RavenLaw Partnering with MESH Ottawa for Presentation on Disability Insurance Issues

On May 12, 2015,  RavenLaw lawyers Raphaëlle Laframboise-Carignan, Morgan Rowe and Dayna Steinfeld will be participating in a panel discussion on disability insurance issues as part of an International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Fibromyalgia (ME/FM) Awareness Day event hosted by MESH Ottawa. Topics of discussion will include the duty to accommodate, Canada Pension Plan Disability, and short-term and long-term disability benefits. The panel will also feature Margaret Parlor, President of the National... Read More

Arbitrator finds Hospital Sick Leave Policy Discriminatory

In a recent arbitration decision, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Local 464 v Ottawa Hospital, Arbitrator Mary Ellen Cummings found that the Ottawa Hospital’s application of its short-term sick leave benefits discriminated against employees with chronic disabilities, contrary to the Human Rights Code. The collective agreement language at issue in the case is common throughout most of the hospital sector in Ontario, and this decision sets an important precedent for... Read More

David Yazbeck Speaking on Whistleblowers

On May 13, David Yazbeck will be speaking at the Lancaster House Halifax Human Rights and Labour Law Conference.  David is participating in a panel called “Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Dealing with whistleblowers in the modern workplace”.  The panel will examine whistleblower legislation, discuss human rights protections, and explore the issue of reprisals. Read More

Andrew Astritis presents to Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights

Andrew Astritis recently spoke at a conference hosted by the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights that examined three recent decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada on the issues of labour rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Andrew’s presentation addressed the implications of the Court’s decision in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v Saskatchewan on essential services legislation. The conference was organized in conjunction with the Canadian Labour... Read More

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Issues Important Decision on Human Rights Remedies

On May 7, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued an important decision granting over $310,000 in remedies for discriminatory practices engaged in by the Canada Border Services Agency in violation of sections 7 and 10 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. In an earlier decision, the Tribunal found that the complainant, Levan Turner, was discriminated against by CBSA on the basis of his race, colour, and perceived disability of obesity.... Read More

RavenLaw Lawyers Participate in University of Ottawa Labour Arbitration Course

This month, Andrew Astritis and Wassim Garzouzi participated in an upper-year labour arbitration course at the University of Ottawa Law School. Andrew and Wassim enjoyed serving as panelists for the year-end labour arbitration moot and providing students with comments and feedback on their presentations. Read More

Lessons from Turpin on reasonable expectations in health insurance

RavenLaw gratefully acknowledges the contribution to this blog by Taylor Akin, Student-At-Law By now, many of us have heard of Jennifer Huculak-Kimmel, the Canadian mother who was billed $950,000 when she unexpectedly gave birth while on vacation in Hawaii. Her baby was delivered nine weeks early by emergency C-section and had to be hospitalized for two months. Prior to leaving for vacation, Huculak-Kimmel had purchased travel insurance with Blue Cross... Read More

Federal Court of Appeal Overhauls Unjust Dismissal Law under the Canada Labour Code

The Federal Court of Appeal recently issued a decision overhauling the state of federal employment law. In Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, 2015 FCA 17, the Court  rejected the generally accepted approach to unjust dismissal complaints under the Canada Labour Code (“Code”), which applies to workers who are employed in federally regulated industries. The decision in Wilson has profound implications for non-unionized federally regulated employees. Mr. Wilson is... Read More

Morgan Rowe Book Launch a Resounding Success

On May 14, 2015, Morgan Rowe and University of Ottawa Professor Ravi Malhotra celebrated the launch of the paperback version of their book, Exploring Disability Identity and Disability Rights through Narratives: Finding a Voice of Their Own. The event was a resounding success, with the first order of the book selling out before the end of the event. Morgan would like to thank everyone who came out and contributed to... Read More

Morgan Rowe Launches New Edition of her Book

Morgan Rowe will be celebrating the paperback launch of her book, Exploring Disability Identity and Disability Rights through Narratives: Finding a Voice of Their Own, on May 14, 2015. The book explores the relationship between disability, human rights, and personal identity in the lives of Canadians with disabilities. The book launch is being hosted by Octopus Books. More details about the event can be found here.   Read More