The British Columbia government has confirmed that minimum wage rates across the province will increase in 2024 to match the rate of inflation, according to an order in council. This adjustment comes as part of a broader legislative initiative to index minimum wages to inflation, ensuring steady growth in wages in line with economic conditions. Effective June 1, 2024, the general minimum wage in B.C. will rise from the current rate of $16.75 to $17.40 per hour, marking a 3.9% increase. This rate hike mirrors the average inflation rate recorded in B.C. during 2023. Similarly, alternate minimum ..read more

Employers face many challenges and responsibilities in running a successful business, not the least of which is the optimum management of their human resources. In this article, we identify the top 10 errors we have seen employers make and how the costly consequences can be avoided. While this article focuses on workplaces in Ontario, this advice generally applies to other common law jurisdictions in Canada. Error 1: Not having written employment contracts There’s no legal requirement for written employment contracts. However, having them can prevent legal conflicts, safeguard employers’ inter ..read more

I’ve written a lot of stories over the years about legal missteps by employers and the damages that can cause to workers, reputation, and the bottom line. But every once in a while, I’ll stumble upon a case where the employer got it right — and not only isn’t punished, but is lauded for their approach. Such was the case in a recent ruling by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal involving Parq Vancouver, a casino and resort, which was facing a serious complaint from one of its workers. The case was initiated by R.S., a cage shift manager at Parq Vancouver, who suffered mockery and teasing ..read more

Parq Vancouver took a harassment complaint seriously, conducted an investigation and made reasonable steps to remedy the situation, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ruled. As a result, the worker’s complaint was dismissed. The complaint was filed by R.S., a cage shift manager at the casino and resort, who was mocked and teased by a colleague for having a disability-related speech impediment. R.S., a long-standing employee who has worked at Parq and its predecessor for over a decade, said the harassment began after she reported the colleague’s behavior to management in July 2019 ..read more

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has rejected a motion to dismiss a sexual harassment complaint lodged against a well-known television news anchor by his makeup artist. The artist, D.K., alleges that the anchor, C.G., harassed her while they were both employed at Global BC, a television station operated by Shaw Media, now owned by Corus Entertainment. In a detailed ruling, the Tribunal decided against the dismissal of the complaints for being untimely and due to procedural delays. The Tribunal clarified that it does not have the authority to override the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s de ..read more

Boucher Bros. Lumber Ltd. has been ordered to pay $102,000 following a guilty plea for violating Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act. The penalty stems from a workplace incident where a worker suffered injuries after coming into contact with the blades of a wood planer. The incident occurred on Sept. 28, 2022, at the company’s Nampa, Alta., location. Initially facing 12 charges under the OHS legislation, the Crown withdrew 11 after the guilty plea was entered in the Peace River Court of Justice on April 15. Instead of a traditional fine, the payment will fund a mill safety educa ..read more

By Sandi Krasowski | The Chronicle-Journal Effective Oct. 1, the Ontario government will increase the minimum wage from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, which will impact some employers, a business advocate says. The increase reflects a 3.9-per cent annualized wage increase based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index, bringing the province’s minimum wage to the second-highest in Canada. British Columbia is at $17.40 per hour. About 35 per cent of workers at or below the current general minimum wage are in retail trade and 24 per cent are in accommodation and food services. Charla Robinson, presid ..read more

A British Columbia nurse’s appeal for compensation due to alleged workplace bullying and harassment has been denied by the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal (WCAT). The nurse, employed at a long-term care facility, claimed her mental disorder was a direct result of interactions with her superiors from March 2020 to January 2021. On March 9, 2023, the WCAT upheld an earlier decision by a WorkSafeBC adjudicator, stating the incidents described did not meet the criteria for traumatic events or significant workplace stressors as required under section 135 of the Workers Compensation Act. The r ..read more

By Dave Baxter | Winnipeg Sun The work environment in one Manitoba rural municipality had become so toxic that the community was better off temporarily having no municipal council at all, said a former councillor after a mass resignation last week. “It was toxic, and I could not continue to work under those conditions any longer, it was so bad that it was also not in the best interest of the RM for council to be working in those conditions,” Pat Stein, a now former councillor, said in a phone interview on Tuesday morning. Last Tuesday, Stein was one of four municipal councillors who abrup ..read more

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed a motion by IBM Canada to strike allegations of systemic age discrimination from a lawsuit filed by a former executive, B.M. B.M., who was dismissed in June 2022, alleges that his termination was part of a broader strategy by IBM’s U.S. parent company to remove older executives from their positions. “The plaintiff alleges that the policy was adopted and carried out by IBM Canada and that he was terminated at the direction of IBM U.S.,” the court said in the ruling. IBM Canada contested the relevance of these claims, labeling them as “irreleva ..read more