COVID-19 Information Hub

Sick Leave and Leaves of Absence

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Ontario Government Creates Process for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to Collect Overpayments for Infectious Disease Emergency Leave

As discussed in a previous Focus Alert, employees needing to take leave for specified reasons relating to COVID-19 may be…

Paid Statutory Leave for COVID-19 Absences: Update on Entitlement and the Reimbursement Process

On April 29, 2021, the COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, 2021 was enacted into law. The practical impact of this…

Arbitrator Confirms Health Care Employers’ Rights in Respect of Infectious Disease Emergency Leave

In a recent dispute between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (the “Union”) and Windsor Regional Hospital (the “Hospital”), a…

Ontario passes legislation to provide paid leave for COVID-19 absences

After mounting public pressure and a whirlwind legislative session, the Ontario government passed legislation to amend the Employment Standards Act…

Government Extends COVID-19 Leave Available Under the Canada Labour Code by up to 8 Weeks

In a previous Focus Alert, we discussed the creation and implementation of the temporary new “Leave Related to COVID-19” (or…

Arbitrator finds full-time employees are only entitled to paid sick leave if they are symptomatic or tested positive for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our workplaces, many unionized employers may have been questioning whether employees who are…

COVID-19 Emergency Response Act Receives Royal Assent

On March 25, 2020, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act (Bill C-13) received Royal Assent. The legislation outlines broad amendments and…

Ontario expands ESA job-protected leaves for COVID-19

On March 19, 2020, the Ontario Legislature met in an emergency session and passed Bill 186 – the Employment Standards…

Planning for COVID-19 in the workplace – obligations and considerations for employers

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan City, China in late 2019. Initially known as “2019 Novel Coronavirus,” the first case…