Category Archives: News

Andrew Raven will speak at the Lancaster House Ottawa Labour Law Conference, on May 15, 2003, on employers’ responsibilities to accommodate employees’ family responsibilities.

There is a growing understanding that employers, unions and employees must work together to assist workers in maintaining a functional balance between work life and family life. A failure to accommodate an employee’s family care obligations may be found to be discrimination on the part of the employer. It is important for workplaces to have clear policies and processes in place to assess family care issues as they arise and to implement accommodative measures where appropriate.

James Cameron To Speak on “Rights, Responsibilities, and Realities-Employment Law Matters for Government Executives”

On November 8, 2014, James Cameron from Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne & Yazbeck LLP will be speaking before members of the Association of Professional Executive of the Public Service of Canada APEX. James’ presentation on “Rights, Responsibilities, and Realities – Employment Law Matters for Government Executives” will highlight some surprising realities for APEX members.

Government executives may be surprised to learn that as they progress up the hierarchy, their access to basic employment law rights may actually narrow. What employment law rights and responsibilities government executives still possess or may access will be the focal point of this talk. The members will hear about basic legal principles governing demotions, terminations, changes to duties, severance packages, and other topics. Successful negotiation strategies, based on real-life experience with many Government Executives, will be discussed.

David Yazbeck and James Cameron will speak on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a conference organized by REACH Canada at REACH conference

On June 7th, David Yazbeck and James Cameron will speak on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a conference organized by REACH Canada. REACH has offered lawyer referrals and public education for individuals living with disabilities since 1981. Ravenlaw is a long-term, proud supporter of REACH.

For more information, and to register for the conference, please visit the REACH website: http://www.reach.ca/?action=site.show&lid=26&comaction=view&eid=NAXRU-6L6T4-QY6T6

Launch of Alison Dewar Scholarship in Women’s Equality, Labour and Human Rights Law

Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne and Yazbeck LLP is pleased to announce the launch of the Alison Dewar Scholarship in Women’s Equality, Labour and Human Rights Law.

This scholarship was created by the firm in partnership with the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL), in memory of our dear friend and colleague who died on October 17, 2013. The scholarship will be available annually to a female student at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law who demonstrates a commitment to pursuing a career in women’s equality and union-side labour, workers’ rights or human rights law. Alison devoted herself to this work and our firm is excited to support future lawyers who share her passion for these issues.

For more information on the scholarship please visit the University of Ottawa’s scholarship and bursary webpage <https://bourses.uottawa.ca/p/a/13364/> or contact the Financial Aid Administrator at the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Section. The deadline to apply is November 30, 2014.

National Gallery not obliged to bargain minimum payment to artists (Federal Court of Appeal)

A recent decision of the Federal Court of Appeal overturned a decision by the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal. A majority of the court held that the refusal of the National Gallery to discuss minimum compensation to artists did not constitute bad faith bargaining on the part of the Gallery, as the imposition of minimum fees for use of existing works fell within the sphere of copyright, and not within the scope of negotiable terms as defined by the Status of the Artist Act.

The case, found at this link, was argued by David Yazbeck and Wassim Garzouzi of our firm: http://decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/en/2013/2013fca64/2013fca64.html

David Yazbeck appointed to CSA Group Working Group establishing a Whistleblower Guideline in Canada

Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne & Yazbeck is pleased to announce that David Yazbeck has been appointed to a working group established by the CSA Group to develop and publish a whistleblower guideline for Canada. The CSA Group (formerly the Canadian Standards Association) is a world leader in establishing standards in a variety of areas. Recently, CSA Group, together with the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec, established a national standard of Canada in relation to psychological health and safety in the workplace.

David Yazbeck is one of the leading practitioners in the area of whistleblower law. He is one of many experts or interested persons who have been appointed to the CSA Group working group to establish a whistleblower guideline.

Board finds violation of statutory freeze

On April 23, 2013 the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) upheld the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s complaint against the Treasury Board and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The PSLRB found that the Treasury Board and CBSA violated the statutory freeze on terms and conditions of employment by terminating a long-standing practice of granting union officers full-time union leave with pay. This important decision clarifies the law on the statutory freeze period in the federal public sector and establishes the PSLRB’s approach to the issue of the time limits for making statutory freeze complaints. The case was argued by Andrew Raven with assistance from Dayna Steinfeld of Ravenlaw.

Welcome to Writing for Working People!

We are proud to introduce Ravenlaw’s new blog, Writing for Working People! Our firm has over 125 combined years of experience representing employees and unions in all aspects of labour and employment law. We have specialized expertise in a variety of areas, including federal public service employment, wrongful dismissal, human rights, administrative law, judicial review, and disability benefits. This blog is part of a new effort to share the benefit of that expertise with our clients and the community through our new Ravenlaw website. We have also posted the first group in a series of articles providing general legal information on topics in our areas of expertise.

On Writing for Working People, we will be providing regular updates and commentary on issues that impact workers’ rights, including: recent court decisions, changes to labour and employment-related legislation, and other legal and political topics affecting unions and workers across the country. Please check back regularly for the latest posts!

James Cameron and Andrew Astritis present at 2013 Accommodation law Conference