Employment Rights

Provincial Election 2018: Do employees get paid time off on June 7 to vote?

Provincial Election 2018: Do employees get paid time off on June 7 to vote?

The provincial election campaign is in full swing. Attack ads are on TV, the debates have taken place and politicians of every stripe are pounding the pavement and knocking on doors to boost their hopes of election.

As we approach June 7, many of us who work may wonder whether we will get time off to head to the polls, and if so, how much and will such leave be paid? The Ontario Election Act provides eligible employees with three consecutive hours during voting hours (which are 9:00am to 9:00pm Eastern Standard Time) to go and vote.

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Paul Willetts Quoted in The Lawyer's Daily on Ontario's Changing Workplaces Review

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Paul Willetts Quoted in The Lawyer's Daily on Ontario's Changing Workplaces Review

The Lawyer’s Daily quoted Vey Willetts' Paul Willetts in a May 26, 2017 article titled “Changing Workplaces Review may spur sweeping labour law changes in Ontario.” The article explores the recommendations set out in the Changing Workplaces Review Final Report and how these changes, if implemented, may affect Ontario employees and employers.

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Paul Willetts Quoted in The Lawyer's Daily

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Paul Willetts Quoted in The Lawyer's Daily

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the March 6, 2017 edition of The Lawyer's Daily in an article entitled "Big changes could be on Way for Ontario workplace landscape." The article discusses the provincial government's Changing Workplaces Review and some of the changes employees and employers in Ontario may expect to see. 

Email etiquette: What Ontario can learn from France

Email etiquette: What Ontario can learn from France

The capacity to send and receive email on smart phone devices and laptops has fundamentally altered the working lives of many. The notion of the ‘9 to 5’ job has, in many industries, become a thing of the past. Our use of email has profoundly altered how and when we work: it has blurred the distinction between work and home lives; it has altered our view of what is appropriate communication and our expectation of how quickly people should respond. In many ways, it has simultaneously increased the volume of workplace communications and dramatically accelerated the pace at which it occurs.

Silence Proves Costly: Employment Agreements and Reasonable Notice

Employers who fail to incorporate a binding termination clause into their written employment agreements may face significant, and unexpected, liability for severance. This lesson was learned the hard way by Qualified Metal Fabricators ("QML") in a recent unpublished case out of Toronto. 

QML employed Mr. Roy Singh as an assembler from May 2011 until his dismissal, due to an alleged shortage of work, in May 2015. Upon termination, QML paid Mr. Singh 4 weeks' termination pay in compliance with the Employment Standards Act, 2000, and allegedly the terms of his written employment agreement.

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The Top 10 Employment Rights in Ontario

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Most employees in Ontario benefit from an interconnected web of laws and court rulings. It is important to be informed of these rights, so that you may protect yourself and ensure fair treatment.

It is equally important for small businesses to understand the obligations imposed by Ontario's employment laws in order to efficiently structure their operations, ensure legal compliance and limit the potential for costly litigation. With those thoughts in mind, and an acknowledgment that a plethora of employment rights and obligations exist in Ontario, here is our top ten list that every employee and small business should know.

Contact Vey Willetts LLP

If you, as an individual or small business, are interested in discussing your legal needs, call us at 800-296-7989 or fill out our online form.