by Daniel Pugen
McCarthy Tetrault
Biometric hand scanners vs. religious beliefs: What does the law say?

In Canada, employers must accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs to the point of “undue hardship” for the employer. But what if you don’t consider an employee’s religious beliefs “mainstream”?
That doesn’t matter, according to a recent decision by an Ontario labor arbitrator.
Following on [...]

by Daniel Pugen
McCarthy Tetrault
Following its recent re-election in October, the Ontario provincial government led by Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty established a new public holiday called “Family Day.” The holiday falls on the third Monday in February each year. Ontario joins the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in creating a public holiday in February.
Ontario now has [...]

by Daniel Pugen
McCarthy Tetrault

McCarthy Tetrault
Q. When does an employer have an employment contract with its employees?
A. Every employer in Canada has an employment contract, whether written or unwritten, with each of its nonunion employees. Sometimes, only some of the terms are in writing. When necessary, courts will imply reasonable terms in the absence of any express agreement on [...]