On October 14, 2015, Dayna Steinfeld was a guest lecturer in the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Civil Law Section’s “Introduction to the Study of Law” class. This undergraduate class provides an introduction to the Canadian legal system, beginning with the fundamentals of Canada’s legal framework and the common and civil law traditions, and then surveying the basics of different areas of law. Dayna’s guest lecture focused on contracts in the labour and employment context and how legislation provides a minimum floor of protection for workers.

On November 26, 2015, David Yazbeck will be moderating the Lancaster House conference “Prescriptions for Dealing with Doctors: Getting the information you need”. The session will provide guidance on getting necessary employee medical information while still respecting employee privacy. More information about the conference is available here.

On October 27, 2015, David Yazbeck will be speaking as part of a panel on “Tribunal Trends and an In-Depth Look at the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada” at the Canadian Institute’s 15^th Annual Advanced Administrative Law & Practice conference in Ottawa. David’s panel will focus on how the ATSSC is working nearly one year after the rollout. In particular, the panel will discuss concerns over the impact of the ATSSC on institutional and judicial independence of tribunals, whether there are any proceedings challenging the ATSSC, and practice tips for the ATSSC environment. 

More information about the conference is available here.

On November 7, 2015, Michael Fisher, Amanda Montague-Reinholdt, Dayna Steinfeld and Morgan Rowe participated in the moot court for first-year law students at the University of Ottawa. Our lawyers enjoyed the opportunity to support the moot by serving as judges in the competition and by providing students with feedback and comments. They were impressed by the high level of preparation displayed by all the participants and extend congratulations to the students who advanced to the playoff rounds.

On November 25, 2015, David Yazbeck will be speaking as part of a panel on “Human Rights Violation at the Healthcare Workplace: How to Handle Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination” at the National Healthcare Labour & Employee Relations 2015 conference. The panel will discuss the legal obligations of employers to protect human rights at the workplace, how to conduct a proper investigation of harassment, bullying or discrimination at the workplace, and the union’s role in the protection of human rights at the workplace. David is also a co-chair of the conference.

Dayna Steinfeld has been appointed to the National Board of the Women’s Legal Mentorship Program (“WLMP”). The WLMP is a not-for-profit that works in partnership with Canadian universities to provide a comprehensive feminist legal mentorship program through its university level and WLMP Alumna Chapter. The goal of the WLMP is to help women develop a support system that will help them throughout their legal careers from the classroom to the courtroom and beyond. The program facilitates peer mentorship, student-lawyer mentorship and professional development and leadership events.

On October 29, 2015, Morgan Rowe and Dayna Steinfeld will be presenting a LEAF at Work workshop at the Glebe Collegiate Institute. LEAF at Work is a one-hour workshop for high school students focused on equality rights and issues of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.  

LEAF – the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. LEAF is a Canadian non-profit organization, formed in 1985, that works towards advancing the equality of women and girls in Canada through using the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. LEAF’s work focuses on litigation, law reform efforts and public legal education programs.

On November 12, 2015, Michael Fisher presented on an Artists’ Legal Services Ottawa (“ALSO”) Labour and Employment Law for Artists panel. Michael was joined on the panel by Catherine Mensour, of the Mensour Agency, and Sonia Ndongmo, an Ottawa-based vocalist. The panel discussion focused on how legal obligations related to working relationships can be crucial to defining an artist’s rights and obligations.

On November 18, 2015, Kim Patenaude will be speaking at a Reach Canada Education Seminar on the topic of individual disabilities in the workplace. Kim will provide an overview of invisible disabilities and discuss employee and employer rights and responsibilities with respect to disclosure, the duty to accommodate and discrimination. More information is available here.

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently heard the appeal brought by the Public Service Alliance of Canada challenging the constitutionality of the Expenditure Restraint Act. This legislation was introduced by the Federal Government in 2009 to cap wage increases in future collective agreements and roll-back increases previously agreed to by the parties in existing collective agreements. The appeal is one of three being heard across the country with respect to this legislation.

PSAC was represented by Andrew Raven and Andrew Astritis of our firm.