Resources
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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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Refusal of Unsafe Work: Lessons Learned From SARS
July 6, 2020
As British Columbia moves from Phase 2 into Phase 3 of its Restart Plan, employees will increasingly be asked to return to work and resume work as before – subject of course to the requirements and recommendations of the government, public health authorities and WorkSafeBC.
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COVID-19 Update – Recap for the Week of June 22, 2020
June 29, 2020
On June 24, 2020, Premier John Horgan announced that B.C. had entered Phase 3 of the four-phase Restart Plan. Additionally, last week both the Federal and British Columbia Provincial governments announced extensions to the time period for temporary layoffs.
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COVID-19 Update – Recap for the Week of June 15, 2020
June 19, 2020
The June 19, 2020, weekly recap of the key COVID-19 news for B.C. employers includes information and updates on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, temporary layoffs under the British Columbia Employment Standards Act, and the B.C. Recovery Plan.
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B.C. Human Rights Tribunal Reaffirms Requirements of Campbell River Test in Recent Family Status Discrimination Case
June 17, 2020
In Ziegler v. Pacific Blue Cross (No. 2), 2020 BCHRT 125, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal dismissed a complaint made by a former employee claiming the employer had failed to accommodate her childcare needs. The case represents one of the first instances of the Tribunal applying the “Campbell River test” for discrimination in employment on the basis of family status following the confirmation of that test in Envirocon Environmental Services, ULC v. Suen, 2019 BCCA 46.
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COVID-19 Update – June 17, 2020 – Privacy + FOI Bulletin
June 17, 2020
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the British Columbia Ministry of Citizen Services has announced that it is extending the ministerial order overriding the data localization requirements of FIPPA until December 31, 2020.
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