2018 In Review: A Look Back At The Top Cases And Key Legislative Changes That Impacted Your Workplace

2018 was a tumultuous year for employers with significant changes to workplace legislation both provincially and federally, the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada, and a number of noteworthy decisions. Throughout the year, CCP has kept you up-to-date on these developments through our Employers Edge blog and our Lawyers for Employers podcast. We are now happy to provide a recap of our top cases and legislative changes of the past year, along with links to our original blogs. Enjoy!

Legislative Changes

Bill 47 - Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018: It was good news for Ontario employers when the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 repealed many of the onerous amendments introduced by Bill 148, including the Personal Emergency Leave reforms, minimum wage increases, and the scheduling provisions set to have come into force on January 1, 2019.Be sure to check out episode 10 of our podcast, Bill 148 & Bill 47: Understanding the Changes to Labour and Employment Law in Ontario. Bill 36 - Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, 2018: Bill 36 is the Ontario legislation that provides direction on who can buy, who can sell and where you can smoke/use cannabis. Employers should also review their obligations under the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017 which establishes new posting requirements. Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015: In March 2016 CCP brought to your attention the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015. This Act was new legislation designed to standardize the process by which police record checks are requested, conducted and obtained in Ontario. The Act received Royal Assent in December 2015 but only came into force on November 1, 2018. Bill C-86 - Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2: Bill C-86 amends the Canada Labour Code and introduces a number of new entitlements for federal employees similar to those enacted provincially by Bill 148. Bill C-65 - An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1: Bill C-65 creates specific obligations for federally regulated employers with respect to preventing and/or addressing workplace harassment and violence. Bill C-81 - Accessible Canada Act: Bill C-81 is intended to reduce the barriers in federal organizations for people with disabilities. Federal employers will be required to, at minimum, create, publish and update an accessibility plan, provide feedback...