Recent case highlights the need to update your COVID vaccination policy
In FCA Canada Inc. v Unifor, Locals 195, 444, 1285,[1] the union challenged the reasonableness of the employer’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate (the “Policy”). The main issue before the arbitrator was whether the Policy was reasonable in light of the changing...
COVID-19 vaccines and religious freedom
Workplace vaccination policies adopted as health and safety measures in response to COVID-19, typically contained exemptions for medical or other grounds protected by human rights legislation. The most common “other ground” was creed or religion. In two recent awards, arbitrators...
Geoff Mason discusses issues surrounding the federal holiday for the Queen’s funeral
980CKNW The Jas Johal Show
With September 19 announced as a federal holiday to commemorate the Queen’s funeral, Geoff Mason appears on The Jas Johal Show discussing the issues including whether workers are entitled to a paid day off: This is not a benefit that...
Day of Mourning for the Queen: How the September 19, 2022 federal holiday affects Canadian employers
In honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a holiday on Monday, September 19, 2022 for employees of the federal government. However, Trudeau’s announcement did not extend the holiday requirement to federally-regulated industries, such as...
Geoff Mason speaks to the legality of employer surveillance on The Jas Johal Show
980CKNW The Jas Johal Show
Geoff Mason discusses the use electronic monitoring tools to assess the productivity of employees who work remotely: On the employer side, it’s much easier to have some sort of monitoring policy in place if the employee’s been made aware of...
Geoff Mason is a guest on The Jas Johal show, speaking on “quiet quitting”
980CKNW The Jas Johal Show
Geoff Mason joins Jas Johal for a conversation on “quiet quitting”, the concept where employees only perform the minimum requirements of their job. When you are seeing large-scale shifts happening in the employment world such as the great resignation, independent...
Geoff Mason appears on The Jas Johal Show discussing remote and hybrid work arrangements
980CKNW The Jas Johal Show
Geoff Mason provides insights into whether employers can request their employees back to the office and the future of remote work arrangements on 980CKNW The Jas Johal Show. Now that employees have had a taste of [remote work], it’s much...
Geoff Mason discusses “climate change and working conditions” on The Jas Johal Show
980CKNW The Jas Johal Show
Geoff Mason is a guest on 980CKNW’s The Jas Johal Show discussing how climate change is impacting the workplace and whether employers are legally contracted to provide their employees with suitable working conditions in response to extreme weather events: As...
Alberta Court finds in favour of employer after employee refused to comply with mask policy
In Benke v Loblaw Companies Limited, 2022 ABQB 461, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta weighed in on the effect of an employee’s unpaid suspension, as a result of his failure to follow a COVID-19 masking policy, on the...
Reasonable notice period capped at 24 months absent special circumstances
In a recent ruling the Supreme Court of British Columbia has reaffirmed that notice periods for wrongful dismissal in BC are capped at an upper limit of 24 months, absent special circumstances. In Okano v Cathay Pacific Airway Limited, 2022...
