 2020 may have an equally significant impact on recovery and expansion goals throughout this decade.
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Changes to the Workers Compensation Act Now in Effect
August 19, 2020
Bill 23, which introduces significant changes to the Workers Compensation Act (the “Act”), received royal assent on August 14, 2020. The Act contains 34 provisions including changes relating to compensation, assessment, and occupational health and safety matters. Bill 23 was tabled by Minister of Labour, Harry Bains, on July 14, 2020, and was previously discussed in our July 21,2020, update.
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Accommodations in Unprecedented Times: Accommodating Employees with Higher Levels of Vulnerability to COVID-19
August 17, 2020
With B.C. in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan, many employees who were previously working remotely or laid off are returning to the workplace. One issue employers are facing is how to address accommodation requests from older employees and/or those with underlying health issues who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than the general population. This update sets out an employer’s obligations to vulnerable employees and what to consider when returning them to workplace.
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Information for Employers Applying for COVID-19 Related Layoff Variances Through New Online Portal
July 31, 2020
In a helpful move for employers struggling with the impact of COVID-19 on their business, employers and employees can now jointly apply to the Employment Standards Branch (“ESB”) for a variance to extend a temporary layoff beyond what is currently permitted under the BC Employment Standards Act (the “Act”) through a newly released online portal (the “Portal”).
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COVID-19 Update – New Online Process for Temporary Layoff Variance Applications
July 20, 2020
Today the BC Ministry of Labour announced a new online application for workers and employers applying for a temporary layoff variance. As mentioned in our June 29, 2020 bulletin, the maximum length of a temporary layoff related to COVID-19 was extended to 24 weeks, ending on or before August 30, 2020.
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B.C. Government Proposes Significant Changes to the Workers Compensation Act
July 21, 2020
On July 14, 2020, the Minister of Labour tabled Bill 23, Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act, 2020 which proposed a number of significant changes to the Workers Compensation Act, RSBC 2019, c. 1 (the “Act”). The Act itself was already revised significantly earlier this year in an organizational revision which primarily reorganized the provisions and made minor alterations to wording.
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COVID-19 Update – Proposed Changes to Extend and Expand the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
July 17, 2020
On Friday, July 17, 2020, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced proposed changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) including extending the program to December 19, 2020, and expanding eligibility to employers impacted by COVID-19 who may not have previously qualified for the subsidy.
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