Articles 2023

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation comes into force on July 1, 2014, and may significantly affect the way school boards are able to communicate with parents, employees, suppliers and stakeholders.

In Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board and Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union, Local 529, 2014 CanLII 9874 (ON LA), Arbitrator Goodfellow was required to determine whether the School Board continued to be bound by provisions in the recently expired, 2008-2012 collective agreement, which could potentially increase the daily hours of work of educational assistants.

Citing the 22 years of clean service, but also noting an attempt to minimize the severity of her actions, Arbitrator Norm Jesin suggested that he would reinstate an EA without compensation after she was terminated provided that the union agreed to waive the operation of the sunset clause in her case. The termination occurred after the grievor intervened in the restraint of a kindergarten student by another EA and dragged the student by the wrist along the pavement into the school building.

A Report from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives has made several recommendations with regards to improving teacher quality, including more frequent performance evaluations and changes to the compensation structure of teachers.

In a recent decision the Ontario Court of Appeal has protected the integrity of internal academic appeal processes at Universities by upholding the decision to strike a statement of claim brought against the University of Ottawa, and others, which sought to re-litigate an academic dispute.

Face à un déficit budgétaire d' environ 13 milliards $, le gouvernement ontarien cherche des moyens d'épargner. Première cible: les travailleurs du secteur public.

Consistent with recent provincial parliamentary initiatives to codify awareness and prevention of bullying,[1] the Supreme Court of Canada released a judgment on September 27, 2012 that upheld a minor's right to anonymity in a case involving cyber-bullying.

A constitutional challenge to the Putting Students First Act appears inevitable, its outcome unpredictable.

Susan Luft of the Ontario Secondary Schools Federation provides her take on the Act to Implement Restraint Measures in the Education Sector and the resulting charter challenge by a number of the largest stakeholders in Ontario’s education sector.

The recommendations of the Drummond Report, released earlier this year, have guided the Ontario provincial government’s recent public sector austerity measures.