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Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Insights

Reflections and news direct from Rubin Thomlinson.
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Getting back to work: Restoring relationships post-conflict

Recently I was invited to present a paper at the 2013 Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) as part of a panel titled A Model for the Future: Restorative Approach. The question the panel was designed to address was, “Can a restorative approach meet the stated purpose of each human rights jurisdiction in

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I’ve been fired, now what?

Whether you’ve been “let go”, “discharged”, “dismissed” or “permanently laid off”, the end result is that you’re facing the uncertainty accompanied with losing one’s job. Given that this is a difficult, and often emotional time for employees, many may not recognize their rights and obligations upon termination. In that regard, the following is a list

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The dads and don’ts of the workplace

This past Sunday was Father’s Day.  This made us wonder, how has the relationship between fathers and their children been reflected in employment law cases? After we reflected on the cases that immediately came to mind, and then rounded out the list with some research, it became clear that this very special relationship has served

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The new breed of “accidental entrepreneurs”

I was fascinated to read Leah Eichler’s article in the Globe and Mail this past weekend discussing the rise of a new breed of “accidental entrepreneurs”.  Unlike traditional entrepreneurs, who are motivated by a passion to solve a problem or turn a hobby into a paying job, the “accidental entrepreneur” has been spawned by the

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Ladies’ night at the Barking Frog: The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario weighs in

In a recent case before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Maclean v. The Barking Frog, (April 16, 2013), a man alleged that a bar had discriminated against him by charging him a higher entrance fee than women on ladies’ night. The applicant, Maclean, went out one evening with his friends to The Barking Frog,

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No discrimination = Human rights damages? It can if there was no investigation.

Deen Morgan believed that he was targeted at work because of his skin colour.  His employer did not agree but it dismissed Mr. Morgan’s concerns and instead found a reason to terminate his employment.  When he took his complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (the “HRTO”), they ruled in a decision released last

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Life after reinstatement

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (the “Tribunal”) has recently shown that an employee can be reinstated, even if a decade has passed since their dismissal, when the dismissal was discriminatory. After working for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (the “School Board”) for 13 years, Sharon Fair developed a generalized anxiety disorder, and was off work

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Porridge on toast and other workplace investigation tales from Saskatchewan

The other week, my partner Chris Thomlinson and I conducted our first workplace investigation training session in Regina, Saskatchewan. We were with a great group of people. To prepare, Chris and I reviewed a number of interesting workplace investigation cases that have been decided in Saskatchewan, but have principles applicable for workplaces and investigators across the

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