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Atlantic Employers’ Counsel – Winter 2016

THE EDITORS’ CORNER

Michelle Black and Sean Kelly

One day, the line between mental and physical disabilities may not be so pronounced, but, for now, distinctions are still drawn between Employee A with, for example, diabetes and Employee B with, for example, depression. Both employees are dealing with serious health conditions but Employee B’s condition can present additional challenges because it can be difficult to “see” and difficult to understand.

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MENTAL HEALTH AND THE DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE

Stephen Penney and Sean Kelly

Employers can face many challenges when dealing with employees who are struggling with a mental health issue. Illness and disability affecting employees can cause staffing/absenteeism challenges and morale problems with other employees. Barriers to managing the return to work process and re-integration into a productive workforce often arise.

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THE DUTY TO INQUIRE: THE PROBLEM WITH TURNING A BLIND EYE

Murray Murphy, QC, CHRP

You have heard this scenario before: An employee is constantly showing up late (or not showing up at all), being insubordinate or argumentative, or worse – completely unmanageable, so the employer then dismisses the employee. The employee then files a grievance or a human rights complaint stating that he or she suffers from a disability and the dismissal was discriminatory.

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THE SCOPE OF ACCOMMODATION OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES – WHAT ABOUT STRESS?

Josie Marks

There is growing understanding of the need to accommodate mental health issues in the workplace, not only due to human rights obligations but also to optimize employee productivity. However, the boundaries of employers’ obligations from a human rights perspective are not always clear. This article focuses on stress-related accommodation requests: is an employer obliged to accommodate an employee having difficulty coping with stress?

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DISCIPLINE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE

Vanessa Paton

Disciplining employees who are suffering from mental illness can pose particular difficulty for employers. Although there is a duty to accommodate mental illness in the workplace in the same way as any other disability, misconduct related to a mental health issue is not immune from discipline. Employers are well advised to be aware of the relevant considerations, risks and obligations with respect to managing a disabled employee’s performance.

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Communication breakdown: Offensive comments can constitute cause under Canada Labour Code

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2020 Year in Review: Atlantic Canada Labour & Employment Law Developments

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La Dolce Vita and design: Italian Court confirms copyright of concept store

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Daniela Bassan, QC, has published an article in volume 36 of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review. She comments on an Italian case granting copyright protection for a retail store in the cosmetics industry, and considers…

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Duty of honest performance in termination of commercial contracts – the Supreme Court of Canada elaborates in Callow v. Zollinger, 2020 SCC 45

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Ongoing flexibility for international students due to COVID-19

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Included in Discovery: Atlantic Education & the Law – Issue 07 Kathleen Leighton Educational institutions and their students continue to face challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and international students are particularly impacted…

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Institutional responsibility to prepare for COVID-19 cases on campus

December 23, 2020

Included in Discovery: Atlantic Education & the Law – Issue 07 Kate Jurgens Since returning to class in September amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 global pandemic, students and faculty alike in classrooms, on campus,…

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Increasing pay transparency for federally regulated employers under Employment Equity Regulations

December 18, 2020

Brian G. Johnston, QC, Jennifer Thompson and Daniel Roth The Government of Canada has announced the final Regulations Amending the Employment Equity Regulations (“Regulations”). The Regulations come into force on January 1, 2021 and will bring increased pay transparency to federally regulated…

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Limits to government powers in the regulation of colleges and universities

December 17, 2020

Included in Discovery: Atlantic Education & the Law – Issue 07 Nicholas Russon and Kathleen Nash In December 2018, the Ontario Cabinet approved a direction for the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (“Minister”) to…

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Beyond the border: Immigration update – December 2020

December 16, 2020

We are pleased to present the fourth installment of Beyond the border, a publication aimed at providing the latest information to clients about new programs and other immigration-related information that may be pertinent to employers of…

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