Your LTD benefit has been denied, what’s next?

You are disabled and cannot work.  Your workplace provides Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage as part of your health benefits package.  If you are unable to work for health reasons, the LTD insurance benefits coverage should provide you with income protection while you are unable to work for reasons related to your illness or disability.  You apply for LTD benefits but the insurance company denies your claim.  What can you... Read More

Employer Must Reimburse Employee Relocation Expenses, Board Rules

An employer must reimburse employee relocation expenses if it does not have specific evidence that it could have staffed a vacant position through other means, according to a recent Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board decision. The decision dealt with two grievances filed by Border Services Officers with the Canada Border Services Agency. Both employees had requested to move to a new city in order to fill a... Read More

Ontario’s New Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Regulations

On May 29, 2020, Ontario made new regulations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to address the legal effects of widespread layoffs. These layoffs arose both from employers having a lack of business and the need of many to take time off work due either to the direct or downstream effects of COVID-19 and the measures taken to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 already... Read More

Unions and Coronavirus: Protecting Worker Rights in an Outbreak

Unions and coronavirus. Some may wonder what the connection could be between these two words. The connection is not so strange as you might think. Unions have worked for a century or more to improve terms and conditions of employment. That has included championing sick and disability leave benefits. When quarantine was a more common practice, unions negotiated pay maintenance provisions for people who were quarantined. Unions themselves are also... Read More

The Show Must Go On; Hearings Are No Different – Arbitrations in the Time of COVID-19

What do you do when your arbitration is coming up but no one can meet face to face? The answer, for a number of arbitrators, is that you find another way to hold the hearing. There are many reasons a party may not want to go ahead with a hearing.  In some cases, a party can ask to postpone the date. Examples include the illness of a representative or of... Read More

Can I be laid off because of the Coronavirus pandemic?

With the COVID-19 outbreak, circumstances are changing by the hour. These are unsettling times and there is uncertainty for employees, employers and unions alike. What is important is that all have to be committed to the health, safety, and well-being of both workers and management. Many workplaces are issuing a work from home policy to avoid the spread of COVID-19. You may be able to continue to perform work through... Read More

Can an employee refuse to work because they are afraid of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace?

Employees have the right to work in a healthy and safe workplace and, as such, employers have the obligation to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of employees.  If an employee has reason to believe that there is a dangerous condition in the workplace or that their duties are likely to present a danger to their health and safety or the health and safety of their... Read More

RavenLaw is proud to welcome Sean McGee and Alison McEwen

RavenLaw is proud to welcome two new lawyers to our team: Sean McGee and Alison McEwen. Sean practises in the areas of Labour Law, Employment Law, and Litigation. He represents unions across Canada, with a focus on Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, and Toronto. For more information about Sean, visit: https://ravenlaw.com/people/sean-mcgee. Alison practices in the areas of Labour Law, Employment Law, and Litigation. She also represents unions across Canada, with a focus... Read More

Labour Adjudicator Rules Cohabitation Not Required for Spousal Relocation Leave

A couple can be living in a conjugal relationship even if they are living in different cities, according to a recent Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board decision. The Board found that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration was wrong to deny an Ottawa-based employee’s request for spousal relocation leave to join his partner in Vancouver, because the couple had not lived under the same roof for at... Read More

Holiday Hours

Ravenlaw Holiday Hours Please note our office will be closed from December 23, 2019 until January 1, 2020. We will reopen for regular business hours on Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 8:30 am. Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. Read More