News
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
You are invited: Advocates for Employers of Canada COVID-19 Webinar
Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP is a proud member of Advocates for Employers of Canada (AEC). AEC is an alliance of management-side labour and employment law practitioners from across Canada. We advocate for clients in every sector of the economy, from large multi-national corporations, mid-size national and local organizations, to entrepreneurs, not-for-profits, and we advise at […] Read more
COVID-19 – Employee Entitlements During Bankruptcy and Insolvency
Employers across Canada are struggling to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, 2020, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy published a message to debtors encouraging them to inform themselves of the economic measures the Canadian government is implementing to help individuals and companies. Nonetheless, some businesses ultimately may […] Read more
Government Adds Temporary COVID-19 Leave to the Canada Labour Code and Waives Requirement for Medical Certificate for Certain Leaves
On March 25, 2020, the Federal government made important temporary changes to the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”) that impact federally regulated employers. COVID-19 Leave A new COVID-19 related leave provision has been enacted which grants up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave to employees who: have been quarantined or asked to […] Read more
Obligations of Federally Regulated Employers when Laying-off or Terminating Employees
Current to March 26, 2020 With the current COVID-19 crisis, many federally regulated employers are facing difficult workplace decisions. The information set out below addresses only the provisions of the Canada Labour Code affecting federally regulated employers. Employers may also have contractual or common law obligations which exceed the minimum requirements discussed below. Notice […] Read more
