COVID-19 Developments and Legal Updates
We are committed to providing you with the latest COVID-19 regulatory initiatives and government programs, and how these developments can impact you and your business. Our real-time updates in areas such as business, labour & employment, litigation and tax, offer valuable legal insights and summaries that will help inform what you need to do for business continuity, to protect your employees, to meet your contractual and regulatory obligations, and to re-open with the ease of government restrictions.
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Chad Sullivan and Clarence Bennett As many employers resume operations during the ongoing pandemic, we have prepared a list of FAQs and a reopening checklist for businesses operating in Atlantic Canada. Do employers need to have a written plan for reopening? Some provinces have made it mandatory to develop a COVID-19 operational plan before reopening.…
Read MoreRuth Trask On a typical, “normal” day in many Canadian households, adults leave home to go to work, and kids attend school or perhaps daycare. As we keep hearing, though, these are far from “normal” times. StatsCan reports that some five million Canadians worked from home during April, including 3.3 million who did not work…
Read MoreClarence Bennett and Chad Sullivan The May 8, 2020 announcement On Friday, May 8, 2020, the New Brunswick Government made a significant announcement that the province was moving into the second phase of NB’s four phase economic recovery plan – the “Orange Alert Phase” – permitting the reopening of several businesses. With this announcement came…
Read MoreMurray Murphy, QC, CPHR, and Charlotte Jenkins Mental health impacts of COVID-19 The mental health impacts of COVID-19 have been, and will continue to be significant and wide-spread around the world. Individuals are continuously required to adapt their daily lives to reflect the ever-changing public health and government directives. As restrictions began to be implemented…
Read MoreBrian Johnston, QC and Brittany Trafford Governments and employers are strategizing ways to open economies, businesses and services following unprecedented closures around the world.1 In Canada, each Province is taking its own approach and various timelines will apply. For example, while Ontario has not set dates for its plan in the Framework for Reopening our…
Read MoreRick Dunlop The question on many businesses’ mind is when and what exactly does an end to the COVID-19 lockdown look like. The Economist describes various European government’s easing of COVID-19 restrictions as being done “gradually, cautiously, and with only a hazy idea of what works.” https://www.economist.com/international/2020/04/16/governments-are-starting-to-ease-restrictions. The three questions governments have to tackle is:…
Read MoreClarence Bennett, James LeMesurier, QC and Kathleen Nash On April 17, 2020, the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick met for a quick sitting during which two new Bills were introduced and received Royal Assent within half an hour, purportedly in response to the current COVID-19 State of Emergency. One of these Bills, Bill 40 –…
Read MoreRebecca Saturley COVID-19 hit us all like a proverbial freight train. In a short period of time we all went from business as usual to the new normal. From social distancing to mass lay-offs to essential businesses figuring out how to stay open, COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of our lives. The past few weeks…
Read MoreDante Manna With the passing of Bill C-14, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 on April 11, 2020, the federal government has now laid a legislative foundation for various initiatives to assist employers and employees who are affected by COVID-19. The main measures include: The new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (“CERB”) The new Canada…
Read More(Updated) Peter McLellan, QC and Katharine Mack In a display of bi-partisanship, on Saturday, April 11 Parliament unanimously passed the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 and it received Royal Assent. In addition to other measures, the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) is now law. The legislation provides significant assistance to eligible Canadian employers during…
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