New Restrictions Under Extended Stay-At-Home Order
On April 16, 2021, Premier Doug Ford announced that the current provincial declaration of emergency and the Stay-at-Home order will be extended for an additional two weeks (until at least May 20, 2021), and effective April 17, 2021 at 12:01am, the following additional province-wide changes and restrictions are in place for the duration of the […]
Restrictions on Businesses During the Third State of Emergency (updated May 13, 2021)
On May 13, 2021, Premier Doug Ford announced that the third state of emergency and provincewide stay-at-home order will remain in effect until at least June 2, 2021. Every Ontarian must remain home, except for essential purposes, such as attending grocery stores or pharmacies, accessing health care services, exercising outdoors or for work that cannot […]
April Emergency Break Restrictions
In response to an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and intensive care admissions reaching a record high, premier Doug Ford announced that the Ontario government will implement a 28-day “emergency break” across the province, effective at 12:01am on April 3, 2021. During the “emergency break”, some non-essential services will be required to close, including indoor […]
Important Message Concerning Mental Health From OSC Justice
In a recent endorsement out of Civil Practice Court in Toronto (713949 Ontario Limited, Applicant and Hudson’s Bay Company ULC, Respondent, OSCJ January 25, 2021) Mr. Justice F.L. Myers took an important moment to remind law firms and their leaders of the need in COVID and one suspects other times to protect junior associates and […]
New Government Loan Program for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Affected by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a trying time, especially for small businesses. The government at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels has implemented various measures to help small businesses, such as Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and the COVI9 Energy Assistance Program. Recently, the “Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program” (HASCAP) was introduced to provide loans […]
The Ontario Government is Proposing COVID Liability Protection
The Ontario Government is proposing to provide protection from the legal liability which would otherwise result from the negligent spread of COVID-19. This protection would apply to any individual who made good faith efforts to act in accordance with public health guidance in responding to COVID-19. The proposed Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act, 2020 had its […]
Judicial Notice of COVID-19 Facts
When parties want to rely on facts in court they need to prove them with evidence. However, some facts are so well known that judges can take “judicial notice” of them instead of requiring proof. R. v Find, 2001 SCC 32 tells us that: “a court may properly take judicial notice of facts that are […]
Can I Fire Employees Who Refuse to Be Vaccinated? Kinda, Sorta, Maybe…
With the rollout of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, employers and most employees are looking forward to a return to some semblance of normalcy and, for many, a return to the workplace for all. With vaccine hesitancy, the anti-vaxxer movement and employees’ simply wishing to continue to work from home forever, employers are rightly concerned about […]
Restrictions on Businesses and Health Measures Under the New Ontario Emergency Order
On January 12, 2021, in response to an alarming rise in active COVID-19 cases across the province and to prevent the further depletion of hospital resources and overwhelming of our intensive care units, the Ontario Premier declared a second provincial emergency, which will continue for at least 28 days. Additionally, the government issued a stay-at-home […]
