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Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Addressing sexual violence in Ontario’s colleges and universities

On October 27, 2015, the Ontario government tabled its Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment) 2015 (the “Act”).  Last week my colleague Janice Rubin wrote about the implications for employers of the amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This week, I am considering the implications for Ontario’s colleges

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Balancing finality and justice in the application of s.45.1

Section 45.1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”) permits the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”) to dismiss all or part of an application where “another proceeding has appropriately dealt with the substance of the application.” In Ontario (Community Safety and Correctional Services) v De Lottinville, 2015 ONSC 3085, the Ontario Divisional Court considered the

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Human Rights Tribunal awards record general damages for sexual harassment of migrant workers

In his Report on the Ontario Human Rights Review 2012, Andrew Pinto commented on the general damages awards being awarded by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”). Noting that general damages awards of $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 seemed to correspond to low, medium and high damage awards, he commented that “there appears to be

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An avatar’s connection to the Divine

As workplaces become increasingly diverse, claims of “conflicting rights” appear to be on the rise as well. Often when there is a conflict of rights, one of the conflicting claims is grounded in creed – where an employee raises a religious objection to performing a particular job-related function. For example, many people recall the 2012

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When does an employer’s accommodation actions become harassment?

When an employee requires accommodation following an injury or onset of a disability, an employer is often unsure where to draw the line in their communications and interactions with the employee. Accommodation is a collaborative process and it is important that the employer receives information and cooperation from the employee. At the same time, employees

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Conducting workplace investigations on the road

Occasionally I am asked to conduct investigations in remote parts of the country. Through discussions with the client, it is typically agreed that I will travel to one of their regional offices in order to conduct a number of the interviews in person. As I will only be making one trip, it is always important

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I thought training was supposed to fix this

Two years ago, I attended a Compliance and Ethics Academy in Chicago and was certified as a Compliance and Ethics Professional. Since then, I regularly review publications and articles about compliance systems throughout North America and am often struck by the consistent manner in which training requirements and initiatives impact workplaces when they are included

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Take time to set up your investigation process

“I feel the need, the need for speed.” For those of us raised in the 80s, this is the battle cry of Top Gun’s Maverick and Goose. But for many folks tasked with conducting internal workplace investigations, this quote may also call to mind the manager, lawyer, union leader, complainant or Board member that puts

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