Pick Up the Phone: The Court’s Message to High Conflict Counsel in COVID-19
Two recent cases from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice demonstrate a clear message that the Court has run out of patience for aggressive litigation tactics as COVID-19 continues. Haaksma v. Taylor, 2020 ONSC 2656 laid out counsel’s new duty to assist the Court in its pandemic triage role. This duty consists of a heightened […]
Federal Student Grant Program Could Mean Students Work for Less than Minimum Wage this Summer
On June 25th, the federal government launched the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), a program aimed at encouraging post-secondary students and recent graduates to volunteer with not-for-profit organizations addressing COVID-19 relief. The CSSG provides students with a one-time payment ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 based on the number of volunteer hours the student completes. The […]
COVID-19 Expectations and the New Divorce Act
The federal government delayed implementing the Amendments to the Divorce Act until March 1, 2021 in response to COVID-19. However, reviewing the case law from the pandemic period indicates that the new duties expected of parties under these Amendments may already practically be in force as a result of the Court’s heightened COVID-19 behaviour expectations. […]
Calmusky v. Calmusky is a Recent Decision from Justice Lococo of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
A father had passed away, and his adult twin sons were in a dispute about various assets including bank accounts held jointly between the father and one of his sons, and a RRIF in the father’s name where one son was the designated beneficiary. The father had signed a will in 2014, two days after […]
The Court is Watching (So Follow the Rules)
In Numair v. Numair, 2020 ONSC 3737, Jarvis J. recently gave a stern warning to a party failing to meet his family law disclosure obligation: “The Court is watching.” In fact, all parties in family law litigation should heed this caution because, despite the limit on Court services imposed by COVID-19, parties remain subject to […]
Stage 2 – Ontario Permits More Businesses to Re-Open
On June 8, 2020, the Ontario government announced that at the end of this week, the second stage of reopening of certain businesses in certain public health unit regions will begin. A complete list of the public health unit regions moving to Stage 2 and business re-openings can be found here. Beginning on Friday, June 12, […]
Temporary Layoff Deadlines Suspended – Infectious Disease Emergency Leave
For many Employers across Ontario who were forced to temporarily lay off their staff in March 2020, the fact that it was soon going to be thirteen weeks since they had laid off their staff was a significant source of concern. The reason: at thirteen weeks many employers would have reached the temporary lay-off deadline […]
The Three Stages of Reopening for Dental Professionals
According to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (the “College”), it is especially challenging to protect staff and clients in the dental industry against the spread of COVID-19 due to procedures and tools that generate and propel droplets, aerosols and airborne particles. The College has carefully put into place the following three-stage process […]
Don’t Stand So Close To Me….Returning to Work and Managing Physical Distancing
On the lighter side The idea that sometimes people can get “too close” is not new. Seinfield’s “close talker” episode made people both laugh, and cringe, as Elaine’s boyfriend launched himself across social boundaries, speaking to people mere inches from their faces. Now we have COVID-19 and as employers are turning their minds to recalling […]
