01May 24
The Perils of Bias in Workplace GenAI
In the rapidly evolving landscape of tech, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is becoming a central player, especially in sectors like customer service, content creation, and…
Free webinar: Barriers & Biases – Supporting Women Leaders
May 11, 2022
In this webinar, SpringLaw’s Lisa Stam and Danielle Murray will discuss how you can support women leaders in the workplace, common challenges women leaders face, and how employers can ensure equitable exits if needed.
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Time: 10:30-11:00 am EST
Register today: Click here!
Before you take off your mask: masking still required in certain Ontario settings
April 27, 2022
On April 22, 2022, the Ontario government announced that provincial masking requirements, which were set to expire on April 27, 2022, are being extended in certain higher-risk indoor settings until 12:00 a.m. on June 11, 2022. The extended measures have been made in an attempt to manage the sixth wave of COVID-19.
These higher-risk settings include:
- public transit;
- health care settings (e.g., hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics that provide health care services, laboratories, specimen collection centres, and home and community care);
- long-term care homes;
- retirement homes; and
- shelters and other congregate care settings that provide care and services to medically and socially vulnerable individuals.
The End of COVID-19 Regulations
April 20, 2022
Photo by Tai’s Captures on Unsplash
Throughout the course of this COVID-19 pandemic, we have undergone several cycles of announcements, implementations, and revocations of COVID-19-related regulations. On April 14, 2022, Ontario filed yet another regulation – O. Reg. 346/22: Revoking Various Regulations (this “Regulation”) under Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. In the nutshell, this Regulation revokes every single remaining COVID-19-related regulation in the province.
What Are Some Examples of Rules and Restrictions Being Lifted?
A major regulation being revoked is Regulation 364/20: Rules For Areas at Step 3 and at the Roadmap Exit Step, which requires that businesses must operate in accordance with any advice and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, including with respect to physical distancing, cleaning or disinfecting; establishing, implementing and ensuring compliance with a COVID-19 vaccination policy; and setting out the precautions and procedures that businesses must include in their COVID-19 vaccination policies. In addition, masks and face coverings are no longer required on public transit services, in hospitals, in long-term care homes, laboratories and specimen collection centers, homeless shelters, and congregate care supportive housing residences, among others.
Working for Workers Act 2 Passes in the Ontario Legislature: What Employers Who Aren’t Uber Need to Know to Comply
April 14, 2022
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
In March, we blogged about Bill 88 or the Working for Workers Act (part 2) (the Act). You can read that post here. On April 11, 2022, the Act received Royal Assent, making it now law. Most significant to employers, who are not Uber etc., are the changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The Act has attracted the most attention for the creation of the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022, which will have big implications for digital platform workers and “employers” like Uber and Skip the Dishes, however, the Act impacts non-digital platform employers too.
Here’s the rundown of what’s new in the ESA and the OHSA.
SpringLaw’s new firm partners: Hilary, Marnie and Jessyca!
April 7, 2022
To celebrate our 5th Anniversary, we’re very excited to announce our new SpringLaw Partners: Hilary Page, Marnie Baizley and Jessyca Greenwood!
I am so proud to stand beside these three exceptional women as partners. Our firm is better with Hilary, Marnie and Jessyca at the leadership table providing their wisdom, intelligence, ideas, mentoring and guidance on growth and better client services.
I wrote this post from the heart with a ton of gratitude. I’m a very lucky person to work with these three amazing, kind, badass lawyers who I can now call my partners. They guide me, ground me and inspire me every day.
Can Employees Record Work Meetings?
April 6, 2022
Photo by Craig Pattenaude on Unsplash
With the rise of remote working in the past couple of years, virtual work meetings, whether over video or phone call, have become a common occurrence. With that comes the issue of recording work calls. In this post, we address the possible risks involved when an employee records work meetings, either surreptitiously or with consent.
Can an employee legally record a work call?
It is technically legal in Canada for an employee to record a conversation they are a part of, and the employee does not attract criminal liability if they do so surreptitiously, as long as they were a part of the call. However, Courts across Canada have found that surreptitious recording can justify termination for cause.
