Author: Amy Loo
July 2020 COVID-19 Update
As we move further into Phase 3 of British Columbia’s Restart Plan there have been some important changes in the COVID-19 labour and employment law landscape. Employment Standards Act The government of British Columbia has extended the temporary lay-off provisions under the Employment Standards Act to 24 weeks for employees laid-off due to COVID-19. Prior […] Read more
COVID-19 Safety Plans
Phase 2 of the Government of British Columbia’s plan to re-open the province’s economy and businesses commenced May 19 and ended June 23. Phase 3 commenced June 24, 2020. Businesses that decide to open or remain open must adhere to all public health orders issued by the Ministry of Health and follow guidelines from both […] Read more
Extended Temporary Layoffs due to COVID-19
To provide more flexibility to employers and employees wishing to extend a temporary layoff due to COVID-19, the government of British Columbia has amended the definition of temporary layoff in the Employment Standards Act to increase the maximum length of a temporary layoff to 16 weeks in a consecutive 20 weeks, rather than the usual […] Read more
Eight Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP Lawyers Recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Congratulations to Susan Arnold, Dean Crawford, QC, Pat Gallivan, QC, Marcia McNeil, Craig Munroe, Paul Pulver, Peter Sheen, and Marino Sveinson for being recognized by their peers and listed in the 2020 Edition of the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Lexpert is a widely respected peer review publication in the legal profession. This recognition confirms Pulver […] Read more
COVID-19: Details on Canada’s Wage Subsidies
Updated April 24, 2020 Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy As part of Canada’s economic support for businesses and workers facing impacts from COVID-19, the federal government announced the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). The subsidy aims to help businesses avoid lay-offs and dismissals due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a significant wage subsidy to eligible […] Read more
Summary of Income Relief Programs offered by the Federal Government and the B.C. Provincial Government
This article provides a summary of already-established and newly announced programs by the federal and B.C. provincial governments that are available to workers who are experiencing negative impacts to their earnings as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these programs described below require employers to apply in order for employees to be […] Read more
COVID-19 and Temporary Lay-off
Updated April 24, 2020 Many businesses in British Columbia have seen slowdowns in business that have impacted their staffing needs. In some cases, the impact has put the viability of their business at risk. Many employers have, or are considering temporarily laying-off employees as a response to the slowdown in business. It is important […] Read more
BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner Provides Guidance on Human Rights Issues and COVID-19
On April 7, 2020, the BC Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, released a policy statement intended to provide guidance to employers, landlords, service providers, and individuals about how to ensure human rights are protected and balanced against urgent public health priorities. The Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has the roles of education, research, […] Read more
