B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
With workplaces mandating vaccines, employees with medical exemptions wonder what will happen to them. One lawyer says that regardless of vaccination status, employees should be paid severance if they lose their job over vaccine requirements.
As Canada tries to return to a pre-pandemic normal, workplaces are grappling with enforcing vaccine mandates for their employees, and some employees are learning in real-time the legality of such mandates.
"An employer can't force you to put a needle in your arm, but they can make your continued employment conditional on having received a vaccine. And for those employees who choose not to vaccinate, they can be fired," employment lawyer Daniel Lublin told CTV's Your Morning on Thursday.
Regardless of vaccination status or why they opted out of getting vaccinated, those employees should be paid severance, he added.
How vaccine mandates are being handled differs across businesses and industries. Some employers, such as Air Canada and some Ontario hospitals, are opting to terminate or put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave if they don’t have a medical exemption. Other companies, such as Canada’s major banks, are allowing unvaccinated workers to return to the workplace, but they will have to complete regular COVID-19 testing.
Proving medical exemption for the vaccine has become more difficult, Lublin said. Where a doctor's note used to suffice, he said, he's seeing more employers question the authenticity of doctor's notes they are provided.
"That's not how the human rights law should be interpreted," he said.
For employees who provide a medical exemption and are still dismissed, it could be considered discrimination.
"That would be a discriminatory termination, an individual can sue for both wrongful dismissal and human rights damages," Lublin said. "And in human rights courts, in addition to receiving wage loss recovery, you can potentially sue for reinstatement with back pay."
Much of this, though, still needs to be tested in courts. Lublin said that some of these cases are still working their way through the legal system and could be highly dependent on which industry is involved.
"It's going to be very industry-specific. In certain industries, such as health care, there's probably a far greater case to be made for mandatory vaccinations," he said. "But in other industries where you can have adequate social distancing and employees can work remotely or in a hybrid basis, it may be more difficult for employers to uphold hardcore mandatory vaccination policies."
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.