Resources

  • Establishing Undue Hardship Is Possible: Wilcox v. University of British Columbia and others, 2014 BCHRT 228

    December 2014

    by Jennifer Devins

    A recent decision of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, Wilcox v. University of British Columbia and others, 2014 BCHRT 228, demonstrates that undue hardship is not an impossible threshold to meet, even for a large and diverse employer such as a university.

    Read More +

  • Do You Speak My Language? Language Proficiency as a Potentially Unforeseen Human Rights Risk

    December 2014

    by Gavin Marshall

    Many employers which have business operations that require a high and proficient level of communication struggle with the English language abilities of their employees.

    Read More +

  • Expensive Secret Telling: When Damages May Be Available for Breach of a Confidentiality Clause in a Settlement Agreement

    November 2014

    by Sandra Guarascio

    Employers often enter into settlements in order to avoid litigation. Sometimes, the confidentiality of the settlement is crucially important to the employer. While simple confidentiality clauses are often included in settlement terms and coupled with enforcement mechanisms (what happens if a breach occurs), it is uncommon to see cases that address..

    Read More +

  • Non-Competition Provision Results in Increased Notice Period

    November 2014

    by James D. Kondopulos

    In the recent case of Ostrow v. Abacus Management Corporation Mergers and Acquisitions, 2014 BCSC 938, the B.C. Supreme Court followed an approach taken in a small handful of cases (predominantly out of Ontario but including an appellate case out of B.C.) and confirmed….

    Read More +

  • Equal, not Better, Treatment: Accommodating Employees with Disabilities

    November 2014

    by Michael R. Kilgallin

    In Jardine v. Costco Wholesale Canada, 2014 BCHRT 214, the employer was able to accommodate an employee, while holding its ground on certain requests from the employee.

     

     

    Read More +

  • B.C. Employers Need a “Reasonable Basis” to Conduct Employee Surveillance: Unifor, Local 433 v. Crown Packaging Ltd. (Giesbrecht Grievance), 2014 B.C.C.A.A.A. No. 43 (Dorsey)

    November 2014

    by Danielle Scorda

    Unifor, Local 433 v. Crown Packaging Ltd. (Giesbrecht Grievance), [2014] B.C.C.A.A.A. No. 43 (Dorsey) is a recent arbitral decision considering the admissibility of surveillance evidence in British Columbia.

    Read More +

  • “To Assume is to Accept as Truth Without Checking”: The Cost of Paying Lip Service to Respectful Workplace Policies

    November 2014

    by Jennifer Hogan

    In Boucher v. Wal-Mart Canada Corp., 2014 ONCA 419, Wal-Mart paid a high price for failing to properly investigate an employee’s complaint.

    Read More +

  • Disabled Employee Entitled to Equal Treatment, Not Better Treatment

    October 2014

    by Michael R. Kilgallin

    A recent case from the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal addressed the protections afforded to an employee who could no longer work at a full-time level on account of her disability. In particular, the issues of guaranteed hours of work and the right to full-time benefits were canvassed.

     

    Read More +

  • Be Thorough, Thoughtful and Careful in the Accommodation Process: Rajigadu v. University of British Columbia (No. 3), 2014 BCHRT 157 (McCreary)

    October 2014

    by Gabrielle Scorer

    Ron Rajigadu was employed as an electrician at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, alleging that UBC discriminated against him on the basis of physical and mental disability by failing to accommodate him and terminating his employment.

     

    Read More +

  • Handle with Care – Non-Competition Provision Results in Increased Notice Period

    September 2014

    by James D. Kondopulos

    Before incorporating a non-competition provision into an employee’s contract of employment or reminding a departing employee that a non-competition provision precludes the employee from competing and will be enforced against him or her, employers should carefully consider the value of proceeding in such a fashion and all of the ramifications.

     

    Read More +

  • ' '