Van Kralingen & Keenberg LLP
43 Front St E # 400 M5E 1B3 Toronto, ON, Canada

FOR EMPLOYERS: Temporary extension of Lay-Off periods for employees subject to Canada Labour Code. https://www.canada.ca//empl/news/2020/06/backgrounder.html

Happy Anniversary V|K! Three years down, many more to go!

FOR EMPLOYERS: A new decision from Ontario's Court of Appeal purports to void the vast majority of termination clauses in Ontario Please contact us to understand the going-forward impact on your employment agreements. Do NOT issue new employment agreements without legal advice.

V|K is pleased to announce that Megan Keenberg has been appointed to The Advocates' Society's 10+ Standing Committee for the upcoming term.

FOR EMPLOYERS: The Ontario government has just passed a regulation which appears to avoid COVID-19 related temporary layoffs from automatically converting into a termination under the ESA, nor does it deem lessening of hours/wages during the pandemic to be a constructive dismissal for the purposes of the statute. In both cases, it becomes a protected leave. Important for employers and their counsel to review. https://t.co/l2N31Snjf7?amp=1

Earlier this evening, Alex Van Kralingen was interviewed on the National, discussing the awful report from the Canadian military on its observations of LTC homes in Ontario, and immediate improvements that can be made to the LTC system.

We have had an opportunity to review the military's report on its time in Long-Term Care homes, and are appalled by what we've read. It is a breach of the Long-Term Care Homes Act, and possibly also the Criminal Code. When we represented victims at the Long-Term Care Inquiry, we wrote about the attitudes in these homes, and how there was a culture of complacency regarding the poor level of care being given to our seniors: "...From listening to the testimony at the public hea...rings, all of this under-resourcing and failure to abide by the mandatory regulations of the Long-Term Care Homes Act seems to be casually accepted by those who provide front-line care, those who manage long-term care facilities, and those who regulate the providers and the nurses who work in them." Governments in all provinces have the ability to start introducing policy changes, now.

FOR EMPLOYERS: in the coming weeks, temporary lay-offs pursuant to Ontario's Employment Standards Act will start to convert into statutory terminations. It’s important to engage with your employment law counsel to start planning appropriately.

Our fearless leader, Megan Keenberg, interviewed for the #WomenLeadingInLaw series. https://www.cowlinglegal.com//women-leading-in-law-megan-k

FOR EMPLOYEES & INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS: How to apply for EI and COVID-19 emergency benefits. https://www.cbc.ca//can/apply-emergency-benefits-1.5501977

FOR EMPLOYERS: Given the current COVID-19 situation, many employers are considering using temporary layoffs under Ontario's Employment Standards Act. Employers should know that a layoff pursuant to the ESA may constitute dismissal at common law. There could be larger consequences down the road. Get advice before laying off any workers.

At V|K, we are fortunate to have systems in place that allow us to provide seamless legal services to our clients while still implementing responsible precautions during the current COVID-19 outbreak. To that end, all our lawyers and staff will be working remotely but available by email and teleconference as usual. For the duration of this crisis we will be accepting service of documents in digital form by email, addressed to the responsible lawyer’s email address, with reply confirmations given in a timely fashion. All in-person meetings and acceptance of hard copy documents will be suspended until further notice.

The ultimate in law firm branding #matchingmanicure #vklaw