COVID-19 Information Hub - Emond Harnden

The articles listed below are intended to provide readers with general information only. They should not be regarded or relied upon as legal advice or opinion. Accessing, reading, relying on or otherwise using the articles listed below does not, under any circumstances, create a lawyer-client relationship between you and Emond Harnden. A lawyer-client relationship will only form if and when Emond Harnden specifically and expressly agrees to act for you on a particular matter and executes a retainer agreement to that effect. For more information, please consult our Terms of Use.

COVID-19 has changed the labour and employment law landscape indefinitely.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The situation has developed rapidly and changes from day to day.

In light of these unprecedented circumstances and the fluidity of this situation, Emond Harnden remains committed to providing timely support and guidance to our clients as they navigate their obligations and rights as employers.

Services

We are available to provide advice on any and all COVID-19 related issues, including:

Return to Work & School

Latest post: FAQ: Return to School and Requests for Accommodation on the Grounds of Family Status in the Workplace

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Temporary Lay-offs

Latest post: Ontario Government Extends COVID-19 Period re Temporary Layoffs to January 2, 2021

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Pandemic Planning

Latest post: Coming into Force of the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020: What This Means for Employers

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EI Benefits

Latest post: COVID-19 Emergency Response Act Receives Royal Assent

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Sick Leave and Leaves of Absence

Latest post: Government Extends COVID-19 Leave Available Under the Canada Labour Code by up to 8 Weeks

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Working from Home

Latest post: Remote Work Considerations: An Employer’s Guide

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Health and Safety Issues

Latest post: Arbitrator Upholds Hospital’s Objection to Qualification of Occupational Hygiene Expert in Field of COVID-19 Infectious Disease Transmission

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Privacy Considerations

Latest post: Privacy Considerations for School Boards in the Era of Online Learning

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Government Support Measures

Latest post: Federal Government Announces Details of Winding Down of CERB Program

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Webinars

The Human Rights Side of the Pandemic: Raquel Chisholm & Carolyn Dunlop

March 27, 2020

Ontario’s New Regulation Addressing the Temporary Layoff and Deemed Termination Dilemma: Kecia Podetz & J.D. Sharp

March 27, 2020

Return to Work Considerations: Fabienne Lajoie & Kyle Shimon

March 27, 2020

Navigating leaves during the pandemic: Mélissa Lacroix & Larissa Volinets Schieven

March 27, 2020

Effectively managing a remote workforce: Raquel Chisholm & Carolyn Dunlop

March 27, 2020

My employee refuses to work until the pandemic is over – what can I do? J.D. Sharp & Neil Dzuba

March 27, 2020

CERB and wage subsidy: where are we at? – Kecia Podetz & Erica Bennett

March 27, 2020

Emond Harnden COVID-19 Webinar: Porter Heffernan & Lauren Jamieson

March 27, 2020

Webinaire COVID-19 (FR): Céline Delorme et Joël Rocque

March 27, 2020

View all webinars

Resources

COVID-19 Guide for Federal Sector Employers

Stay up to date with the latest labour and employment law updates!

Read our COVID-19 latest articles

COVID-19 Guide for Employers in the Hotel and Hospitality Industry

Actions to support small and medium-sized employers in Ontario during COVID-19

COVID-19 Guide for Aviation-Industry Employers

Actions to support federally-regulated employers during COVID-19

Useful Links

World Health Organization

Public Health Agency of Canada

Government of Canada

British Columbia

Newfoundland and Labrador

Prince Edward Island

Northwest Territories

Latest Articles

Ontario Government Extends COVID-19 Period re Temporary Layoffs to January 2, 2021

As Focus readers may recall, as detailed in our earlier Focus Alert, the Ontario government filed Regulation 228/20 under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) which provided that non-union employees who did not perform their duties because their hours of work had been temporarily reduced or eliminated due to COVID-19 during what was referred to as the “COVID-19 period” were deemed to be on unpaid, job-protected Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (or “IDEL”).

FAQ: Return to School and Requests for Accommodation on the Grounds of Family Status in the Workplace

Employers can expect that many parents whose children will be engaged in remote learning this coming school year, either on a part-time or full-time basis, will request accommodation in the coming months.

Federal Government Announces Details of Winding Down of CERB Program

On August 20, 2020, the Federal government released the details of the anticipated winding down of the temporary Canada Emergency Response Benefit (or “CERB”) program.

Back to School 2020: How Employers Can Address the Expected Surge in Requests for Accommodation on the Grounds of Family Status

Recently, the Ontario government announced its COVID-19: Reopening Schools plan for the fall of 2020.

Arbitrator Upholds Hospital’s Objection to Qualification of Occupational Hygiene Expert in Field of COVID-19 Infectious Disease Transmission

Since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario health care sector unions have raised occupational health and safety-related concerns particularly with regard to the provision of personal protective equipment (“PPE”), including N95 respirators (“N95”).

Emond Harnden Updates

To our valued clients

We are in the midst of a challenging and unprecedented situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has touched all of us, including our businesses, families, and communities, and we are aware of the fears and uncertainties we are all facing. We wanted to take a brief opportunity to connect with all of you, to share the measures we have taken and the measures we will continue to take, to help ensure the health and safety of our communities, and the continuity and success of our clients.

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As have many employers, we have moved most of our operations out of the office, to do our part in maintaining social distancing. Most of our lawyers and staff are now working remotely, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We have suspended in-person meetings, but remain available to connect with clients by phone, email or video conferencing. We have ensured that our lawyers and staff are equipped to maintain the continuity of our operations, and we remain at full capacity to assist our clients with any and all employment-related issues arising out of COVID-19. We welcome you to contact any one of our lawyers, and we assure you that one of our lawyers will be able to assist you in a timely fashion.

In these extraordinary times, we want to assure our clients that we are here for you. We have been working collaboratively to ensure that we are up-to-date with any developments, and that we are providing timely, accurate advice. We are available to provide advice on any and all COVID-19 related issues, including:

Pandemic planning and the development of guidelines and policies relating to COVID-19;
Temporary lay-offs;
Working from home;
Employment Insurance benefits issues, including Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plans and Work-Sharing programs;
Sick leave and other leaves of absence;
Health and safety issues, including work refusals; and
Privacy considerations relating to employee medical information.

You will find our recent updates and publications on COVID-19 on our website and we will continue to update our resources as developments occur.

We also understand that in some respects and for some clients, it remains business as usual, and so we remain available and committed to provide timely advice and guidance on all other labour and employment-related matters that may arise in the coming weeks.

As always, we remain your trusted advisors, and we are here for you. Be well, be healthy, and be safe.

Sincerely,

EMOND HARNDEN