In 2017, in its decision in Saadati v. Moorhead, the Supreme Court of Canada addressed the question of what constitutes a compensable mental injury and the kind of evidence needed to prove that injury. The Court of Appeal recently revisited this question in its decision in Bothwell v. London Health Sciences Centre. Facts of the Case … Continue reading Saadati v. Moorhead Revisited – Proving Mental Distress Damages
Court of Appeal
Changed Substratum – When your job duties no longer match your employment contract
Employment law has numerous terms or concepts that are not self-explanatory to lay people. Constructive dismissal and mitigation efforts are a couple of examples of this. Unless you are an employment lawyer, their meanings are not immediately obvious. There are also some obscure terms or concepts that can be foreign even to employment lawyers. The … Continue reading Changed Substratum – When your job duties no longer match your employment contract
Update: Can I Change My Mind After I Quit?
Last year, I wrote about an Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision that dealt with the issue as to whether or not an employee can rescind a resignation. A link to that decision can be found here. The Court of Appeal recently reversed that lower court decision in English v. Manulife Financial Corporation. The following … Continue reading Update: Can I Change My Mind After I Quit?
Who Is Liable In A Fight Between Athletes?
We are a sports-loving nation. No surprise there. Not only do we love watching sports, many of us are passionate about competing in sports and similar athletic pursuits. Occasionally, however, that passion can get the better of an athlete, causing him to start a fight with another competitor. Think of a hockey enforcer responding to … Continue reading Who Is Liable In A Fight Between Athletes?
What will happen to my job now that the business has been sold?
Mergers and acquisitions of companies and their assets occur on a regular basis. Sometimes the entire company is acquired by way of a purchase of the shares. At other times, only the assets of the company are purchased, leaving ownership of the company intact. From an employee's point of view, this distinction can be important … Continue reading What will happen to my job now that the business has been sold?
My disability claim was denied. When should I sue the insurer?
Many employees are fortunate enough to have long-term disability coverage as part of their remuneration package. Generally speaking, long-term disability insurance is intended as a means of income replacement when injury or illness prevents a person from working. Many long-term disability insurance policies provide that a person is entitled to benefits from the policy only … Continue reading My disability claim was denied. When should I sue the insurer?
Update on Recent Appeal Decisions
A number of interesting cases have been handed down by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada in the last few months.  The following is a summary of these cases to bring you up to  speed. Moore v. Getahun, 2015 ONCA 55 - Reviewing Expert Reports When this case was decided at trial, … Continue reading Update on Recent Appeal Decisions
Time to Take Workplace Harassment and Abuse Seriously
The Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in Boucher v. Wal-Mart Canada Corp., 2014 ONCA 419, is an excellent example of the consequences that can follow from failing to handle claims of workplace harassment and abuse carefully. Facts of the Case Meredith Boucher started working for Wal-Mart in 1999. After 9 years, she rose to the position … Continue reading Time to Take Workplace Harassment and Abuse Seriously
Farwell v. Citair, Inc.: Constructive Dismissal by Demotion
One of the realities of running a business is that sometimes an employee's role has to change in order to ensure the efficient operation and, in some cases, the survival of that business. Unfortunately, despite an employer's well-meaning intentions, this kind of business decision can result in liability for constructive dismissal. This was the situation … Continue reading Farwell v. Citair, Inc.: Constructive Dismissal by Demotion