A recent decision of the BC Supreme Court (Coutlee v Apex Granite & Tile Inc., 2020 BCSC 315) provides a useful example of where an employee’s words and actions will be interpreted as a voluntary resignation rather than a dismissal. Summary of Facts The defendant company, Apex, provided tile and granite installation services. Apex hired ...
A recent BC Small Claims Court decision [Shehata v Ashton College Ltd., 2020 BCPC 37] reminds employers that it is best practice to clearly address termination entitlements in employment agreements or offer letters rather than attempting to rely on provisions in an employee handbook. Facts The claimant, Mr. Shehata, was hired by the defendant, Ashton ...
The BC government is moving ahead with their planned 75 cent/hour increase to the minimum wage, which comes into effect on June 1, 2020. This increase brings the minimum wage to $14.60/hour and is the third increase in a series of four scheduled increases as part of the government’s plan to bring the minimum wage ...
A recent BC Supreme Court decision shows that employers should exercise caution when making unilateral changes to employee bonus programs. In Wiltse v. Seastar Chemicals ULC, 2020 BCSC 658, the plaintiff was a chemist who had been employed at a chemical productions company for 17 years. The plaintiff participated in the company’s bonus program, which ...
On May 20, 2020 Bill Morneau and Navdeep Bains announced the opening of the application process for the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility program. More information can be found about this program in our previous blog post found here. The same day, Justin Trudeau announced that applications for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance will ...
On May 19, 2020, Justin Trudeau announced an expansion to the Canada Emergency Business Account (“CEBA”), previously discussed in Rose Keith’s blog post dated April 16, 2020, found here. CEBA is administered by Export Development Canada and provides a partially forgivable, zero interest loan of up to $40,000 for qualifying small businesses. Up to $10,000 ...
Further to our May 7, 2020 blog post, on May 15 WorkSafeBC released industry-specific guidelines and resources on its website for the following sectors: Restaurants, cafes, pubs Salons and personal services Real estate Arts and cultural facilities (Museums, art galleries, and libraries) Retail Education K-12 Parks and outdoor spaces Health services In-person counselling Office space WorksafeBC ...
The Supreme Court of Canada recently dismissed a preliminary application by a Canadian mining company, Nevsun Resources Ltd. The SCC decision allows three Eritrean workers to proceed with a claim in B.C. alleging that Nevsun violated customary international law in its mine operation in Eritrea, Africa. This decision represents a significant shift in Canadian law ...
Finance Minister Bill Morneau today announced that the Government of Canada will extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to August 29, 2020. The government has also revised the criteria to include several additional types of organizations that would not have otherwise been eligible for the CEWS: Partnerships: Partnerships with non-eligible members will now ...
On May 11, the federal government announced the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (“LEEFF”) program to help large Canadian for-profit businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn. The objective of this program is to help keep Canada’s largest employers operating, avoid bankruptcy of otherwise viable firms if possible, and ...
