Remembrance Day public holiday, poppy and pandemic issues
Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, November 11 in 2020. Although Remembrance Day was declared a legal holiday like Canada Day and Victoria Day under the federal Holidays Act on March 1, 2018, provinces and territories determine which days are public holidays in their regions. Therefore, Remembrance Day is not a public holiday in all Canadian jurisdictions.
Ted Kenney
9 minutes read
November 10, 2020 
Thanksgiving Day in Canada: Monday, October 12
In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October every year. This year, Thanksgiving Day is Monday, October 12.
Ted Kenney
(Another) Pit-fall warning for fixed-term employment agreements
In Makela v. Horizon School Division No 67, 2019 ABQB 974, Master J.T. Prowse of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench dismissed an employee’s claim for wrongful dismissal arising out of a fixed-term employment agreement. While this case ultimately had a happy ending for the employer, Makela provides a warning for yet another potential pit-fall of fixed-term employment agreements.
Occasional Contributors
Good Friday, Easter and Passover in 2020
Good Friday and Easter Sunday coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover in 2020. Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the sun; rather, their dates are determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. It has come to be the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March, but calculations vary in East and West.
Ted Kenney
Topping up employee pay during temporary layoffs using a Supplementary Unemployment Benefit Plan (SUB Plan) (Canada)
Recently, more employers have begun to consider using Supplementary Unemployment Benefit Plans (SUB Plans) to provide financial assistance to their employees during a period of layoff due to temporary stoppage of work, training, or illness, injury or quarantine.
Occasional Contributors
Non-consensual sharing of intimate images grounds for summary dismissal
Can sharing intimate photos of one your coworkers with your friends result in the summary dismissal of your employment for cause?
Sean Bawden
The holiday party and workplace policies
The holiday season is fast approaching and organizations are planning their annual Christmas or holiday parties. The increased recognition that alcohol consumption at organization-sponsored events creates significant legal liability has had an impact on that traditional institution. And now, with the legalization of cannabis and the #metoo movement, added legal liabilities come into play.
Ted Kenney
How an external investigation actually saved money for an employer
A recent Human Rights Tribunal decision demonstrates that the short-term financial costs of an external investigation might also be balanced out by long-term financial savings.
Rubin Thomlinson LLP
Thanksgiving Day in Canada: Monday, October 14
In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October every year. This year, Thanksgiving Day is Monday, October 14.
Ted Kenney