Atlantic Employers’ Counsel – Spring 2014
The Editor’s Corner
Clarence Bennett
This edition focuses on employment and labour issues in Construction. From occupational health and safety legislation to what you need to know when the union organizer arrives at your workplace. We also cover off the general labour and employment differences between non-union and union construction sites in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Safety begins with you: what construction employers in Atlantic Canada need to know about occupational health and safety
Rebecca Saturley and Michelle McCann
Workplace injury and death is highest in the construction industry. In 2008, the Federal Government recorded an average of 24.5 injuries annually per 1,000 employees in the construction industry. Given these statistics, it is in a construction employer’s best interest to take all reasonable measures to ensure safety on construction worksites.
Recent construction industry safety violation discipline decisions: due diligence means enforcing rules
Clarence Bennett and Alison Strachan
Effective health and safety programs must meet provincial occupational health and safety standards and employers must always exercise due diligence in taking steps to meet those standards. Ongoing enforcement of a health and safety program is a must. If not, it is arguable that the employer is not meeting its due diligence requirements and may face unnecessary difficulty defending an occupational health and safety prosecution.
Unionization and its impact in the construction industry
Rick Dunlop, Sacha Morisset, Stephen Carpenter and Stephen Penney
Non-union employers in Atlantic Canada’s construction industry should be aware of the relative ease with which they can become unionized and the significant impact that unionization can have on the operation of their businesses.
Unionized and non-unionized management rights in the construction industry: the Newfoundland and Labrador snapshot
Ruth Trask
Has your Newfoundland-based construction company recently been certified by a union, or are you contemplating the use of a union subcontractor on your worksite? There are a number of unique features of the construction industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. This article will make you aware of just a few of them.
Archive
By Peter McLellan, QC In the 1970s the issue for employers was long hair and sideburns. In the 1980’s it was earrings for men. Today the employer’s concerns are with tattoos and facial piercings. What are…
Read MoreBy Jennifer Taylor Introduction It sounds simple: Two disputing parties, hoping to resolve their disagreement without drawn-out court proceedings, will mutually agree to a settlement on clear terms; release each other from all claims; and move…
Read More2015 ends with changes in workplace laws that our region’s employers will want to be aware of moving into 2016. Some legislation has been proclaimed and is in force, some has passed and will be…
Read MoreThe Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (the “Commission”) has issued a holiday reminder to municipalities in Prince Edward Island about the importance of preparation, accuracy, and transparency when making decisions related to land use and…
Read MoreBy Brian G. Johnston, QC On the same day that the Nova Scotia government announced its projected deficit had ballooned to $241 million, it also introduced Bill 148, the Public Services Sustainability (2015) Act (“Act”). The stated purposes…
Read MoreBy Jennifer Taylor – Research Lawyer Nova Scotia’s Cyber-safety Act1 is no more, after a successful Charterchallenge to the legislation. In Crouch v Snell, 2015 NSSC 340, Justice McDougall of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia found the entire statute—enacted in…
Read MoreBy Jennifer Taylor Introduction: Did Ontario have jurisdiction? Arguments about access to justice are not enough to oust the general principles of jurisdiction, according to a recent Ontario case. In Forsythe v Westfall, 2015 ONCA 810, the…
Read MorePART I: THE NSCA DECISION IN BRINE “Disability insurance is a peace of mind contract”: that’s the opening line of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal’s long-awaited decision in Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc…
Read MoreThe taxation of estates, testamentary trusts and certain “life interest trusts” such as alter ego, joint partner and spousal trusts, and the rules for charitable donations made on death through an estate are changing significantly…
Read MoreSeveral important changes in the tax rules that apply to charitable gifts will be coming into effect in the near future. Some of the new rules take effect in 2016, and others will apply beginning…
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