RavenLaw Hosts Conference on Mental Health During COVID

On March 4, 2022, James Cameron, Kim Patenaude, and Raphaelle Laframboise-Carignan hosted a virtual conference on “Mental Health in the Time of COVID: Fostering Wellness for Yourself and Your Clients.”The conference started off with an interactive webinar by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Our lawyers then discussed the unique details of making and dealing with disability accommodation requests and long-term disability benefits applications during COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

Is My Non-Complete Clause Void?

By Simcha Walfish In Fall 2021, the Government of Ontario introduced the Working for Workers Act, which included a new prohibition on non-compete clauses. The Minister of Labour provided the following rationale:  While these agreements are almost never legally enforceable, employers often use them to intimidate their workers. These agreements generally say that a worker can’t seek opportunities at other companies in the same field for a period of time... Read More

No Free Work

RavenLaw supports liveable wages for all employees, including articling students. As employees, articling students are entitled to compensation for the valuable work they perform in law firms, organizations, and public employers across Ontario. We have written to the LSO Benchers to express our firm’s position that articling students should be provided with a liveable wage for their work and, in the alternative, no less than the bare minimum pay outlined... Read More

Raphaëlle Laframboise-Carignan to Present on Accommodation and Disability Benefits

On March 22, 2022, Raphaëlle Laframboise-Carignan will present as part of a speakers’ night series being held by Mood Disorders Ottawa. Raphaëlle will be discussing workplace accommodations, long-term disability (LTD) benefits, and other disability benefits available when a person cannot work due to injury or illness. For more information on this upcoming presentation, please visit the event website. Read More

Dayna Steinfeld Interviewed on Ableism in the Legal Profession

Dayna Steinfeld gave a feature interview to the Law Society of Manitoba’s Equity Officer on ableism and disability discrimination in the legal profession for the December issue of the Communiqué newsletter. Focusing on human rights in hiring and in practice in the legal profession, Dayna answered common questions that arise for lawyers as employers and employees. Dayna’s interview is available here. Read More

Manitoba Employment Standards Code – What You Need to Know

By Dayna Steinfeld In Manitoba, The Employment Standards Code (“ESC”) establishes basic and minimum rights and standards for provincial employees. Where the ESC applies to a worker’s job, these rights and standards are mandatory. This kind of legislation is not unique to Manitoba. Employment standards statutes are found in every province and in the federal jurisdiction, and there are many general similarities between the Manitoba ESC and legislation in other... Read More

Is My Termination Clause Invalid? Conflicting Case Law In The Ontario Courts

Recent decisions in the Ontario courts have created uncertainty for Ontario workers as to whether the termination clauses in their contracts are valid or not. Many employment contracts contain a sentence that reads something like this: c) Termination by the Company for Just Cause – The Company has the right, at any time and without notice, to terminate your employment under this Agreement for just cause. Under this provision, if... Read More

Ontario Announces Legislation for More Workplace Policies

Wassim Garzouzi speaks to Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan on the Ontario Government’s proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act, specifically as they relate to the right to disconnect. [audio mp3="https://ravenlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/raven-law-mp3.mp3"][/audio] Read More

Ontario Government Proposes to Ban Noncompete Clauses

Wassim Garzouzi was interviewed by the Toronto Star on the Ontario Government’s proposed ban on noncompete clauses in employment contracts. Check out what he said here! Read More

Courts differ on whether to deduct CERB benefits from wrongful dismissal damages

By Raven Law [The firm gratefully recognizes the contribution of this post by articling student Anna Rotman] The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was introduced in part to support individuals who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Millions of workers across Canada who were out of work at some point during the pandemic have received CERB payments. Some of those workers may have made claims of wrongful dismissal against... Read More