Articles.
Some Days, You Just Can’t Get Rid Of A Bomb!
There’s a scene in the 1966 Batman movie in which the caped crusader is frantically racing around a pier, trying to safely dispose of a live bomb (the cartoon version that looks like a bowling ball, with a lit fus...
Wake Up, NHLPA, You’ve Been Snookered!
In the last few days, there has been much reaction to Edmonton Oilers star, Connor McDavid, having signed a two-year contract extension for $12.5 million per season. That’s a lot of money, but CMcD arguably left as much as $7.5 million...
COVID Safety Policy Was Not Constructive Dismissal
The COVID-19 pandemic, commencing as it did over 5 years ago, now seems like a distant, hazy, surreal memory. Readers of legal articles will recall employment lawyers saying, back then, that it would take time for related claims to work thei...
It’s Time for an Artificial Intelligence Policy
If we could turn back the clock 20 or 30 years, I don’t think you’d have believed me if I’d told you that, in the not-too-distant future, your organization will need a policy addressing employees&rsquo...
Short Service + Inducement Is A Costly Mix
Some years back, I published an article (“Short Service, Lengthy Notice”, https://bit.ly/4luvc8c) which addressed the commonly held misperception among employers about th...
Say Goodbye to Doctors’ Notes for Short-Term Absences
My recent article - “Will B.C. Soon Be Saying R.I.P. to the Doctor’s Note?”, https://bit.ly/4jTjfY4 - predicted that our provincial government would amend the Employment Standards Act (ES...
A Layoff Is A Layoff… Except When It Isn’t
I have (as have, I imagine, all employment lawyers) been asked by employer clients over the years, “If an employee requests a layoff, does it still count as a layoff?” My answer has always been, “A layoff is a layoff is a l...
If It Quacks Like A Duck…
Like most employment lawyers, I have numerous charitable organizations as clients. As well as having paid employees, such organizations rely heavily on volunteers to advance their worthy objectives in the community. They also depen...
Why Not Kill Two Birds With One Stone?
I’m a big fan of doing less whenever possible. In the legal context, that can be a winning strategy in certain situations; one of those is the hiring of employees. Many employers are in the habit of using a two-step approach ...