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Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Investigations involving health care providers – 5 questions to ask at the start

Being the daughter of a retired health care provider, I observed from an early age the balancing act of providing patient-centred care while wanting to do one’s best in a workplace that can be emotionally charged, fast-paced and ever-changing (I know that these descriptors not only apply to working in health care generally, but could apply to an employee’s experience in just one shift). 

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A doctor’s examination, a Tiffany’s necklace, and 3 questions to ask yourself before commenting on a colleague’s appearance

When I do respectful workplace training, one of the responses I often hear is, “Does this mean I can’t compliment my co-worker’s hair/clothes/eyes/jewelry?” My answer is always an annoyingly lawyerly one: “It depends.”

A comment that pertains to a colleague’s appearance has the potential to create a welcome personal connection. It can also cause harm. A set of recent decisions from the British Columbia Health Professions Review Board (the “Board”) provides some insight on when comments on a person’s appearance are inappropriate.

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Health care and harassment: Now is the time to address unhealthy habits

Grey’s Anatomy – the television show and not the textbook – has been running for more seasons than I care to count.  All I know is that it has spanned several different stages of my educational and professional life and seems to have as strong a following as ever.   Not unlike the legal world, mining the hospital and health care environment for inspiration can yield highly entertaining programming.  One archetypal character that frequently appears in both drama and comedic form is the curmudgeonly demanding senior doctor. 

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Looking in the mirror: Harassment in legal workplaces

Whether advocating for a client before the Human Rights Tribunal, drafting a Respect at Work Policy or assisting a client with engaging a workplace investigator, many lawyers are familiar with providing advice about harassment at work, but how many of us have thought about harassment in our own workplaces?

The Law Society of Ontario’s Discrimination and Harassment Counsel (“DHC”), an organization whose mandate includes providing services to people who have concerns or complaints about discrimination or harassment by lawyers and paralegals, shed light on this topic in its most recent report.

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Workplace investigation alert: Reconsidering reprisals

Special note to Ontario and BC readers: If this subject is of interest to you, you may wish attend one of our related workshops. Some spots are still open for the following sessions – we recommend registering soon. We hope to see you there. Conducting Workplace Assessments – June 20, 2018 in Toronto, ON Learn how

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Occupational health & safety aboard the millennium falcon (and the cosmic definition of “workplace” under the Occupational Health and Safety Act)

As an occupational health & safety lawyer and a Star Wars fan, a recent news report regarding an incident aboard the legendary Millennium Falcon naturally caught my attention. In that regard, British occupational health & safety authorities announced last month that criminal charges had been issued against Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. (“Foodles”, which is a

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Sunrise propane explosion results in $5.3 million in fines

It has been more than 7 years since a series of colossal explosions at Sunrise Propane lit up Toronto’s night sky, killing one worker and forcing the evacuation of thousands of neighbouring residents. Investigators traced the origin of the tragedy to vapours being ignited during a dangerous (and illegal) truck-to-truck transfer of propane; and prosecutors

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Supervisor sentenced to 3 ½ years for his role in the Metron Construction tragedy

Having been convicted of criminal negligence causing death in June 2015, Vadim Kazenelson was today sentenced to 3 ½ years’ imprisonment for his role in a tragic scaffold collapse that killed four workers and seriously injured a fifth on Christmas Eve 2009.  This represents the first time a supervisor in Ontario has been sentenced to

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