Recognizing invisible disabilities during Mental Illness Awareness Week

By: James Cameron and Morgan Rowe “You look fine!” “It’s all in your head.” For individuals with invisible disabilities, comments like these are a fundamental reality. As Pain Awareness Month draws to a close and we look ahead to the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness Week on October 2, it is important to take time to recognize the specific societal and attitudinal barriers that individuals with invisible disabilities experience in... Read More

Arbitrator Confirms that Cancellation of Shifts Constitutes a Layoff

In a recent arbitral award, Arbitrator Goodfellow confirmed that the cancellation of two full-time employee’s shifts during temporary slowdowns constituted a layoff within the meaning of the collective agreement. The Arbitrator agreed with the Union, CUPE, Local 139, that the cancellation of shifts was a layoff because it involved a reduction in a full-time employee’s hours of work below the permissible level in the collective agreement. Under this award, the... Read More

Morgan Rowe Interviewed on CBC Radio

On April 1, 2016, Morgan Rowe spoke to CBC Radio about a recent decision by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario that accepted that miscarriage is a disability. In its decision, rendered on March 14, 2016, the Tribunal rejected an employer’s request to have a Human Rights Code complaint dismissed on the basis that the employee had failed to establish the existence of a disability. Morgan represented the employee in... Read More

Adjudicator Confirms that Termination not an Appropriate Sanction for Long Service Employees who Committed Single, Unplanned Infraction

On August 21, 2015, an Adjudicator of the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board reinstated two long service Parks Canada employees who were terminated for entering a restricted area at a National Park site and swimming in an underground cave pool that contained an endangered species of snail. While Adjudicator Gobeil was satisfied that the grievors had entered the premises knowing that they should not have and swam in... Read More

Andrew Astritis to Speak at Council for Canadians with Disabilities Panel Presentation

Andrew Astritis will be speaking at a Council for Canadians with Disabilities (“CCD”) program entitled “Providing Accessible and Quality Legal Services to Clients with Disabilities” on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Gillespie’s Court Reporting at 1300 Slater Street, Ottawa. CCD is a national human rights organization of people with disabilities working for an inclusive and accessible Canada. Tickets for the program are available here. For more information, please contact vmena085@uottawa.ca... Read More

Celine Girouard to Represent Canada at the World Dodgeball Championships

Celine Girouard, a Paralegal at RavenLaw, will be playing for Team Canada at the World Dodgeball championships. Celine and the rest of Team Canada will be travelling to Melbourne this summer for the competition. Congratulations Celine and best of luck to Team Canada!   Read More

Applying for the Disability Tax Credit

[This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, which cannot be given without consideration of your individual circumstances.] What is the Disability Tax Credit? The Disability Tax Credit is a non-refundable, transferable tax credit used to reduce income tax payable on your annual income tax return. When you qualify for the Disability Tax Credit, you become entitled to a “disability amount”, which is to be... Read More

RAVENLAW SUPPORTS THE 17TH ANNUAL LAWYER PLAY FUNDRAISER

RavenLaw is proud to sponsor the 17th Annual County of Carleton Law Association/ Great Canadian Theatre Company Lawyer Play. The annual fundraiser supports the operations of Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) and benefits a charity partner, which this year was Salus, an Ottawa charity that provides life changing housing and support services to people living with serious mental illness. Over the last 16 years, the Lawyer Play fundraiser has raised... Read More

Applying for a Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit

[This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, which cannot be given without consideration of your individual circumstances.] The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit is a taxable monthly payment that is available to people who have contributed to the CPP while working and who are not able to work regularly at any job because of a disability. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Canada Pension Plan... Read More

Potential violation of ESA enough to void termination provision

In Garreton v Complete Innovations Inc., 2016 ONSC 1178, a decision released earlier this year, the Ontario Divisional Court found that a termination provision in an employment contract was void because it would have violated the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) if the employee had worked for the employer for more than five years. The Court held that the employer could not rely on the provision, even though in fact the... Read More