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Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Excerpt from City of Toronto Equity Symposium Keynote by Janice Rubin

During the last several months, many of you have probably found yourself waking up in the morning and thinking: who’s next? Which towering figure from the world of entertainment, art, politics, restaurants, media — you name it — will be toppled due to accusations of sexual harassment? I am an employment lawyer who has worked

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Workplace investigation alert: BC case shows how employers should NOT handle workplace harassment

Special note to BC readers: If this subject is of interest to you, you may wish attend one of our related workshops in BC. Some spots are still open for the following sessions – we recommend registering soon. We hope to see you there. Bystander Intervention Training – May 23, 2018 Learn how to enable &

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#6 Dealing with harassment and violence In the workplace

Ask any human rights professional and they’ll likely tell you that one of the most difficult topics that come up in their practice is workplace violence and harassment. Employment lawyers will usually agree. The issue has been made all the more complicated since the advent of provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)

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“Thanks for minding your own business”: The role of bystander intervention training in fighting workplace violence and harassment

The Ontario government video ad, #WhoWillYouHelp, which urges bystanders to intervene when witnessing sexual violence and harassment, has gone viral. The powerful ad depicts four disturbing vignettes of sexual harassment or violence where the viewer is essentially the bystander. One vignette shows a woman working at her office computer while a man gives her an

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Harassment: The Saskatchewan experience

Is Saskatchewan, birthplace of Tommy Douglas, the co-operative movement, and curling champions galore, a hotbed of harassment? In 2007, Saskatchewan amended its Occupational Health and Safety Act to address workplace violence and personal harassment. This made Saskatchewan the second province in the country to extend this type of protection to employees. The first province was

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The essential human rights primer for workplace investigators

Since joining Rubin Thomlinson, I have had the opportunity to deliver workplace investigation training to hundreds of human resources professionals who are challenged in their workplaces to respond to issues of discrimination and harassment. During that time, I’ve noticed an increasing recognition of the duty to investigate these matters, and in some cases, I’ve seen

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Ontario jury awards former Walmart employee $1.46 million for constructive dismissal

Setting a new “high-water mark” for damages in constructive dismissal cases in Ontario, a jury in Windsor, Ontario has awarded a former Walmart employee $1.46 million in damages, after finding that she was constructively dismissed. In delivering its verdict on October 10, 2012, the jury concluded that the employee had suffered abusive treatment, including mental

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Workplace violence and harassment compliance: A tragic reminder

On September 15, 2012, a Toronto gas station attendant was killed after reportedly being dragged and run down by the vehicle of a customer who was attempting to leave the station without paying for fuel. This incident is a tragic example of the type of workplace violence that motivated the Bill 168 amendments to the

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