How to decide if a religious belief should be accommodated
Under human rights legislation in all jurisdictions in Canada, employers cannot ignore the religious needs or observances of employees but must work with employees to try to accommodate them. In addition, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of religion and expression…
Ted Kenney
7 minutes read
January 31, 2011
AODA accessibility standards for customer service – Training decisions
Ontario’s Accessibility Standards for Customer Service requires organizations to train staff, volunteers and third parties who deal with the public on your behalf on how to provide customer service to people with disabilities. What are the legal requirements for training?
Suzanne Cohen Share
Slaw: The boundaries’ of the N-word in employment
Can an employer fire a white employee for using the n-word if it lets black employees say it?
Ted Kenney
Gender wage gap is decreasing … but is it decreasing enough?
I just read a Statistics Canada report stating that the gender wage gap has recently been decreasing. The report briefly noted that between 1988 and 2008, the wage gap narrowed throughout the wage distribution. However, the gap shrank the most at the lowest end of the wage distribution, and the gap shrank the least at the upper end. Also, although women dramatically increased their representation in high-wage occupations such as management, there were still significant gender wage gaps within these occupations.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Quebec’s age-based workers’ compensation rule is discriminatory
A Quebec workers’ compensation tribunal has ruled that reducing injured workers’ income replacement benefits at the retirement age of 65 is unconstitutional because it discriminates on the basis of age, contrary to both the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (section 10) and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (section 15).
Ted Kenney
Most organizations still don’t encrypt data when it leaves the office
I recently read a news release by the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner that indicated that there are still high incidences of laptops containing personal information being stolen—without having security measures such as encryption put in place. The commissioner was left scratching his head.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Nova Scotia creation of the ‘Superboard’
As Christina Catenacci recently blogged, my home Province of Nova Scotia has taken steps to create a unified labour board. While the establishment of the Labour Board itself has not been the subject of much debate, the Bill that introduced it did create some controversy as it also introduced changes to our Trade Union Act.
Andrew Taillon
Employer performed unauthorized credit checks on employees
I recently read an investigation report from the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, where an employer made a big mistake and ended up violating the privacy of at least 25 employees.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Improving web accessibility – our own!
Customers demand more of businesses in so many ways these days—better quality and safety, greater social and environmental responsibility, extra service, and accessibility. The law increases its demands frequently, too. Even our governments and public service providers have a hard time keeping up with the legal requirements! Making improvements in all of these areas can challenge an organization, but only accessibility offers the advantage of access to a market of unrealized potential.
Adam Gorley
