Taylor Akin joins the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre’s Board of Directors

On February 19th, 2015, RavenLaw Articling student, Taylor Akin, joined the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre’s Board of Directors. The ORCC provides support and counseling to women who are survivors of sexual violence. Taylor has been interested in violence against women initiatives since her undergraduate degree and had the opportunity to take classes on gender-based violence in law school. After a year of volunteering with the ORCC, Taylor is very pleased... Read More

Confidentiality Agreements – Lessons from Jan Wong

Oftentimes, employees will chafe when they are asked to sign confidentiality agreements limiting their ability to talk about a settlement reached regarding the termination of their employment. Many employees feel (perhaps rightly) that doing so allows the employer to avoid a public shaming for its behavior.  In the end, most employers insist upon confidentiality as one of the terms of the settlement, and they regularly include recourse for themselves if... Read More

RavenLaw continues its support for the Workers’ History Museum

For a number of years, Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne & Yazbeck has been an institutional member of the Board of Directors of the Workers’ History Museum. The museum held its annual general meeting on February 23, 2015 and the firm, through one of our partners, David Yazbeck, was confirmed as a Board Member again. In addition to supporting the museum as a Board Member, David has been granted the title of... Read More

Court confirms that employers bear the onus to prove just cause for termination

It has long been established in labour arbitration jurisprudence that, when presented with a grievance concerning discipline, the employer bears the onus of demonstrating just cause for that discipline. In order to determine whether there is just cause for termination or another disciplinary sanction, Arbitration Boards will consider several factors which include, not only the factual circumstances, but also any aggravating and mitigating factors. Recently, an Arbitration Board in Nova... Read More

“Manager” should be “narrowly construed”: CLC Adjudicator

On January 30, 2015, Adjudicator François Bastien, appointed pursuant to the Canada Labour Code, issued an important decision impacting all employees with supervisory duties working in federally regulated sectors. Generally, employees who are unjustly dismissed can bring a complaint and have their grievance heard by an adjudicator appointed under the Canada Labour Code. Managers cannot avail themselves of this process. In Timiskaming First Nation, the Employer brought a preliminary objection... Read More

Court Overturns Arbitrator’s Award on Vacation Credits

In a recent decision, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia quashed an arbitrator’s decision concerning employees’ entitlement to vacation leave in the collective agreement between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (“PSAC”) and Sydney Airport Authority. At issue before the arbitrator was whether the agreement provided that employees on ‘sick leave with pay’ continued to accrue vacation credits. The arbitrator found they did not. PSAC challenged this decision and the... Read More

RavenLaw writes guest blog post on Supreme Court’s Right to Strike decision

On February 10, 2015, Andrew Raven and Andrew Astritis wrote a guest blog post for the Broadbent Institute on the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision confirming the right to strike in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v Saskatchewan. The blog post, available here, provides a summary of the Court’s decision and its broader implications for the labour movement. Read More

David Yazbeck Participates in CIRB Consultation Committee

This week, David Yazbeck is participating in the Canada Industrial Relations Board (“CIRB”) Consultation Committee as the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers (“CALL”) nominee. The Consultation Committee is an ongoing dialogue and consultation process between the CIRB and the labour community, established for the purpose of canvassing labour and management sides with respect to their expectations regarding industrial relations issues that concern them. The Consultation Committee includes members from CALL,... Read More

Wassim Garzouzi Presents on Family Status

On February 13, 2015, Wassim Garzouzi spoke at the Network of Persons with Disabilities, organised by Reach Canada on the topic of “Duty to accommodate: Family Status.” The bilingual event was attended by over 250 participants from across the country. Reach Canada has offered lawyer referrals and public education for individuals living with disabilities since 1981. Our firm is a long-term, proud supporter of REACH and its mission to improve the... Read More

RavenLaw Congratulates CARFAC/RAAV Members on First Labour Agreement!

On February 23 and 24, 2015, artists across Canada overwhelmingly voted to ratify Canada’s first scale agreement for visual artists at the National Gallery of Canada. As the Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC), explains Major gains have been advanced for artists through this agreement, which sets out mandatory minimum fees and working conditions offered to artists by the gallery. Artists remain free to negotiate above these minimums,... Read More