Bill 168 amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace by requiring employers to implement certain programs, policies, and procedures.

As of June 15, 2010, all employers with 5 or more employees are required to implement Bill 168. Failure to do so exposes companies to fines (maximum $500,000 per charge) and/or 12 month jail sentences for individuals.

This Bill requires employers to develop a number of policies that we would be pleased to assist you with as follows:

Employers are also required to complete a risk assessment of the type of work or the conditions of work and of potential violence hazards that may arise due to the nature of the workplace before developing and implementing a policy or program. These policies and programs must be posted. These requirements are in addition to requirements under human rights legislation.

If you require assistance to bring your company’s policies and procedures in line with the new government regulations, please call 1-877-820-1210.

In Canada an employer may terminate an employee at the employer’s discretion. There are very few exceptions where employment is guaranteed for a period of time. Generally, if there is no legal cause for the termination such as fraud, theft, breach of confidential information etc., the employer must give the employee either reasonable notice or pay in lieu of notice.

In order to determine how much working notice or pay in lieu of notice is to be given to an employee, several factors must be considered:

In addition, we have expertise and provide services regarding a full range of alternate dispute resolution procedures including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. If you have a mediation or arbitration issue, please call us: 1-877-820-1210.

In these harsh economic times, employers may be considering changes to employment contracts such as salary or benefit reductions. Changes such as these can lead to a fundamental alteration in the employment relationship, and result in a constructive dismissal.

At Himelfarb Proszanski we assist employees and employers in reviewing and drafting various agreements to ensure that they meet legal guidelines and receive the benefits of the latest developments in law. These include drafting and advising on the following agreements and/or manuals/policy letters:

If you require services regarding reviewing your employment contract or other agreements, please contact one of our highly-skilled lawyers to assist you. Please contact us at 1-877-820-1210

On the employer side, we represent clients from a wide range of industries including manufacturing, retail, transportation, health care, and financial institutions. We are able to provide tier 1 service at cost-effective rates. We can assist in managing and reducing litigation costs by delivering effective legal advice and human resource management consulting. This includes advice on such diverse topics such as:

We provide up to date information on legislative and case law developments in all areas involving the employment relationship including:

If you require our services regarding human resource consulting, please contact us at: 1-877-820-1210

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is a provincial law that implements safety standards to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries. The OHSA does 3 things: First, it sets out the rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees with respect to work-place safety. Second, it provides minimum requirements to deal with workplace hazards. Last, it establishes sanctions where the OHSA’s requirements have not been complied with.

Himelfarb Proszanski provides a range of services dealing with the OHSA including: